Proper way to size outer casing
 

Looking to size outer casing for the rear brake from the tt cable stop to the caliper. Should it be as straight of a line as possible? U shape? Mine is too long and my leg brushes it. Do you close the brakes all the way to the rim when you size it?http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=340867

IMHO, that's a touch too long. It should come straight out of the brake, with a relaxed bend above that. The length of your cable is keeping it from coming striaght out of the brake, and the pressure is pushing it backward.

I'd size it for the right length when the brake is properly adjusted open, but 3-4 mm is not going to make a big difference.

It brushes my leg, I'm going to run new now. So what do I do?

I'm with merlin. It's a little long.

It should be just long enough so that it makes a straight entry into the caliper's barrel adjuster. Too short and it'll kink to the front, too long and it'll kink to the back (as it is now)

I know it's long. I'm putting a new one in now. How do I size it properly?

The one thing you want is for the casing to point straight down the line from the receptacle for it to the fixing bolt. You don't want the cable to come in at an angle. Whatever length and curve is needed in the cable to accomplish this is what you want. Your picture shows one of the possibilities well except that it is a bit overdone. In order to get that straight line in this case, you need almost that big a curve in the outer casing. It all depends upon the top tube diameter, whether the cable guides are on top, side or bottom of the top tube, and how high the top tube is above the calipers. On some bikes it will be a very gentle curve just trending downward with no up-pointing hump. On others it will look like you picture and then there is everything in between.

Always start long and then trim little by little to the right size. Small differences have a big effect.

You can put the housing so it's in the TT, and then put the other end beside the brake's barrel adjuster. Move it around until you get to where it's not kinked, and will come straight out of the brake. That's the right length.

Cut off a little bit, less than you think you need to. Try it. Repeat until you've got it right. With most cable housing sets, you likely have enough extra to make a new one even if you f up.

Oh, stick one end into the top tube cablestop, then hold housing up next to the barrel adjuster between thumb and forefinger, hold it there and give it the approximate bend it'll have when installed, align thumb and forefinger with bottom of barrel adjuster's housing well, when it looks right keep thumb and forefinger at that exact spot on the housing, pull out of top tube cablestop then cut at spot marked by thumb and forefinger.

Ok. My whole question is really that you can't set the calipers until you cut the housing and install the cable. So no way to really know the correct length.

^ When you're eyeballing it, hold the calipers closed to the rim, or close to there. You can also use a third hand tool to hold the brake closed if you like.

The brake barrel adjuster is only going to be a couple of mm's higher when it's properly adjusted open, than it is when you hold the pads to the rim.

If you do size it with the brake caliper wide open, you are likely to get the housing a little bit short

Oh yeah, you'll have to hold brake pads close to rim, possibly using a third hand tool, a toestrap or an assistant.

Thanks off to work....

Keeps posting upside down.
It doesn't do that when I upload.