Routing a rear brake cable through 3 cable stoppers

Hello there,
I've got a lovely old 1984 raleigh team replica frame and I've been riding it fixed for a year now which is great, but I think it deserves gears and living in Brighton I think I deserve them as well (give my legs a rest).

Obviously I'll need a rear brake which I've got (1990's campagnolo athena) but I was just wondering how I'd route the cable through 3 cable stops which are on the top tube. On my other bike there's just two so I run an high quality outer cable (from the brake lever) to first cable stop, then just use some thin plastic cover between the two stops and then continue the proper outer cable from the second brake stop to the rear brake itself.

If you understood that then you might be able to envisage my dilemma, do I just run the thin cable and crappy cover through the middle cable stop? Or do I cut 2 pieces of high quality cable stop and put them between the middle stop and the other two?
I'm sure I'm just over thinking this and its really simple, just thought I'd ask.

Thanks
Joe

If there are 3, surely it's because you just run the outer all the way through?

surely any outer will go through all 3? no need for cutting

echo in here

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If there are 3, surely it's because you just run the outer all the way through?

Yes. I'm sure they'll be guides rather than stops.

TIP

when you fit these things, tighten the clip at one end, then pull brake lever as hard as you can, then tighten the middle clip, then re-arrange and do the same for the last clip.
Otherwise you end up with a spongey feeling rear brake AND it rubs on your frame and can make an annoying clicking noise. Even very expensive outer cabling will still compress to an extent causing the above problems.

where do I get these clips?
Thanks
Joe

Cable clip = cable guide. Take a photo of your top-tube, it might help diagnose the problem.

As far as I can think, there are four ways of dealing with the cable run to the rear brake:

• Using clips as BrickMan mentioned.
  
• Using welded / brazed on guides that the outer runs through.
  
• Using cable stops which only the inner runs through.
  
• Internal run through the top tube which can either have stops or need outer the whole way through.
  
  

If you have welded / brazed on guides you don't need clips.

As far as I can think, there are four ways of dealing with the cable run to the rear brake:

• Using clips as BrickMan mentioned.
  
• Using welded / brazed on guides that the outer runs through.
  
• Using cable stops which only the inner runs through.
  
• Internal run through the top tube which can either have stops or need outer the whole way through.
  
  

If you have welded / brazed on guides you don't need clips.

Ok basically I've got 3 welded on cable guides on top of my top tube, what I think i need are some cable casing caps that are flared? or just bigger at the end so my outer cable doesn't go through my guides, then I could just run a bare inner between them. Otherwise running the outer through all 3 will give a 'spongy' brake, my friend did it and his brakes were naff

Thanks

so professionals in the 70s 80s 90s must have all had naff spongy brakes

It's designed to run the outer through all 3 by the sounds of things. I have a couple of bikes with full length brake outer to the rear and the brakes are good. Perhaps your mate used some really cheap cables / outers or perhaps there is an issue with his brake lever / caliper. I doubt you will find any caps to hold the outer back as the guides usually have a curve as they meet the frame, which would definitely result in sponginess.

Yeah, the full cable outer runs through all three. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this; some modern bikes still do it this

Poor brakes are a symptom of poor setup (and to a lesser extent, naff cables).

Or your friend used gear cable outers for brakes which are useless in compression ..

Actually, gear outer compresses far less than brake outer.

Gear outer is woven or braided whereas brake outer is most commonly coiled*, at rest there is a small amount of space between the coils which gets compressed when you pull the brake.

If you used coiled outers for gears you'd never be able to set the indexing because of how much the outer can compress.

*BMX brake cable outers are often braided, braided cables suit this application as the routing is simple (braided outer is stiffer than coiled) and braided outer also suffers less from compression (across the cable rather than along it) if you do barspins and wrap the cable tightly around the steerer tube, not much of a concern for road or mountain bikes.

In theory, yes you are correct a road gear cable is compression less .. In practice you may not want to try that out, because the pull force in braking means the road gear cable will distort, which is why road brake cable is coiled. I can't comment about BMX cables so I accept your knowledge on them ..

The diagram below shows that although the construction of the actual braided part of an Odyssey Linear cable looks to be pretty similar to that of a gear outer there is more material placed on the outside to prevent distortion.

I'd not be surprised though if some manufacturers were doing similar things with their gear outer to further stiffen them and improve shifting.

http://www.odysseybmx.com/dailyword/archivesV2/2012/03/odyssey-brake-cable-guide-large.jpg

so professionals in the 70s 80s 90s must have all had naff spongy brakes

It was a mechanic (and been a road mechanic since fuck knows when) who is now in their late 60s who showed me this technique. Not many people use it and before he told me I'd have never have figured, but yeah, I get a better rear brake and the annoying clicking noise that you often get as the outer cable strains against the clips.

Try it, if you don't notice a difference, then don't bother, simple as.

^^ Interesting, thanks for the post .. I know Transfil us a compression resistant carbon fibre/Kevlar composite outer on the Flying Snake, but it's a pig to fit as it is really stiff.

No one doubts your knowledge Brickman just the relevance of it to the OP's question
since he has guides not clips.

I was responding to this nonsense

running the outer through all 3 will give a 'spongy' brake, my friend did it and his brakes were naff

Looks like I'll just go with threading it all the way through, suppose with it completely sealed the inner might rust just that little bit less

Thanks fellas

no worries, full outer cabling does help keep the weather out, do it!