>From: "8pbw"
>There has been an interesting, and for me an immediately relevant
>discussion on BOB. I have been monitoring the responses and would like
>to get the views of CR listers on the same subject (I know some of you
>also follow the BOB list - but here goes).
I'm new here so forgive the question... What's BOB?
>The discussion was about protecting the derailleur cables as well as the
>paintwork as the cables pass under the BB. I am just about to rewire my
>TI and have always used left over pieces of brake housing cut to the
>right length - about 3" in order to protect the cables from dirt and
>grime as well as to protect the paintwork. I have braze-on guides under
>the BB which are recessed on one side to receive some form of cable
>housing. I have never had any real problems, however, I was intrigued by
>some of the suggestions on BOB. To leave uncovered or not? To use
>electronic shrink to fit wire covers ... etc.
>What solutions have worked for CR listers? What is the best solution for
>cutting down on friction?
The last replacement cable set I got came with some very nice tiny tubing for that purpose (looked like heat-shrink tubing but thicker-walled). Wish I could remember the brand...
Before that I used insulation that I stripped off of a piece of copper wire. Copper house wiring (14ga) is a bit big but it'll work (be sure to use solid, not stranded... stranded wire insulation has grooves inside impressed from the strands). Never liked using brake or even derailleur housing as they seemed a bit thick for the purpose (many BB's have those little channels that are just a tiny bit bigger than a bare cable, and housing always seemed like a clunky fit).
Maybe extracting the teflon center tube from some derailleur housing would work... Hang on a sec, I'll try it... Yep, it's easy; cut the plastic cover away with a knife, then peel off the wires. That milky color isn't the best looking, but at least you know it's a nice friction-free tubing that's the right size! Just make sure you use derailleur housing that has the single layer of longitudinal wires; spiral-wrapped housing would probably be a whole lot tougher to dismantle.
Bob Hovey Columbus GA
PS: Hey, Dale, I think I forgot to sign my last post.... sorry. I'm still getting the hang of this.