Sincitycycler

I got some replacement hoods for my 78 Peugeot beater and I can't figure out how to put them on. Do you have to remove the brake cable? How do you do that?

Jeprox

First remove the bar tape.

Remove the brake cable by releasing the clamp at the caliper end, then pushing the cable in from that same end (make sure the cable end cap has been removed). The brake lever, if not spring loaded will drop. The cable at that end should come loose. You may need to use a pair of long nose pliers to pull out the cable. After that, the screw that keeps the clamp tight on the handle bar should now be exposed. Loosen that screw and the brake lever assembly will be ready to slide off the handle bar.

schang

Given the age of the bike, I assume you have the non-aero levers with the cables coming out of the top. If so, then yes, you'll have to completely remove the cables. Then you will be able to work off your old hoods (if they are really dry, they may tear), pull the new ones on over, and put the cables back.

Before you remove your cables, make sure you are comfortable with the idea that you will also have to re-attach them. If you don't know how, you should look in a bike repair book or google for tips, and decide whether you are comfortable with doing it on your own, considering the possible consequences if your brakes fail or are improperly adjusted. If you are not comfortable doing so, then you'd better find an experienced friend or professional to help. That said, adjusting sidepull brakes (which I assume you have) is not terribly difficult.

To remove the cables, you have to undo the cables from the brake end, i.e., by loosening the bolts that attach the bare cables to the sidepull arms. You will also have to pull off the little ferrules crimped to the end of the cables, which you can do with a pair of pliers. If you stand in front of your brake levers and push down on the lever, you will see where the bare cable enters the the lever housing from the top, and comes down into a hole in the top of the lever itself. Since you've detached the cables from the brakes and undone the ferrule, you will be able to work the cable loose and pull the entire length out through the cable housing and lever. Obviously this will be a bit more of an exercise for the rear brake than the front.

As long as you're there, you should check your cable for corrosion or broken strands. This is a great opportunity to clean and re-lube your cable (a dry lube, like you might use for a chain, would work fine). If it looks rusty or in any way broken, visit your local bike shop and get a couple new ones... they should run you $5 or less each and you'll get a couple new free ferrules too.

Zouf

Yes, you need to disconnect the brake cable. Depending on the brake type you have, it is often sufficient to relase the quick-release on the brake and fully compress the brake calipers themselves to give enough slack to pull the cable end out of its brake handle attachment.

nick burns

Just a little tip to make your life easier when installing the new hoods- warm them up with a hairdryer first.

Sincitycycler

Here's my old bike that i'm attempting to replace the hoods on:

Zouf

Don't know why you want to remove the lever ass'y to replace the hoods. They pull off (with a lot of grunting) out, not towards the bar attachment point. For non-aero levers (the OP's case), you need to disconnect the brake cable. You can save some time byt cutting out the old one, since we assume it's to be junked anyway.