xB_Nutt

The Witcomb that I am building up has 2 cable guides brazed to the top side of the bottom bracket shell for routing the shift cables. Do I just run the bare cable under these? Should I put some grease in the groove to cut down on friction? Will the cables cut into my paint? Do I only need a housing from the cable guide on the chain stay to the rear mech? Does anyone have any close up pics of cables that route this way for me to refer to? Sorry for all the newb style questions, but I just want to be sure before I start and also need to determine what parts I will need before I start. Thanks!

unworthy1

If I understand your guides, yes you run the cables bare-naked throught the guides. I like to use something to cut down on friction and grease works but will also attract dirt and then becomes more abrasive over time. I'd suggest a dry-film lube on the cables where they will touch the guides, and also consider a mandrel-drawn cable or one of the smooth cables that come coated with teflon or some kinda slick coating. In the past I've even fitted a small piece of the teflon liner (such as you find inside lined housing) just to the area of cable/guide contact. Sometimes that worked fine, sometimes it moved around. I don't have any pics of this right at hand, but it's such a common vintage set-up somebody will have one, I'm sure. The only tricky bit you might need is the step-down ferrule for the chainstay cable stop...but those are fairly easy to find at a LBS or from a site like loosescrews.com or biketoolsetc.com.

xB_Nutt

Thanks for the help and links. The teflon trick sounds like a winner. I'll try to post up some pics of the guides once I get home tonight.