Bicycle Mechanics - Installing a pair of new brakes

I've got a new pair of Tektro road brakes that I'm planning to put on my Schwinn. What it looks like to me is:

1. cut off the end of the cable w/ the ferrule?
2. unthread old barrel adjuster
3. remove old brake
4. install new brake
5. thread cable through new brake
6. do I need a new ferrule? or would it be okay to make do without one? I don't have any lying around.

Tell me if I'm doing something wrong. I can't find any help on the internet, and I just don't want to do anything wrong with what looks like a simple job.

Are you confusing the ferrule (a metal cap with hole to exit the metal cable and which slips on the end of the plastic cable housing) with the smaller cap called a "cable end" which you put on the end of the metal cable as it exits the brake or derailleur and which you crimp to prevent fraying or untwisting of the wound cable? If so, head for your LBS and they'll sell you a few.

Grant Peterson suggests a gob of beeswax as an alternative to cable ends, but it looks like someone has been picking their nose on your bike. Go with a real cable end.

Ah, yeah. I mixed them up. I think for now I'll use a little piece of electrical tape and get some of those cable ends later.

You should be able to pull the old cable end off with a pair of pliers. Then you can straighten the cable end back round and reuse it. I have done this on occasion when I was out of cable ends. I hate cutting them off when reusing a cable because sometimes it leaves the cable to short for my liking.

Be careful when cutting cable housings. As a old mechanic I have seen people cut the housing and leave burs that end up cutting their cable. We all know Murphy laws - it happens on down hill or panic stop ending up in a problem. One example - guy going down hill had the back cable snap and that caused him to panic and locked the front. He was lucky it was a grassy soft ditch he landed in. We were glad he was alive. I don't think he ever did cable work again. He was a good customer. Good luck stay safe.

6. do I need a new ferrule? or would it be okay to make do without one? I don't have any lying around.

If I'm using a generic galvanized brake cable (which are the majority), I generally just solder the end. It looks neater, it never comes off, and it allows me to slide the cable back through the cable housing if I need to.

Step-by-step instructions with photos:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/byregion.asp?catid=14&imageField2.x=26&imageField2.y=9

Bob