Hi, Robert, CR Mates --
I think that those rubber cable ties are the cat's meow, and I'm a bit surprised that they haven't made a reappearance with the fixie crowd, for it would be a fantastic addition to a track or other minimalist bike (especially a black one) which had no brazeons for cables but to which you would like to run a rear brake (I know many fixed gear riders only run a front brake. but sometimes they run a rear).
A retail display card of them sold in the last few weeks on British ebay. If I had more '30s Brit bikes I would have jumped at them.
Dunlop was also not the only manufacturer of the rubber cable ties. Several other Brit parts makers pumped them out, too.
Earlier this year I wrote to Chris at VeloOrange.com about the possibility of his reproducing these style cable ties (along with some other vintage bits), and I received a nice, courteous reply, but he said he had not had rubber parts made before and so probably would not venture in that direction. (He's already got a full plate of projects, as you can see from his web site.)
It would be easy for someone in the know or with access to a rubber parts manufacturer to "cook up a batch" similar to the way in which the Campy brake hoods have been reappearing on CR. A few years ago a couple of my CR friends were contemplating doing just that, but it never came to pass. One can easily find on the web a number of rubber parts manufacturers...if somebody wanted to take the lead on this.
Cheers,
Peter Jourdain
Whitewater, Wisconsin
United States of America
> From: Robert Clair <r.clair@cox.net>
\r?\n> Subject: [CR]Dunlop Rubber Brake "Cable Guides" ...
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Monday, August 18, 2008, 4:41 PM
\r?\n> ... the really super story on the Carpenter, got us thinking
\r?\n> about these
\r?\n> Dunlop rubber brake cable guides. Wayne Bingham put
\r?\n> together our mid-'50's
\r?\n> H. Bates several years ago, and got three of these i
\r?\n> believe from Ray
\r?\n> Etherton when he came to the Circus a ways back.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> ... they are a black rubber wrap, that holds the cable,
\r?\n> snaps shut, and
\r?\n> because it rubber instead of metal, no paint scratches or
\r?\n> rust. what's not
\r?\n> to like.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> ... can anyone inform us about these, historical uses, and
\r?\n> possible
\r?\n> availabilty. they really are the "cat's
\r?\n> meow" for these old bicycle
\r?\n> fellows.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> robert clair
\r?\n> alexandria, va 22308
\r?\n> usa