I’m replacing the front end on my Orbea. The Bontrager stuff is off and I’m installing a Vision aluminum base bar and Vison clip-ons. I had planed on using the Bontrager brake levers but they don’t fit in the Vision base bar.
OK, plan B. Use the old Dia Compe levers (188?) I pulled from my wife’s Dual that are sitting in my tool box. The problem with that is the fit of cable and ferrules is different than a more current lever. The housing needs to be smaller but everything I have seen is pretty thick. What am I supposed to use for this? Shift cable housing? What kind of ferrule?
Once this is done and I now have a much lower front end I can move on to installing my 165mm cranks…
do you have a picture of the lever and where the housing enters? Could be a few different things. Some levers don’t use a ferrule. Also, the OD of ferrules sometimes varries. The perforated ferrules are just a hair smaller and sometimes fit where regular ones don’t.
I don’t have a picture but I will take one tonight.
The hole the cable feeds through is very small. There is no chance any standard brake cable would fit. If I had to guess I would say to use a ferrule and just butt up against the lever housing, but I would rather not guess when it comes to brakes…
FWIW, the base bar and brakes all came off a stock 2005 Cervelo Dual so I’m hoping that someone here has this now or has seen it.
ok, i just googled a 188 and looked at it. The lever uses a step-down ferrule. I’ve only seen step-down brake ferrules on the 188s. Might be difficult to source but maybe your shop can order it in.
As you’ve been told, there is a step-down ferrule that you need with those levers. I have a pair for my 188 pull-offs. Not sure you can buy them separately.
i just had my old pair installed on my new old model vision bars - flat base size 26.0, my LBS used shifter cables for my brake levers - flat roundish part that fits the groove on the levers, he put jagwire housing as well which was thinner than the normal cables. i`ll go check later take a pic for you.
That is pretty much exactly my setup. 26mm Vision flat bar and Jagwire housings.
The levers have no spring return and I’m using Dura Ace calipers so I’m concerned that the cable would bind up in the shifter housing. The brake cable diameter is thicker then shift cable.
go with the shifter cables, that`s what i have used for this lever since the 90s. yes no return spring, ultegra 10 ice calipers is what i have and back in the day, i had to push back the levers after i braked to align the cables again but try looking for the cable stoppers that would fit the small hole where the cables go in plus cable stops as well when they come out of your frameset - the mechanic did say mine did not have a cable stopper going to the rear brake so braking will feel a bit rough - i told him i am used to it so i know how to adjust. so far so good.
btw, only use shift housing if you want to cable your bike the wrong way and diminish braking performance. The smaller ID of shift housing drags on the thicker diam brake cable. Brake and shift housing are constructed differently for different purposes.
Can you make it work? Yes. Does it qualify as a hack job? Yes.
Take the extra time to find the step-down ferrule and do it right. My two cents.