Pictured are the three most vital tools for performing your own cable maintenance: Small needle nose pliers, for holding cable taut when tightening a cable clamp screw. Cable and housing cutting tool, For making clean and easy cuts through cable housing and cables. (Available at local bike shop or online) Metric hex key wrench set, for loosening and tightening derailleur or brake cable clamp screw.
Emergency Repairs on the Road:
In the author's experience, if you add a small adjustable wrench and leave the cable cutter behind, you will have a very effective and compact road tool kit that covers many emergency adjustments or repairs that can happen while on the road. Add a small tire patch kit and mini pump or Co2 for more complete, "insurance." For some paras there is no walking home from a broken down bike!
Cable Types
As already mentioned, there are two kinds of cable available, distinguished primarily by the type of housing used. 1) The cheaper spiral wound looks like a coil spring. 2) "Compressionless" whose housing looks like a bundle of straight hair strands running from housing end to housing end. The better brands of compressionless housing usually have an inner plastic liner that reduces cable friction and helps center the cable in the housing which results in crisper shifting, authoritative braking and smoother cable motion.
 |
| Compressionless housing, top. Spiral wound, bottom. Plastic coating was removed ONLY to show cable housing innards. Properly cut housing will have plastic outer coating along it's full length. |
Cable Cutting
Cable housing should be cut with shearing type cable cutters designed for the purpose. Use of dykes style cutters or other type of non shearing cutter will result in a very poorly cut housing end, and with compressionless housing, a badly crushed plastic liner. The best brands of cable will not last long if the ends of the cable housing are ragged. In some cases, the cable end might come out ragged even with the cleanest cutting, and a small hand file or rotary cutting tool (Dremel) or small angle grinder can be used to square off the end of the cable housing. Compressionless housing can also require a bit reshaping with the pliers as the cutting will tend to "teardrop" the end of the housing.
Handcycle Cable Housing Hygiene
On handcycles, ragged housing ends can rub on the cable sides and cause premature cable fraying at the barrel adjuster of a shifter or brake and can also cause the cable housing end to cut its way through the cable housing ferrule or end cap. When is doubt make sure the cable housing ends are clean.
Feral Ferrules
Ferrules or cable housing end caps come in a few flavors: 1) Thin pressed sheet metal used with cheaper cable with spiral housing. 2) Thick molded plastic, used on pricier compressionless cable, and, 3) machined aluminum, which can be special ordered. Ask at your local bike shop). The aluminum ferrule can be used on a handcycle where cable flop and cable tension conspire to tear up a conventional plastic ferrule.
Dexterity Issues and Cable Adjustment
Properly adjusted brake and shifter cables can often require the mechanic to actively apply tension to a cable while tightening a clamping bolt and although a needle nose pliers can be handy, oftentimes certain set-ups or the dexterity level of the mechanic may require a third hand. In such situations the BT-2 Cable Stretcher from Park Tool can be useful. Available at local bike shop or online.
No comments:
Post a Comment