Tandem Cycling - Dia-Compe 287V Brake Levers

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View Full Version : Dia-Compe 287V Brake Levers


oldacura
09-28-07, 12:19 PM
Someone recently posted on this forum about the necessity of proper cable routing to get Dia-Compe
287V levers to work well with direct-pull brakes. I searched the forum but could not find the posting.

We have a 1998 Co-Motion Co-Pilot with Dia-Compe 287V levers. I recently replaced the cables & housings. The return action of the levers is not as "crisp" as I would like. The return action is a bit sluggish. It seems to have gotten progressively more sluggish.

The head of the cable goes through a keyhole in a pivoting piece attached to the lever. The cable is then threaded though a bullet shaped aluminum bead that acts as a stop for the housing. The bullet points toward the lever. The hole in this bead has been worn into a slot by the sawing action of the cable. The cable & housing is then routed along the inside bend of the bars under the bar tape & then to the front brake & rear brake frame cable stop respectively.

At each brake, the cable is routed through a "J" shaped piece of stainless tubing lined with what looks to be Teflon tubing.

The likely sources of friction are either the cable passing through the bead near the levers or the cable passing through the "J" piece at each brake.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Where do I need to look to get the friction out of the cable routing?