Hi, I wanted to replace the brake cable on my Brick Lane Bike Beetle, but now I’m completely confused. I’m a total beginner, but from the look of the head, it almost seems more like a gear cable, right?
A road bike cable head does not fit into the hole because of the “neck” behind the nipple. I have not tried an MTB cable yet, since that works differently anyway.
Am I missing something obvious here? I’d really appreciate any help 🙂
by Hans_Oberlander_
8 Comments
It’s a bodged lever application using a charmingly named ‘idiot lever’. It’s designed to interrupt the brake line from a traditional drop bar lever to provide more braking options. If it works with a gear cable I’d just run that, cable is cable.
How thick is the cable? It might be a gear cable..
In any case, I’d probably just use a gear cable, and swap it a bit more often. Its gonna be strong enough that you break something else before it snaps…
That or file down the end of a road brake cable.
That lever is not supposed to be used like that it is a pass through lever for drop bars so you can use the brake when on the flats.
Someone has bodged it but it is not an independent leve
https://preview.redd.it/04e52ox9wqvg1.jpeg?width=820&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6e400856e4858b2a8132cbd29b34c8b47612d9d
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Also, the receptacle in the brake handle could be for a pear shaped end brake cable, not the barrel shown in the picture
Avoid using gear cable. It is thinner and more likely to fail than brake cable. Use road brake cable instead. Make sure to use brake housing as well – gear housing will fail quickly under heavy braking.
I’ve done this plenty of times and can confirm it works fine with these levers, even if the end of the cable pokes out a little bit.
In the 2010s, these levers were often used for cheap fixie conversions of vintage road bikes.
Some cables with pear shaped ends might fit the opening. Remove the lever and take it to a bike shop to do a test fit
Another option is using a BMX cable. The Oddyssey Slic cables have one end that is ball shaped. It’s not the intended use, but that end will fit perfectly in the lever. Back in the day, some shops specialized in fixed gear conversions recommended these cables for that type of lever. Install at your own risk!
https://preview.redd.it/qkorxga1wrvg1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=4621d44b029345ebcdb59dd56be2c02c7113d968
This is what a lot of single-speed and fixie bikes come with. There’s nothing wrong with it.
Some people will say not to use it because a brake cable is stronger, and while there is truth to that, you won’t have a problem. This is the same setup I’ve had on my commuter bike for years and I’ve never had an issue.
As long as you use brake *housing*, you’ll be fine.
It’s a tt road brake cable. 1.6 mm cable with a head to fit time trial brake levers.
https://shop.visiontechusa.com/en/accessories/triathlon-time-trial/brake-inner-cable