Help me replace my bike's brake cable.

[tarunkp]

i have a friend's bike which i am taking. The rear brake cable is gone so i think, i need to replace it. The bike manufacturer is "Magna" and the bike is men's bike. how do i find which brake cable i need to buy to replace? i am trying to search for a bike store nearby but cannot find it. after the brake cable, i perhaps also need to replace the brake shoe (as they are gone too).

any suggestions would be welcome.

thank you,
Tarun
Orlando, Fl, USA

[xerxes]

Take a look at the repair videos and guides: http://bikeride.com/guide/

Basically there are two types of brake cable, mountain bike brake cable, which has a barrel shaped nipple, and road bike cable that pear shaped nipple:

[attachment=1578]
[attachment=1579]

However, many brake cables are universal, so the inner has a different nipple type each end and you just cut off the one you don't want.

[Bill]

Then depending on how much you want to spend there are the more expensive brands.

[tarunkp]

thank you for the replies. i am including a picture of the rear brake which has gone off. i do not know where exactly to get these kind of brake cable and brake shoes from. i went looking in the Walmart but could not find any of the two. The latter picture shows the front brake.
thanks in advance for help.

[attachment=1372][attachment=1373]

[xerxes]

You just need a mountain bike brake cable inner with a barrel type nipple, like this:

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/CA707A00-Mtb+Brake+Cables.aspx

Then take a look at Alex's video: [ur]http://bikeride.com/inner-brake-cable/[/url]

[tarunkp]

thanks for your reply xerxes. i have some questions:
> as shown in the picture, how do i break my cable into at the point where the single wire separate into two independent for going into two break shoes?
[attachment=1376]

> Do i need to buy the cable with barrel type nipples on both end? i have observed that both ends on the brake wire in the bike has barrel type nipples in both positions- in the handle bar and near to the brake shoe.

>Can i get the brake shoes on JensonUSA?

i looked at the video you have given link to. it is very helpful.

thanks,
Tarun

[xerxes]

(08-11-2010, 01:15 PM)tarunkp Wrote:  as shown in the picture, how do i break my cable into at the point where the single wire separate into two independent for going into two break shoes?

Actually what you have is a single long wire that comes from the lever to the brake cable clamp on one caliper arm and a separate link wire, like this:



The cable from the lever goes through the hollow part of the link wire on shown on the right in the picture above. Your link wire is probably just stuck on your existing cable. If you look closely at the disk part of the link wire you'll see that the long cable to the lever is sort of clipped in.

[tarunkp]

thank you for your reply. could you kindly answer my remaining questions:

> Do i need to buy the cable with barrel type nipples on both end? i have observed that both ends on the brake wire in the bike has barrel type nipples in both positions (or pear shape nipples)- in the handle bar and near to the brake shoe.

>Can i get the brake shoes on JensonUSA?

thank you.

[xerxes]

Quote:Do i need to buy the cable with barrel type nipples on both end? i have observed that both ends on the brake wire in the bike has barrel type nipples in both positions (or pear shape nipples)- in the handle bar and near to the brake shoe.

I can't see the nipple at the lever on your bike, so I can't say for sure, but as it's a mountain bike I'd say you want a barrel on one end. There are no cable systems I know that have a nipple both ends, the brake end is always plain. The cables are sometimes sold with a different nipple at each end and you cut off the end you don't need.

Quote:Can i get the brake shoes on JensonUSA?

I imagine so, you can get cables and shoes lot's of places, I just used Jenson as an example, because I'm guessing you're in the US.

[tarunkp]

i finally got the brake cable set and the cantilever brake pads from a nearby shop and replaced them myself (to get a hang of the system). The brakes work fine now with the new brake wire in the system. I am now working on the front brake system and will post a picture when i fix that also. Included is a picture as to how the rear brake now looks with the new brake cable and new cantilever brake pads.

thank you for your valuable replies.
tarun

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