Tiagra brake cable installation

[malverncyclist]

HI all, i am stuck - i need to replace the rear brake cable on the Tiagra (3 x 10 speed) shifter. I can see, from the front brake, where the cable goes in (through a hole in a little 'roler', but when I insert the cable into this hole, it doesn't find anywhere to go ... No matter how I turn this 'roler' (to reposition the hole where the cable goes through), it doesn't pick up the opening, leading to the outer that's still in place. Any ideas? Thanks, Martin

[peterh11]

HI all, i am stuck - i need to replace the rear brake cable on the Tiagra (3 x 10 speed) shifter. I can see, from the front brake, where the cable goes in (through a hole in a little 'roler', but when I insert the cable into this hole, it doesn't find anywhere to go ... No matter how I turn this 'roler' (to reposition the hole where the cable goes through), it doesn't pick up the opening, leading to the outer that's still in place. Any ideas? Thanks, Martin

I’ve just done exactly this job. It is fiddly but if you’ve got it into the right hole then a bit of twiddling and turning usually gets it to go through the outer. It seems to be a matter of luck for me because I can’t see into the inner properly. I suggest another couple of tries and then some more twiddling and turning to get it round the bend on the bars before you start doing things like removing bar tape to see if the outer got dislodged.

Good luck!

If someone has a better method I am all ears!

Peter H

[peetee]

The trick is to move the lever a little towards the centre of the bars as you pull it back, as if you were doing a gear shift. Just enough so it clears the curve of the handlebar. That way it can be retracted further and you can see the exit hole for the brake cable.
This is the lever pulled to the bars

And here is the lever after moving it inboard before pulling to the bars

The small exit hole for the brake cable at the back is shown by the red arrow.
Note that the movement inboard applies to both left-hand (front) and right-hand (rear) shifters.

[Eyebrox]

You need to push the cable up the way and bring it down to enter the hole at the rear of the lever unit. The hard part is raising the cable end slightly as it goes through the opening. The trajectory is like the ball in flight in football when taking a free kick towards goal from outside the box! You could use a zip tie to hold the lever tight against the bar and shine a torch through so you can see where you're going with the cable. Snip the cable tie once it's in and push the cable all the way to the caliper or to the cable stop.

[peetee]

Further to my previous comments. If, when you do find the hole, the cable is reluctant to slide into the housing it’s likely that your outer is not positioned optimally. If you are replacing the cable prematurely this could also indicate that misalignment is causing undue wear. Outer cable housing that has been taped to the bars for some time can migrate if you spend a long time ‘on the tops’, your grip is particularly tight or if it wasn’t adequately taped to the bars in the first place. When the happens it effectively shortens the cable bend at the lever end and the exit for the inner cable is at an angle. In extremes the end of the housing can pull away from the recess in the shifter body. A spongy brake action is often an indicator of this.

[cycleruk]

Have you taken out the old cable?
Try pushing the cable up from the caliper end and see where it comes out.
I have used a small torch to see the small hole inside behind the roller.
Obviously you need to pull the lever back/open to see inside.

[foxyrider]

The trick is to move the lever a little towards the centre of the bars as you pull it back, as if you were doing a gear shift. Just enough so it clears the curve of the handlebar. That way it can be retracted further and you can see the exit hole for the brake cable.

+1 have done the job more than a few times assembling new bikes and servicing my own, works pretty much every time

[malverncyclist]

thanks all, I did take the cable out (and for some stupid reason took the roler out, too. Will now try to get the roler back in in one piece and obviously will see where the cable goes ...

[peterh11]

Some nice tips, thanks people! I have to do this again soon as I’ll need to be replacing the outer, so will bookmark this thread!

PeterH

[malverncyclist]

ok, update. Took the bar tape off, pulled out the housing, put back the little 'roller' and threaded the cable through the little hole (it is fiddly but as some of you said, it's all doable). Housing back in place, bar tape back on (maybe not as tidily as the LBS would have done) and adjusted brakes. Spot on. So, many thanks to you all, not only have i saved myself some money but also confirmed that most things bike are not too complicated.

[peetee]

Good news. And thanks for letting us know.

[peetee]

I have edited my previous post to include photos showing the advantage of offsetting the shift lever.

[malverncyclist]

[malverncyclist]

Just to add - the bike's brakes are now much more direct, much better than they ever were before. I fitted new pads a while ago but due to the cable not running in the outer that well they didn't do the job. They do now. I have very little experience of disc brakes (my others are rim brakes and I had already considered forking out a lot of money for hydraulic brakes but the TRP Spyres i have on this bike are now working well). So, thanks again for your advice here.

[peetee]

Another top tip is to allow for a bit of extra cable housing when you measure up to cut it to length. Next connect the brake system up so it works as you like it with the cable housing loose, not held to the bars. Pull the brake on then hold the lever to the bend with a strap. Now, starting at the shifter, you can tape the housing to the bar. The tension in the system will prevent the housing from pulling away from the shifter body as you strap it down - even the slightest amount will result in a mushy lever action.
With that securely in place - and go ahead, be generous with the insulation tape - you can now cut the outer to the perfect length ……. But draw the inner cable through so it’s well out of the way first!!!!