To Ferrule, or Not To Ferrule

[DHallerman]

I'm rebuilding a lovely early 90's Slim Chance.

What's not so lovely are the stops on the top tube for the brake cabling, and the stop on the chainstay for the rear derailleur.

These are undersized stops, so undersized that the two sizes of step-down ferrules I have don't work well in the stops.

Here's the sizing situation on the top-tube brake stops:


brake housing without ferrule fits in perfectly; measures 4.93mm
step-down ferrule One does not fit in; measures 5.33mm
step-down ferrule Two fits in -- measures 3.88mm -- but only that small extension of the step-down goes into the stop, and otherwise it's wobbly

So, what's best for the brake cable routing: No ferrule or ferrule Two, which could put stress on the top-tube brake stops?

For the stop on the chainstay for the rear derailleur, I'll just use ferrule Two, since the pressures of derailleur cable being pulled are not as much as with brake cables.

Your experience here?

And is there a ferrule Three, a third-size step-down ferrule where the smaller piece is closer to just 5.0mm?

Oh yes, why the heck did a good builder like Chris Chance use such undersized cable stops in the early 1990s, when other bikes built then, like my Bridgestones, have perfectly modern-size cable stops?

Dave, who clearly likes his digital calipers

[thwart]

FWIW, I've run brake cables sans ferrules in the past when I was in a somewhat similar situation during a build (but, then again, I'm kinda lazy and careless), and I'm still around today.

Well, most of me anyway.

brake housing without ferrule fits in perfectly; measures 4.93mm Seriously, it's possible the bike was designed to do so. Perhaps one of our framebuilders will chime in...

[David Kirk]

..................
So, what's best for the brake cable routing: No ferrule or ferrule Two, which could put stress on the top-tube brake stops?

[/I]

So this ferrule 2 will fit into the guide but it is tight? Do I have that right?

Frankly - short of pounding them in there - you won't hurt them. if you need to run without the ferrules it will still work but it's possible that the braking might feel a bit mushy. But running without will not hurt anything, the braze-ons included.

Dave

[echelon_john]

If you run w/o ferrules just make sure to grind the end of the housing flat on a bench grinder or, in a pinch, with a hand file. This is important for reducing mushiness with or without ferrules; you'll notice a difference over just clipping the end of the housing.

[DHallerman]

So this ferrule 2 will fit into the guide but it is tight? Do I have that right?

Frankly - short of pounding them in there - you won't hurt them. if you need to run without the ferrules it will still work but it's possible that the braking might feel a bit mushy. But running without will not hurt anything, the braze-ons included.

Dave

I could have been clearer.

Ferrule Two's stepped down tip easily fits into the stop. But because that tip is so short, it would be wobbly.

[goonster]

Seriously, it's possible the bike was designed to do so. ..
+1

I seem to recall reading something to that effect in BQ, i.e. the ferrule is extraneous if the housing end is trimmed cleanly, and high-end constructeur bikes were build accordingly.

[southernexposur]

I do not remember having this issue on the 2 Slim's I had back in the 90's. Has this been repainted? Or was there a nice layer of corrosion on the stops? If so, then a nice cleaning out of the stops will help get those ferrules in. Otherwise, a nice flat end of housing sans ferrule will be fine.

Andrew

[DHallerman]

I do not remember having this issue on the 2 Slim's I had back in the 90's. Has this been repainted? Or was there a nice layer of corrosion on the stops? If so, then a nice cleaning out of the stops will help get those ferrules in. Otherwise, a nice flat end of housing sans ferrule will be fine.

Hi Andrew,

I don't believe this Slim was repainted; has original decals and all.

And no corrosion in the stops; I cleaned them out anyway.

I'm just sorry there isn't a step-down ferrule where the outside diameter of the smaller portion is 5.0mm (again, the one I have has an outside diameter of 5.33mm, just a bit too big).

Dave, who says it looks like the "no ferrule" option might be his only choice

[rugbysecondrow]

Hi Andrew,

I don't believe this Slim was repainted; has original decals and all.

And no corrosion in the stops; I cleaned them out anyway.

I'm just sorry there isn't a step-down ferrule where the outside diameter of the smaller portion is 5.0mm (again, the one I have has an outside diameter of 5.33mm, just a bit too big).

Dave, who says it looks like the "no ferrule" option might be his only choice

I am sure you have, but did you grease the ferrule? That might work it in.

[oliver1850]

.

[alexstar]

I had this same problem with a mid-90s Gazelle - I ended up using Nokon, which came with housing ends that were the proper diameter.

[sark]

do it mang