Hello

Im wanting to get back into cycling to work again so i dug out an old 10 speed huffy santa fe bike. However the cable going from the handlebars to the gears in the back (i think its called a derailleur, but im afraid i dont know much about bikes, yet).

So i took it to a bike repair shop near by and they said they could not get the cable i needed. they said try ebay but i dont know what to look for.

When i went to walmart.com to see how much a new road bike was i found this.

can i use something like this to completely replace the back derailleur? or am i completely on the wrong track here.

I dont want to spend much money on this at the moment. (if i get into cycling again ill get a newer bike)

Below are some photos of the bike. if you need more info or different photos let me know.

thank you everyone
Kyle

Bike
bike front
back tire
lower frame



Oh and if this is a lost cause would it be possable to get a cheep mountain bike from walmart and move my tires over? i only travel on sidewalks and roads

Why do you think you need a new Derrailleur? Did the shop indicate why they couldn't sell you the cable (cables are pretty much standard)?

he said the cable is different from what is used today. he said the cable both pulls and pushes the Derrailleur. if i look at the cable from the pedals its a single cable but on my mums bike its a stranded cable.

as for getting a new Derrailleur my thinking is then i would be able to get a standard cable.

like i said this is not my center of expertise (web design and computers are)

Looks like a perfectly ordinary cheap derailleur to me; I can't imagine Huffy would use anything else. Just go to your favorite Walmart and pick up one of the replacement cable sets they sell there. You should get two derailleur cables and two brake cables for about 5 bucks.
The hardest thing to do will be to cut the section of housing (the part that the cable itself slides through) to the proper length. The shifters on this old bike are probably friction-type; the cable just threads through a hole in the shifter arm.

Cable both pulls and pushes, eh, and it's nonstandard? Sounds like an old Shimano Positron setup. From Sheldon's site:

Positron ®

This was Shimano's first attempt at indexed shifting. The indexing "clicks" were built into the derailer, not the lever. The positron system didn't have a return spring; some models used a double cable to pull the derailer back and forth; other models used a single, semi-rigid push-pull cable.
Positron was a valuable learning experience for Shimano. Their original theory was that experienced cyclists already knew how to shift, but that beginners could benefit from a system that didn't require fine-tuning of the shift lever position. For this reason, Positron was offered on entry-level bikes, often department-store models. This marketing theory turned out to be unworkable. The parts had to be made very cheaply to meet the price points required. This caused less-than-impressive performance. In addition, the fact that Positron was only supplied on bottom-end bikes caused it to acquire a poor connontation, as something to be outgrown, and not to be considered by a "serious cyclists."
Shimano went back to the drawing board, and the next time they tried indexed shifting, in 1984, they started at the top of the line, with Dura-Ace S.I.S. Cyclists were initially dubious about this feature, but it worked so well that most resistance was overcome. Once the pros started using it, this now-glamorous feature rapidly trickled down to the hoi polloi. The result was Shimano's complete domination of the bicycle parts market, much as Microsoft dominates the computer software market. By 1986 it had become almost impossible to sell a bike that didn't have indexed shifting.
See the 1982 Shimano Catalogue on this site. Many Positron-equipped bikes also featured the Front Freewheel System, but this was not a specific linkage...either of these systems could and did function without the other.

(back to my own words...)

If it is a Positron, as Sheldon said, the indexing was not at the shifter but rather at the derailleur. The shifter should then in theory work fine as a friction shifter for any derailleur, and the one you linked to would then be fine to use.

However, I would recommend spending the extra couple dollars for the Tourney derailleur. Will be somewhat stronger and more dependable, yet still very cheap. Nevermind the "6-7 speed" thing, it will work just fine with a 5 speed rear also.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shimano-RD...ndingMethod=rr

IF YOU DECIDE TO DUMP THE BIKE:

Avoid Walmart like the plague. Go to Craigslist and find a used "bike store" quality bike. If you need help determining what that means, these forums are filled with advice, just do some searching, you'll be fine.

Anything is fixable as to if it's worth it depends on you.
It looks like you are missing one of the shift levers for the RD and only have the fromt lever so this will also need to be fixed, that most likely the part the LBS was talking about as far as cables they are std cables nothing special

After some careful studying of the images, the rear derailleur is DEFINITELY a Positron 400.

https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/..._(DG-300).html

A new derailleur would make your life much simpler if you intend to keep this bike.

And, JTG you are right, only the front shifter is there. Might as well get a set of new shifters...

For some of this cheap older stuff I suggest looking at a website like https://www.loosescrews.com/ and https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/parts.html you can find those shifters just like those.

another issue I see is that it appears the SHIFTER or the rear derailleur is missing as well.

I do agree with the others this can be reapier easily enough. you just need to find a mechanic who can think and not just replace parts.

Thank you everyone for the help. not sure if i will fix the bike or get a used one. ill have to see whats at yard sales and creiglist.

~Kyle