I compose this post with some fear and trembling, as the bike in question is neither 'classic' nor 'vintage' but simply 'getting old.'

I am cleaning up an early 90's Schwinn Traveler for my wife's birthday present. The rear brake cable needs to be replaced. A friend I was talking to said that the rear brakes on mixte frames have a lot of problems because the cable forms a deep 'U' on its way to the brake, allowing water to seep in and pool inside of the cable housing.

As I prepare to buy the cables and housing for this project, do you have any advice about how to avoid such 'pooling' inside of the brake cable in the future? More generally, what cable/housing combination would you recommend?

Thanks--

I've definitely seen a fair amount of corrosion on mixte rear brake cables, perhaps given their orientation toward the heavens, but regular maintenance (i.e., spray some lube in the cable/housing opening at the caliper every few months) and not leaving the bike out in the rain should really be enough to prevent a problem.

Neal

Neal--

Thanks for the quick response. I was thinking along the same lines--once I replace the cables/housing, we should be able to keep it pretty clean.

Any other advice?

I solved that problem by replacing the "upside down" mixte rear brake with a standard Shimano 600 sidepull and routing the cable up the seat tube and then down to the brake. Then I learned that nobody makes a 1 1/8" cable clamp. I ended up using a Sturmey Archer fulcrum clip clamp with a short piece of vacume hose th increase the diameter of the cable so the clamp would grip it tightly. There's a lot of friction in the system due to all the bends, but it works fine with a sprung brake lever. I think you can see what I mean in this picture. I wasn't using the SA clamp at that time. It was one that I made from a braze on FD adapter that didn't work out. I realize that you don't want to make such extensive modifications, but maybe somebody else can use the information. Besides, I needed to kill some time while the artichokes are steaming.

Hey Dirtdrop. do you think we could get a close up?

Some mixtes have center pull brakes mounted on a brake bridge on the center set of stays.

I have a Raleigh Marathon mixte that I may put a side pull on the brake bridge on the center stays... Only because I don't want to leave the brazed on cable guides empty.

Here ya go:

I did a similar thing recently with a 1985 Schwinn World Sport I set up for my daughter. I switched out the semi-short reach diacompe sidepulls (with the bottom-pull rear brake) for a set of Mafac Racers. Sorry, I don't have a closer or better pic.

Edit: better pic

I've seen a 28.6mm cable clamp. Only one I've ever come across, and I used it to rig a centerpull rear brake on a mixte. It worked great - wish I could find more. I think it was stamped "Diacompe", but I'm not sure. It was stamped with "28.6", and the cable "bump" was offset from what you'd normally expect on a top-tube clamp. Take a look:

I used an old 1-1/8" cable guide and drilled it out to allow the cable housing to pass through.

A side-pull on the mixte-stay bridge often causes heel interference.

NICE BIKE!!!

How about brazing U-brake bosses under the chainstays?

Thanks for the warning.

Thanks for all the replies. As this is my first attempt at cleaning up a bike, I will be keeping it pretty simple. (To give you an idea--I'm not even sure what cables/housing to use--between your advice and that of the LBS I hope to pull this together in time.)

I fixed up a similar Schwinn mixte for my wife. The housing stop for the rear brake was way up on the tube, though, and the run down to the straddle cable was mostly bare wire. Perhaps you could find a clamp-on stop to do the same?

You just need basic brake cable (stainless) and housing. Should be around $8-$10 total at the LBS.

Dude - they get snobbity over there at Classic Rendezvous - we're almost always nice here, and we think that bikes were made to be ridden.

The thing that we mostly ask for is pictures...and welcome!