Sid (finished)

[CRASH]

Everything I order seems critical.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Do you remember how I said this afternoon was like Christmas Eve? Well, this evening was like Christmas morning...

Except, it was like Christmas morning expecting to find a Red Ryder BB gun but instead I discovered this...

Ho... Ho... Ho!

 

[RustySprockets]

 

[The Renaissance Man]

So I had finally ordered some brake cables and a shift cable and they all arrived ahead of schedule today. I'm calling it critical because I absolutely don't see myself salvaging these!

The NOS shift cable from the first order looks like it will work.

However, both of the brake cables from the second order turned out to be... umm, more shift cables. And not even the correct shift cables either.

I don't blame the seller though. It's understandable that an ePay seller who is not a bike person would not know the difference between the two and it was not easy for me to judge the size based on a couple of photos (even though I tried).

Thanks anyway Aunt Clara, your intentions were good.

 

[CRASH]

You ARE in critical mode! Luckily, you have me as a friend, and I probably have everything you need.

If you don’t have plans Saturday, maybe we can jump on FaceTime and I can see what you need… although I already know what you need.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I decided that I really didn't want to prolong the cable saga any longer by going back and searching out more NOS cable housing. So after a trip to the LBS today I'm back on track for the weekend project with enough new Jagwire cables to finish up the job.

I was hoping to avoid the snow-white cables against Sid's heavy patina by scouting out some NOS cables. But the NOS shift cable that came in yesterday was still not what I was hoping for as far as the finish is concerned. So a quick test on the end of the brand new shiny white housing with some stain has convinced me that I will be able to tone them down to my liking.

Onward!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I bought the Jagwire cable housing in one combined length and will cut it up to use on both the front and rear brakes later. I used this evening to move ahead with 'aging' it and the shifter cable before the routing starts tomorrow.

First up was to remove the logos. A simple wipe with lacquer thinner was all that was needed.

Next, the glossy finish would be resistant to any type of stain, so I sanded it from end to end. Then I wiped some dark brown gel stain that I had on hand and followed that with wiping some rattle can black spray paint on. That was immediately followed by rubbing all of it together with a lacquer-soaked paper towel to blend everything together.

Here is the new Jagwire next to the shift cable. After I took this comparison picture the shift cable got the same treatment and both were left to cure overnight.

I intentionally overshot the amount of color on them at this point so that I can bring it back down toward white after they have time to cure. This should give me better control so that (hopefully) I can dial it in without having to reapply any stain.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

The cable patina process was a success!

Here's a side-by-side pic with one of Sid's original cables next to the brand-new Jagwire:

The last step involved rubbing the dried stain/paint this morning with a white Scotch pad soaked with mineral spirits and then wiping it dry with a paper towel. The weekend checklist is off to a good start!

 

[CRASH]

That’s incredible! This is fascinating because I’ve never dialed a bike back to a barn find state. Great work!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

That’s incredible! This is fascinating because I’ve never dialed a bike back to a barn find state. Great work!

That's what I do.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Got the shift console and park brake up and running!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Here's a look under the console showing how the 'Park Brake' operates off of the same cable used for the handlebar lever brake.

The original cable had a molded stop in the middle of the cable. Without having that specific cable available to me, I substituted it with the cable knarp shown above.

Such a simple but effective design!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Test Ride Day!

The cables are 99% finished as I was reluctant to cut the excess wire until everything was checked out. (Check twice cut once.) I dropped the sissy bar down one hole and subsequently dropped the seat post to match. The kickstand also got another minor adjustment.

The ride was greatly improved by the new seat position even though it still feels a little like riding a road bike with my hands in the braking position. The brakes themselves feel a little inadequate. I believe that it is due to the pads not contacting the rim sufficiently enough. There's not a lot of adjustment so maybe it will improve as the pads wear a little.

After running through the gears a few times it started having some issues with not catching all of the changes cleanly. I think that the cables just needed to settle in because I was able to readjust the derailleur when I got it back on the work stand and it's shifting smoothly again.

Overall I'm very happy with how it is shaping up!

 

[RustySprockets]

Hard to believe it's the same bike you started with. Personally, I'd leave the chain guard off, but I realize that's all part of the image.

 

[CRASH]

I see you replaced the spring? What’s it seating against? And it’s pushing back the…. Knarp? I’m just trying to understand the mechanics. I think the point of the spring is to hold tension on the cable so the lever snaps back into place rather than the housing falling out due to it being slack. But just exactly how it’s “supposed” to work is a mystery. I’ve just figured out solutions, but never the same one twice.

Bike looks great!

 

[twojs.bike]

This bike is amazing!

The brakes themselves feel a little inadequate

I have a theory. The brake cable routing creates an S shape. I had a similar issue with brakes that had no power. I tried everything and couldn’t get power. Finally I re-routed the cables to avoid the S shape and the brakes worked again. Seems like if the brake housing bends in opposite directions like an S it causes problems. If all the bends are in the same direction you get more power.

Just a theory, but might be worth playing with.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Hard to believe it's the same bike you started with. Personally, I'd leave the chain guard off, but I realize that's all part of the image.

The chain guard is an iconic part of these particular muscle bikes! Don't give up on it yet, pictures will be coming soon.

I see you replaced the spring? What’s it seating against? And it’s pushing back the…. Knarp? I’m just trying to understand the mechanics. I think the point of the spring is to hold tension on the cable so the lever snaps back into place rather than the housing falling out due to it being slack. But just exactly how it’s “supposed” to work is a mystery. I’ve just figured out solutions, but never the same one twice.

Bike looks great!

That is actually the same spring! I was able to massage it back into shape.

I just put it back together in the same configuration that I found it in. The spring itself passes through the 'long adjuster-looking part' (for lack of a better term I'll just call it the adjuster) and 'seats' against the cable ferrule.

I hadn't questioned the mechanics involved until you asked, so without any empirical evidence, this is my assumption about how it works:

As the knarp moves forward (pushed by the console handle}, the spring pushes the cable housing forward resulting in the equivalent of the housing becoming longer along with the wire so that the handlebar lever stays taut (even though the caliper is engaged). If you'll notice, the 'adjuster' is much longer than needed to simply seat the cable housing. This would allow the cable to move forward without falling out. Essentially the wire and the housing both move toward the handlebar lever together while the wire gets shorter on the aft side of the 'Park Brake' as it actuates the rear brake caliper. If the brake is actuated by the handlebar lever, the knarp will still move forward with the wire but this time the cable housing will not move and the spring will squeeze between the knarp and the cable ferrule until it is released again.

I hope that makes sense. If not I can graphically illustrate it so that it does. "A picture is worth a thousand words" as the old saying goes.

This bike is amazing!



I have a theory. The brake cable routing creates an S shape. I had a similar issue with brakes that had no power. I tried everything and couldn’t get power. Finally I re-routed the cables to avoid the S shape and the brakes worked again. Seems like if the brake housing bends in opposite directions like an S it causes problems. If all the bends are in the same direction you get more power.

Just a theory, but might be worth playing with.

Thanks for the props!

I can see how multiple bends will add drag and affect the responsiveness. However, (based on the original advertising photos) this is a direct recreation of the original configuration all of the way down to which side of the head tube and seat tube the cable passes.

I think that it may have more to do with the pads themselves since they are not OEM replacements.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

that's a satisfying click going thru the gears. Dig it.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Next up is the handlebar wrap. I've never done it before but it looks simple. Any advice or tips from the pros before I start?

 

[CRASH]

...The spring itself passes through the 'long adjuster-looking part' (for lack of a better term I'll just call it the adjuster) and 'seats' against the cable ferrule...

There's the trick! It seats against the ferrule. I think the springs I got were too large in diameter.

Any advice or tips from the pros before I start?

Start at the center of the bar, where ever you want the end of the tape to be. Tape the edge to the bar, then wrap over it once, then start the angle. The rule I've used in the past is "half", meaning I would use half the width to cover the other half of the previous spiral. I hope that makes sense. But if you don't have enough tape you may need to move those edges closer to each other. Keep it TIGHT. Especially if the edges are close. It looks like they clamped the levers over the tape in the add. I've never done that as I'd fear it would cut the tape because you'd have to crank it down to keep the lever from moving. So I'm going to try a road bike trick on mine, make sure the bolts aren't protruding, and use an "X" pattern to wrap over the levers if I can. Do what works for you. When you get to the end of the bars give it a flat wrap so you cover all the chrome at the end, you should have some excess after that. Stuff that into the bar and use the plugs to "seal" it.

I hope that made sense. Don't feel bad if you have to go back and redo it a few times. That's very common.