Is there some sort of brake cable kit available like with a spool of cable and a spool of housing and about a dozen each of the various ends and fittings so you can custom make your own cables? maybe with a special tool to clamp (or braze) the lead ends on the cable? How do they do it at bike shops? Thanks, Bobby

You can buy "kits" or you can just go to your LBS and buy the parts separately. Measure the length of the housing (the outer portion) and take note whether your bike is a mountain bike (short cylindrical ends on the cables) or road (mushroom shaped ends)

Shops buy cable in bulk lengths for brake and shifter, not practical to roll your own.

I think loosescrews.com sells spools of basic cable. And you can buy a bottle of cable ends from them or Nashbar or other places.

whoops: meant you can but spools of housing, not cable

Actually, shops buy cables in "file boxes" of 100 individual shift cables or brake cables. Shops buy cable housing in bulk rolls.

Here is one example of a brake-cable kit:

https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1464

I've used these before. They are very good.

They do it with slave labor, paid in bowls of rice crispies.

Correct, that's what I meant. My bad words, I reckon. Point is they don't buy a spool of cable.

You got rice crispies!?! Damn it...

There are kits out there that will let you build any cable you could ever need but they will set you back about $400-$500 bucks.I bought one for outdoor power equipment about 10yrs ago at the $400 price level and it has yet to make that money back in full but it has saved my but a dozen times or so.The cable ends cost a dollar or two each and come in packs of 5 or 10 at a time.If you would like I can get you the info to contact the company or at least get an idea of what you would be shelling out for the kit you want.
Glenn

Glenn: Just curious... The 'ends' look to be some kind of pot metal, so you would need a mold and heat to form one. How does a 'home kit' do this?

Thanks!

The ends are all pre formed and are hollow,the kits come with a small smelting/soldering pot and the solder to install them.You would put what ever size cable thru the fitting and knurl the end up a bit put a bit of flux(comes with) on it and dip it in the solder then you would file or grind what ever remains sticking out of the cable end with the knurl on it and then your done.nothing to it

After years of fudging ends with bits of tubing, smushed lead, electrical terminals and dobs of epoxy, I bought a bottle of cable ends from Nashbar. They'll last me, literally...I'll probably croak of old age as I use the last one but they really make my cable replacement "snappy". oh, I buy cable and housings from my LBS.

Most bike-shops will just give you a few caps for the cables if asked. You -OP - are obviously set, but for others - just ask 'em. As long as you're making a purchase, I'd be surprised if they turned you down.

True, very true. There is something smug about being set for life in something.

What are you trying to do?

I had a guy that was going to hire me to write some custom software for him. Wanted to be able to entre cheques and deposits. Wanted it to be easy to use for his wife. Needed it to categorize expenses and income sources. It should be able to import and export its data to be useable with other software. After looking at his requirements and estimating the $20,000 development costs, I told him to just go down to CompUSA and pick up a copy of Intuit Quicken for $29.95.

I've gotten custom-made cables for various motorcycle projects throughout the years from: https://www.motionpro.com/custom/index.php