# Brake/Shifter Cable Kit



## wrongway (May 10, 2015)

I have a 1977 or 1978 Raleigh Grand Prix that I need all new cables for. I know I can find them at a bike shop, maybe, but is there an online source? Maybe through Amazon?


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## bulldog1935 (May 10, 2015)

The best deal on cables I know of is from Rivendell 
these are real nice Yokozuna Jet Lube cables (not the Reaction, but the next best thing) - I've used these on 2 bikes (Reaction on two others).  
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/cad2.htm  shift
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/ca1.htm  brake


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## rhenning (May 10, 2015)

For that bike you can buy a kit made by Bell with 2 brake and 2 shift cables from Walmart that will work just fine for $7.  Roger


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## wrongway (May 10, 2015)

rhenning said:


> For that bike you can buy a kit made by Bell with 2 brake and 2 shift cables from Walmart that will work just fine for $7.  Roger




I looked at these and wondered if they would work. Want to go cheap on this. Thanks guys!


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## bulldog1935 (May 11, 2015)

bulldog1935 said:


> The best deal on cables I know of is from Rivendell
> these are real nice Yokozuna Jet Lube cables (not the Reaction, but the next best thing) - I've used these on 2 bikes (Reaction on two others).
> http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/cad2.htm  shift
> http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/ca1.htm  brake




I can lock up both wheels on my Grand Prix using the original calipers, but for 35 years before that, I just lived with inadequate brakes.


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## Dale Alan (May 11, 2015)

Bulldogg,I am very interested in those brake kits. Do you think the major improvement is in the housing or cable ,or the combo ? With age, I have lost my cat-like agility or maybe become smarter.I now think much more about braking power. My reaction time is not so great anymore so I can use any help I can gain.


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## Duchess (May 11, 2015)

I prefer the better cables and housings, too. I use Jagwire usually, particularly if I'm running something more convoluted like Shimano 10-speed SIS with both sets of cables tucked under the bar tape or the custom shifter setup I did on my hybrid bike. I found a pretty distinct difference in braking power on both my Specialized road bike and Miyata touring from better housings and cable (and running the cables a little better than the shop I bought the Specialized from did, so how much of the improvement in feel and braking power was down to which, I don't know). For a slow speed beater on a budget, you probably don't need it, but for anything finicky or performance/heavy duty use, good cables and housings are a noticeable improvement and worth it when you figure they'll probably last you years.


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## bulldog1935 (May 11, 2015)

Dale Alan said:


> Bulldogg,I am very interested in those brake kits. Do you think the major improvement is in the housing or cable ,or the combo ? With age, I have lost my cat-like agility or maybe become smarter.I now think much more about braking power. My reaction time is not so great anymore so I can use any help I can gain.



Dale, the cables are normal, it's the housings that make them slick.  They have a fine spiral wrap and it's all teflon lined - they're pretty slick.  The Reaction housings, which cost twice as much, have a spiral wrap at a shallow angle that is almost linear, producing even less friction.  I have two bikes with the Rivendell Yoko cables, and they're great.  My daughter and I both have Reaction cables on our go-fast bikes, and they're amazing (especially since we both have Campy Chorus brakes).  
When I replace brake cables, I upgrade to Aztec teflon-coated cables, and they improve slickness even more.

We were talking about bars on the other thread.  That's something else about brake power in my old Weinmann CPs - you get really good brake leverage on moustache bars, especially compared to being on road bar hoods.

"for that bike" (where's that thumbs down button)
here's the point.  It's a great frame, a little heavy, as fast as anything on the road (I blow by riding clubs frequently my on rack-and-fender utility setup - ok, when the road is wet and they're scared), and with low-trail geometry, so you can really load it up.  Many people hunt out old GP frames for loaded touring.  But the stock brake setup is inadequate.  Downgrading the cables/housings is not going to improve it.  Improving the cables/housings, normalizing the straddle cable takeoff angle, and improving the pads is how you improve these brakes.




that bike also has some classic beauty and Carlton technology built into it


 


it turns heads everywhere it rolls

First day on the job, Tony Blair rode a blue '77 Grand Prix to 10 Downing Street (with white Bluemels fenders)


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## wrongway (May 11, 2015)

I would like to find the Bell brand at Wal Mart in white. Anybody ever seen them?


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## SirMike1983 (May 11, 2015)

The Bell cables are on Amazon too. I use the Bell universal cable set for Schwinn Lightweights and English "Phillips" type brakes. I get mine with black housings. 

You can also buy custom color housing separately on Ebay by the foot.


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## wrongway (May 12, 2015)

Do you know what the sizing is?


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## rhenning (May 12, 2015)

2 sizes.  Brake is one size and Gear is the other.  Brake is slightly larger.  Roger


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## bulldog1935 (May 12, 2015)

brake cable is 1.5mm, shifter is 1mm  - ish
brake housing 5mm, shifter housing 4mm

here's a handy comparison  
https://www.bikeman.com/bicycle-repair-tech-info/bikeman-tech-info/1641-cables-a-housing


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## wrongway (May 12, 2015)

Thanks all!


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