# Shift cable for 1963(?) Norman/Western Flyer 3-speed grip shifter



## edmcnierney (Jul 8, 2010)

Hi; I'm new to the CABE and I've been rehabbing assorted down-on-their-luck older bikes for friends who need rides.  My current project is a somewhat puzzling bike with a "Norman of England"-labeled frame and a Western Flyer headbadge riveted on.  The paint's pretty worn and it took me quite a while to ID it as a "Norman" as the capital "N" is missing each of the places it appears!

The rear hub is a J. C. Higgins 63 (presumably Puch-made) and the shifter is a right-hand grip shifter in the style of the S-A grip shifters of the '60s.  I need to replace the cable and found one that looked good on eBay, but it turns out to not be quite right.  It *looks* fine, but the head that goes into the shifter end is too large.  It's a grip-shifter style where the head is a cylinder and the cable is inserted into the side of the cylinder (rather than the end).  The cylinder's about the right length but the diameter is too big.

Any ideas on where I might find an appropriate cable?  I suspect this may be as good as it gets, as it looks otherwise identical to the part it's replacing.  I just need to figure out a way to either mill down the size of the head, enlarge the hole in the shifter, do both, or give up and invest in a "standard" S-A grip shifter replacement.  Thanks!


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## jfthorn (Oct 26, 2015)

*Almost complete Norman*

I have an almost complete Norman of England bike that sounds similar to the bike you are working with. I'd like to sell it whole minus a missing front wheel. I suspect it as all the other parts you would require and in the end you may wind up with 2 Normans or Norman hybrids. Please see attached pictures and let me know if you have any interest in it or parts from it.


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