Hi all,

The Scapin project is coming along, and I ran into a snag. The rear brake cable and housing run through the top tube. I ran the new cable through the old housing, then pulled the housing off the new cable. Now, I can't get the new housing to run back through the frame. It is hitting somewhere at the exit port, but I can't get it to thread the final bit through.
Any tips?
Bob

Did you try reversing insertion direction? (That's what she said.)

You may need to sacrifice your cable to go the other way. (Not that there is anything wrong with that.)

Did you try shaving a chamfer in the end of the housing that's hanging up at the exit transition?

smaller housing?

Vaseline & patience

You might need a helper. Get yourself a sharpened spoke or other needlelike tool and position yourself at the outlet end of the frame tube with the helper feeding the bare housing slowly from the other end. Shine a light and look for the approaching housing end. When it appears use your tool to insert into that end, then have the helper feed more as you guide it out. You can then feed the cable through the housing.

it's old, well-ridden; shouldn't need it

just keep moving it around....

I need to stop.

Well, that seemed to have been the solution (sans the vaseline). I'll stop as well. Thanks for the assist, and the entertainment. I should be finished today, just a good final cleaning and hopefully a test ride. Pics when done.

I don't know how the Scapin internal cable routing is implemented, but most custom builders have a stainless steel or brass tube inside the top tube and brazed at both ends. There is a smooth cable exit transition at each end and the internal tube prevents water from getting inside the top tube. This is how Darrell McCulloch (Llewellyn Custom Bicycles) does it.