I need a brake cable for the rear brake on my new commuter bike. The levers and brakes are Dia-Compe and they are from the early 80's. They take the mountain bike type cable but the barrel stop/nipple is slightly smaller than what I assume is the current standard mountain bike cable. Rather than going through the trouble of filing it down to fit I thought I would stop by a local bike shop on the way home and pick one up. We have nice weather coming up and I don't want to miss the opportunity to ride without freezing.



The first shop I went to didn't have what I was looking for.

The second shop told me that they don't make those anymore, and that I needed new levers because if they were old enough to only fit the smaller barrel/lever that they were not safe anymore. He says this without seeing them.

This is my second time to this shop and my last. The first time I went, it was just to look around. They were brand new at this location, there original store which is still open is one town over. I was talking to the manager and he of course starts talking up all their new bikes, Specialized and Giant. I comment that I do my own wrenching and that I go for vintage steel. He proceeds to tell me why steel/vintage is inferior to modern aluminum and carbon. I thought it was kind of rude but understand he needs to sell new bikes and blew it off.

Normally I buy these cables at the shop on the other side of town or get them off eBay, him being a bike mechanic he has to know that they are still available. To claim the levers are not safe without seeing them is over the top. Granted, I probably look like an idiot, and in some ways I might be, but not in this case. His use of fear and disdain for 'old' is very off-putting at the least and I wont be back to that shop.