I've been needing to change the shift cables on the '70 Motobecane Grand Touring since I got it a few years back. They're the only part of the bike I haven't serviced as they seem to have been working well enough. Now that I'm riding it everyday, I figured it was time, espeically as the front shifting has gotten very tight and bad feeling recently.

New shift cables and housing in hand, I had few minutes before I had to leave for work this morning. "I know!', I said to myself, "I'll just swap out the front derailuer cable real quick before I go!". So, I loosen, the adjuster, clip the end of the old cable off, pull the shifter off, and work way too hard to pull the cable through the apparently corroded cable housing.

Old cable in hand, I look at it....Then I look at the new cable... Yep, the ends are different. The long throw Hurret shifters take a cable with a small barrel, the cabe going into the round surface, rather than the "Standard" big barrell with the cable going in the flat side. You learn something new everyday.


Given the new-found shortness of the old cable, the corrodded nature of the housing, and the lack of replacement, I gave a deep sigh, adjusted the stop on the FD to keep me on the big-ring and set off to work. I stopped by an LBS which is on my way, (not my usual place) and they miraculously had two left...dude said he couldn't remember the last time he sold this style cable. "Not many people are still running Hurret shifters. I do still see some Simplex stuff, but not Hurret!".

Lessons learned:
1) Don't do bike maintenace 10 minutes before leaving for work.
2) (And the one I KNOW from years of working on cars). Don't take the old part off until you're SURE the new part you have is right.

Happy Shifting everyone!