You need to pull out the brake cable first. Then, stick a 5mm? maybe 4mm, wrench into the slot where the brake cable was and turn clockwise to loosen.

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Alex Arman

Strava

What tool do I use to pull the brake cable out?

Just cut/ release set screw at cable near brake - then pull the lever - then pull the cable out.

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Dan Kennison

facebook: @triPremierBike
http://www.PremierBike.com
http://www.PositionOneSports.com

Your fingers :-) You will need to remove the cap (crush opposite of original crush to loosen) on the far end of the cable, release it from the brake and pull it through and out. You will have to start it by giving the cable a push backwards and you may have to use a pair of needle nose pliers to get hold of the ball shaped end inside the brake lever. You may have to unkink and straighten the end of the cable by carefully bending it with pliers to make it straight for easy pulling through the cable housing. I always assume that I will have to replace the cables with new fresh straight ones. Sometimes you can get away with re-using the shorter front cable but the rear will almost always be kinked and make for a hard time pushing it back through the housing. If you do need a new front cable, you can usually make one from the much longer old rear cable you remove, as you will be cutting off the bent and twisted far end to shorten it.
When you replace the cable, make sure the hole in the "barrel" inside the lever is turned the right way to accept the style of cable head you are using. The countersunk holes to hold the cable ends are sometimes different on front and back.
One last tool note - beg, buy, borrow or steal a proper sharp bike cable cutter. Using a pair of snips or pliers or wire cutters is usually asking for a crappy result with an unraveling cable end that will drive you nuts.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but im stuck and not mechanically minded in the slightest!

I need to switch my stem, which i thought was going to be a 2 minute job, however my brake cable runs through the headset and into the front fork to the disc, so I cant remove the stem without removing the brake cable from my shifter first. I followed the advice above and managed to pull the brake cable out of the shifter slightly, but then expected to be able to unhook it from the shifter. However I cant see how I can remove the cable from the shifter completely, without cutting the ball at the end off and then installing a new cable afterwards... which surely isn't the correct way?

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@the.lazy.triathlete

https://www.strava.com/athletes/18691068

No you can't "unhook" the ball end of the cable. You need to pull the cable out, at least through to the stem, switch the stem, and feed the cable back through down through the stem and through to the brake.

Pull the cable out, replace stem, reinstall cable. That ball end of the cable is physically connected to the brake with cable. If you need to replace something along its length like the stem or casing, you need to remove the cable.

The other half of the question is... is it just the cable running through the stem, or is it the housing too. If your housing is running through the stem, in one continuous piece to the caliper, then you will have to remove the housing from the stem. That will mean taking apart a little more than you probably thought.

Here's what I would do.

1. Disconnect the cable from the brake
2. Disconnect the stem clamp from the steerer tube (remove the stem cap and loosen the stem clamp)
3. Remove the handlebars & stem as a complete unit
4. Pull the brake housing (and cable) out of the fork as you remove the cockpit from the frame
5. Remove the stem from the handlebar and pull it free from the housing & cable
6. Install the new stem - reroute the cable through the new stem if appropriate
7. Feed the housing & cable back into the bike and reinstall the stem to the steerer tube
   

Thanks both! Yes the cable housing goes through the stem also, so not quite the 2 minute job I had hoped for lol. At least i'll get to know the bike better I suppose :-)

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@the.lazy.triathlete

https://www.strava.com/athletes/18691068