How do you thread a brake cable with drop style brinfters

[Sillyoldman]

Sorry should obviously say brifters but cant find how to edit the title.

Never had drop handle bars with indexed shifters before. My question is how the heck do you replace the inner brake cable. I loosened the cable so I could pull the lever right to the bar and could see down into the hood area but could not see the hole to push a new cable into.
Do you dissemble the brake assembly if so how do you do that? I can only see the bolt head that secures the brake to the bars (down the side of the hood).
If I push the cable up the outer sleeve I see it come into the brake lever area but not the actual entry hole. I guess there must be an easy way but can find nowt on YouTube.
Help

 

[smokeysmoo]

Which shifters are they?

 

[Sillyoldman]

Microshift 9 speed.

 

[Sillyoldman]

Like this

http://store.biketouringnews.com/micro-shift-9-spd-sti-shifter-set/

 

[smokeysmoo]

View: http://youtu.be/zOQWYnsQR-Y

 

[Sillyoldman]

That's great. It looks like the plastic head of the hood has been cranked backwards. How is that done? Could see no release clips or anything and don't want to force things and risk a break.

 

[BimblingBee]

If you pull the brake lever in you should be able to access the head of the cable. The gear cable must be shifted al the way down and then its a case of simply pushing the cable out.

Pulling the rubber hood back can help too.

 

[smokeysmoo]

I'm not familiar with Microshift TBH, but what BB said sounds right to me.

Not sure what you mean by 'the plastic head', the hood has been pulled back from the bars in the video, and the lever gets depressed to allow the cable to fed through as ^BB^ says.

 

[Sillyoldman]

I released all the tension (disconnected the cable at the brake calliper end) and pulled back the rubber hood. I cable tied the brake lever right back against the drop bar and could see down into the brake lever assembly. Getting the old cable out was easy. Ad that is where I ran into trouble. Try as I might I just cannot see the cable exit point. Smokes video makes it look a doodle and maybe there is a trick that makes it so. But there is no line of sight to the hole. Tried gentle pushing and prodding but to no avail. 4 hours spent so far with no result! I feel a total muppet but really want to learn simple (least I thought it would be) maintenance. Won't give up yet. I do have som e patience but the weather looks great tomorrow. Might have to go out with a front brake only at this rate!

 

[BimblingBee]

So you've got the old one out?

Have a look at the other one and look where it is connected. There may be a small barrel with a hole in it, If its spun round you may not be able to see the hole...

 

[smokeysmoo]

Have you taken both sides out? (hope not).

Always leave one side intact to refer back to.

I don't mean to teach you to suck eggs, but it's easy to forget when you start fettling.

 

[Sillyoldman]

Thanks guys, yes there is a cylinder with plastic ends that sits in a recessed cradle. This has a hole in it the the cable goes through and the cable end metal stop would sit in. But no matter how I try it is the exit point out of the back of the hood into the cable outer that I cannot find I see. There has to be an easier way to do this. Will keep prodding away. Front cable is still in situ and I won't be taking that out in a hurry. Very frustrating.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Will keep prodding away.

I know Shimano and Campag shifters can be fiddly. Use the old cable to get the feel for threading it so you don't chuff the end of the new cable while your getting the hang of it.

Might be useful to use a torch as well to try and help light the way.

 

[lulubel]

I had the same problem with one of mine (the other one was fine). I couldn't get the cable to feed through into the outer, no matter how much I wriggled it around. In the end it was quicker and easier to unwrap the bar tape so I could get the outer away from the lever, and feed it through that way.

 

[Ningishzidda]

The shifters look like Tiagra.
Unhitch the cable from the brake stirrup. Pull the lever and you should see the 'pear' nipple in an aluminium barrel with some bushes on each end. with a thin screwdriver, pick the barrel out of its seating and tease it out of the front while gently pushing the cable at the brake stirrup end.
Watch the bushes, they will fall everywhere, so dab them with grease to make them stay on the barrel.

Pull the cable fully out.

Before you install the new cable, coat it with waxoil. Make sure the snipped end is correctly wound and put a dab of grease on it. Put the barrel on it. Note which way the Bowden cable is wound and ONLY rotate it so it tightens. You DO NOT want the Bowden cable fraying inside the outer. GENTLY thread the cable down into the shifter. The idea of using a torch is GOOD. If you hit a stop, don't force it. Rotate the cable to tighten it and it will prob' slip into place.

When the cable is fully installed, clean off the waxoil from where it will be clamped with meths on a kitchen towel.

Good luck.