Hi all, This may be a silly one, but I am finally getting close on the 1954 Schwinn rebuild, and have a problem. I had to replace the shifter cable and need a small part. I need something to hold the cable in the brass(?) barrel adjuster. I think they may be held by a small crimp on nipple. I tried filing down one of the aluminum brake cable ends, and no luck. Crimping it down onto the cable deformed it such that it wouldn't fit in the barrel. Is this part readily available at an LBS? Any assistance would be appreciated, as always.

You can get a little copper thing from the store it that sells fishing gear, and crimp that on. Auchencrow explained this and even sent me a few. The best crimper tool is a Bell Systems tool you can often find on eBay.

Alternately you can get an anchor that bolts a new barrel adjuster to the cable with an eye bolt. Your bike shop should have those. They may prefer to sell you a whole cable kit, which will include one.

They're usually brass, not copper. IIRC it's the #3 leader sleeve you want. The crimping tool looks like this:



The picture makes it look larger and more imposing than it actually is (about 6" overall length), but once it crimps something, it stays crimped.

Yes, replacement shift cables are readily available and work fine if you're not stuck on the OEM look.

Thanks, both of you. OEM was lost long ago, so that is not a problem. Are the leader sleeves for constructing wire leaders?

I dunno what they're for... fishing gear is not my thang. But hey, aren't you a fisherman?

If you really want the vintage look: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...e-!?highlight=