Clutch cable

CLUTCH CABLE MODIFICATION

A cable modified as described here can be installed without removing the casing . It allows for the inner cable only to be carried as a spare, which can be stored under the seat in an oval loop.

What's needed:

Cable, about 50mm longer than required
Cross nipples: upper (handlebar) end: the standard item with countersunk hole.
Cross nipple: lower (gearbox) end: a 10mm dia rod, 12mm long, brass or mild steel. A hole for the cable and two holes, tapped 4mm, to accept screws.
Copper sleeves, those used to join earth wire in a house. Found in a hardware store. May have to be reamed. Needed to protect the cable strands against the handlebar lever (which has a habit of acting like a blade) and against the screws in the lower nipple.
Some solder, brass brazing rod and torch.

CAUTION: Careful with the torch: too much heat will weaken the cable. Practice on some scrap first.

Unravel top few mm to form a mushroom
Drop a small blob of brazing into the mushroom cone to prevent closing up.
Coil some solder around the cable just underneath the mushroom.
Slip the nipple onto the cable, followed by the copper sleeve
Now caulk the cable into the countersunk hole by gently tapping it with a small hammer, all the while adjusting the cable so that it protrudes squarely from the nipple. The soft solder will yield and fill the hole. Copper sleeve must be inside the countersunk hole and must protrude as in picture.
With everything in place, apply heat to the nipple with a soldering iron. The solder will melt, and, being trapped, fill crevices.
BOTTOM NIPPLE: the picture explains itself. Shown here is a sleeve threaded 4mm - there's no need for it, although it helps to hold the nipple while the screws are being tightened. The Allen screws need to be shortened to just enough thread to grab the cable.

The black loop contains two inner cables, sheathed in a bicycle tube, and tied to the frame with string. Nothing more frustrating than cutting cable ties when in a hurry. A clove hitch with slip knot works just as well and can be re-used.

Note wooden wedge to the left. It's part of the toolkit and helps to keep the clutch lever out of the way while fitting the nipple.

The contraption resembling a tuning fork is in fact the two allen keys needed to tighten the setscrews, just above them is a spare nipple. The cable breaks, the nipple is lost.

Allen keys are sheathed in plastic tube, they can be hard on the fingers.