The front derailleur on this bike as something built into the side of it that strongly suggests a cable clamp into which I'd expect housing to run. However:
1) When I got it, per the photo below, there was no such housing.
2) Coming off of the bottom bracket, there's really no opposing cable clamp. There's just the guide piece screwed on to the bottom.
3) Even if there were housing, the derailleur pinch bolt is not well aligned with the would be cable stop. The cable would just rub against the side of the housing end cap much as it would the cable stop in the absence of the housing.
So my question is this:
should there be a housed cable running into this thing? It seem kind of weird but I could install a cable stop at the bottom of the seat tube and get a 5" piece of housing in there I guess. Or do we think that there was never intended to be housing at this location? My concern is that, with the cable rubbing against the cable stop, the metal there is basically sawing away at the cable. I'd be grateful for any advice that anyone has to offer.
What I know of the bike history is this:
4) Two owners before me.
5) Reported to have sat in the garage untouched from 1991 until now. Wear patterns would support this.
6) Last owner tried to redo the cabling for the sale, got frustrated, and gave up part way. What was done wasn't done well.
