Upgrading brake cables

Becky learning about handlebar moustaches

The main bug-bear with Becky's bike, her Birthday Bike Project in the form of a vintage Argos 531c bike, is the brakes being too stiff and awkward.  Our first step was to replace the levers with some well designed Sram levers which are of considerable ergonomic advantage for petite hands.  These new levers were certainly and improvement on the original Shimano 600 levers but still the brakes weren't easy for Becky to handle.

We talked this over in the LBS who suggested some better cables and this made sense.  We got some KBLE inner cables (they're French) and some new outers which are lined.  The cables are actually stainless steel and feel considerably smoother than the normal cables.  The plastic lined outer cable made the new KBLEs very smooth, especially with a little dribble of Dry Lube. Click here for this cable on Wiggle.

Carrying out this little upgrade was pretty straight forward and you might remember from previous posts that Becky is expected to learn about bikes as we gradually upgrade the bike.  Our first step was unravelling the handlebar tape in order to access the old cables.  It was at this point Becky acquired her new (handlebar?) moustache and at that point I realised we weren't going to have a serious bike lesson - but who cares?  Cycling needs to be full of enjoyment for a 14 year old girl who is gaining confidence in her own abilities on the bike; why get her bogged down in the technicalities and end up putting her off cycling?

This upgrade cost less than £10 and has made a real difference to the ease and smoothness of the brakes.  The previous cables , although new, were cheap, rough and unlined which then contributed to the brakes being hard to pull.  I think getting the length of the outer cable is important so the curves in the outer as it bends itself from the handlebars need to be a gradual curve, not too tight.

While this upgrade appears to have been an improvement, it's still not perfect as the springs in the callipers (Shimano 600) are very strong but I think this is about as good as it gets.  I'd really recommend this as a fairly cheap way of upgrading your brakes.  In any event, the older and drier a cable is, the higher the chance that the nipple will eventually break away so an upgrade like this is almost routine serving.

Peeling off the handlebar tape

threading the new cables through the levers

Review - Raleigh Outback SPD type pedal

My daughter has treated herself to a pair of these pedals for her Birthday Bike Project.  She went into our LBS and selected a pair of shoes, having tried on every conceivable pair (at least twice), walked around in them, looked in the mirror and negotiated the price.  According to Rachel (Mrs Ramblings) it took ages.  Much quicker was the selection of the pedals with the friendly LBS man saying "you can have the lot for £75".  We'll do a review on the shoes soon but in the meantime, we're not too sure about these pedals.

To put them in context, the ticket price is £29.99 and are distributed by Raleigh  and manufactured in Taiwan.  I don't think SPD compatible pedals come very much cheaper than that very often.  They are double sided, with adjustable spring tension and come complete with a pair of cleats.  The box says they have "smooth running ball bearings" which we may dispute a little.  One side is perfect, the other is a little on the rough side but I'm sure that'll wear in quickly.  The price is curious in a way.  By the time you take off 20% VAT, bear in mind the LBS will probably make around £8 to £10 profit, Raleigh themselves will take a slice, someone will pay for the cost of shipping them half way around the world.  Then there's the packaging and the ex-factory price.  No one is getting rich out of these pedals.  The actual cost of making these must be very little.

Becky seems to have adapted very well to using them and fully recognises the benefits of this type of clipless pedals.  All good stuff.

Then, out of curiosity, I thought I would try these myself, while wearing my own SPD compatible Specialized Sonoma shoes.  They snapped in with the familar click alright but it was less easy to get out.  Twisting my heal outwards was simple enough but then I realised the technique required pulling my foot slightly backwards.  This is a little unnerving and on closer examination of the pedals the metal guide that guards the cleats in is more pronounced.

Would we buy these again?  Probably not but they do work in a satisfactory manner but  without setting the world on fire

Project Birthday Bike - next stage

Becky is still delighted with her new bike - the c1980s Argos fast tourer.  She had it on 25th July in the full knowledge that it needed some updating and a little TLC.  So far we've replaced the tyres and tubes, having some really nice folding Continental 4 Season tyres which promise an excellent all-round performance with real puncture resistance.

The brakes have been a bit of a problem.  The original Shimano 600 callipers and levers were good in their day but for a 14 year old girl the levers were too big for her to easily grab and too stiff to pull.  The brakes themselves were not too effective as a result.  Of course, knowing the brake blocks were equally as old, it is possible they have become hardened.

While I know there is a case for keeping things authentic and faithful to the original specification, we have to be pragmatic here.  This is a bike for a 14 year old girl to enjoy riding (safely) and not be ruled by the eccentricities of a vintage bike in which she has no understanding or interest in the heritage.  It's simlpy a good light frame that needs riding with enthusiasm.  And so she does; and because of this I believe it is worth doing well for her.

So the brakes.  I suspect the bike is going to need some new callipers but in the mean time we have invested in some really nice Sram levers.  We tried out a couple of different ones for size and these seemed good.  You can't see them too easily in the photo but believe me they are good.  She can ride with her hands stitting on the hoods and looking comfortable and pull the levers fairly well.  We still have the problem of the brakes not being too effective and I suspect that some new Sram callipers will do the trick in hopefully being well balanced for the levers through being designed with each other in mind.  This means a pull of the lever being translated into the right amount of cable being pulled and closing the brake pads onto the rim in the right way.  So that continues to be a work in progress.

Another little challenge has been dealing with the LBS. I know I have been waxing lyrical (click here) about the merits of dealing with a LBS but I have felt a little let down.  I asked them to regrease the bottom bracket and hub bearings which they happily did although the usual mechanic was going to be on holiday.  I had a faint warning bell ringing in my mind about this.

Campag Record hubs are good no matter how old

On looking at the hubs at home I'm not convinced there's any fresh grease in there at all.  Turn the axle and it was stiff, graunchy and rough.  As a matter of principle I took it back in for it to be readjusted, knowing the full time mechanic was back.  Then it was done properly.  Those Campagnolo Record hubs were about as good as you could get in the 1980s and were known for their good quality.  Now they should last.

The bottom bracket is worn and in all fairness to the KBS it is difficult to adjust so we'll have that replaced in due course.

Not too worn but not the right make

The freewheel is puzzling me a little and I must query this with Wallie and Angela sometime.  It is a French Maillard type running with Shimano early indexed gears.  Unsurprisingly the spacing between the sprockets isn't quite right and therefore the gear lever's clicks don't quite match up.  Becky doesn't seem too bothered and manages to ride well with the minimum of gear changes, which is probably not a bad thing.

We've had a few rides with each other and Becky seems really at home on the bike.  The size and dimensions seem exactly right for her and seeing her ride she appears very much at home on that bike.  I did remark that it was Victoria Pendleton (Team GB Olympic cyclist) who said her father recognised she had some potential when she was at the same age.  Who knows?  God certainly does!

I'm sure I'll blog about this further another time but Rachel and I have noticed how Becky enjoys the sense of freedom and independence from being able to cycle around, either on her own or with me.  She's even started a voluntary holiday job in the public library and it was a lovely sight seeing her pedal off for that on her first day.  A very special moment.

Taking off the original odd size tyres

Birthday Bike project continues

Flipflops and Crocs: the new cycling accessory?  Hope not!

 Just a quick update on Becky's birthday bike project.... we've had a tyre changing lesson having splashed out on a pair of Continental 4 Season 700x25 tyres and new tubes.  The old ones, while just about rideable, were cracking having been sitting unused since the last century.  We've also replaced the original Shimano 600 brake levers (which will be on eBay soon) as they were a bit awkward and too big.  They have been replaced by some nice Sram levers which are far superior in terms of their ergonomic design.

The bike is really nice an light.  The frame is made with Reynolds 531C throughout with reasonably light wheels (Campag / Mavic).  Next we'll replace the bottom bracket and get the gears sorted.

I should say that I'm pleased we invested in some puncture resistant tyres.  Fitting them was a real challenge and I had to resort to using a tyre lever to get the last bit of the bead over the rim.  I knew I ran the risk of pinching the tube but thankfully it was okay.  At least Becky knows the procedure, if not totally "hands on" for her.  It was one of those tender daughter / father times which I cherish so much.

A birthday "project"....

New cycling top co-ordinating well with her PJs

Many 14 year old girls get make-up, iPhones and clothes for their birthday.

Here's our eldest daughter Becky with a birthday "project".  It is an Argos frame (as in the Bristol bespoke frame builder) and is older than her by several years.  I bought it from our friends Wallie and Angela who I think were happy to let us have it knowing it was going to a new home.  It'll certainly get plenty of use.

While it is rideable, it does need some TLC.  Just had the bearings regreased at the LBS.  As the usual mechanic is on his holiday, we have been dealt with by someone else in the shop who charged me £10 for ball bearings, in addition to the labour.  When I queried this he explained "well I did use caged bearings" which to my mind just makes it even worse!  The bottom bracket is shot; it goes from being tight to loose in 90 degrees.  The Campag hubs will, of course, last forever.

So soon we'll have a bike repair workshop on the go and further blog posts to follow....