I now know why my brake cables kept snapping

[Shut Up Legs]

Can't you fix broken brake cables just by removing them? Braking isn't the strong point of most motorists I see, so I say, if you can't beat 'em then join 'em!

Seriously, though, Matthew: where exactly was the cable rubbing? You said at the lever and the brake block, but I'm still trying to picture that.

 

[Davidc]

Same here...

and here

Did have a gear cable fail last year at the nipple - crud around it stopping rotation.

There's always a good reason for any failure (sometimes just that something's worn out). If it's cables failing because of rubbing it's alignment. Just fix it. You could abandon lots of bikes if you don't find causes and sort problems out.

 

[redcard]

You can also fix broken brake cables by just riding uphill.

farks up your gears, though.

 

[Globalti]

In 50 years of cycling I've never snapped a brake cable; I've seen a few frayed ones and replaced them but never gone as far as snapping them.

 

[Tommy2]

The snaps were happening at an unusual rate and I was getting sock of having to change them and waste money.

I change my socks everyday, but I wash them and re use them, therefore saving money. Hope that helps

 

[Amanda P]

An interesting approach to maintenance, and similar to mine.

The brakes on my bike don't work. When I'm not riding the bike, it doesn't matter. When I am riding the bike, well, I can hardly fix them then, can I?

 

[Gravity Aided]

You have to fix them as you get on the bike.
There is a brief moment, a tipping point, as it where, when riding a bicycle goes from intent to actuality.
It is at this point that the brakes should be fixed.

 

[byegad]

My brain hurts! I'll stop using it for a year and see if it improves.

 

[Gravity Aided]

You should check in with some politicians in America, Byegad. Many of them have long experience at not using their brains.

 

[andrew_s]

My brother was also breaking his brake cable frequently. That turned out to be because the barrel the cable nipple sits in inside the lever had seized, and no longer rotated to keep the nipple aligned with the cable. The bending back and forth as the lever was pulled would break off the nipple.

 

[crazyjoe101]

Guys I think everyone's missing the point here. If not using the bike won't solve the problem then why do doctors give people cruches so that they can stop using an injured leg? Duuh.

 

[avalon]

Brakes and brake cables are the two things that don't wear out on my bikes as they hardly ever get used.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

My brain hurts! I'll stop using it for a year and see if it improves.

If you come back and read this thread, rest assured it will still hurt even after a year

 

[EltonFrog]

This is a very funny thread, one of the funniest. If I stop reading it, will it stop being funny?