Twaaang! Aka Way of the Exploding Cable Hanger

Yes indeed, having returned from another head-clearing blast along the back roads, I was gently sweeping my Ilpompino back inside the garage when serenity was rudely interrupted by the faintest sound of binding…

We hadn’t encountered any holes or similar rim worrying phenomenon, so I presumed it was just a sticky inner wire. Pumping the left Tektro lever saw induced a faint tinkling as the tiny little pressed steel cable hanger expired, blowing itself into oblivion and inducing that sudden, monumental loss of cable tension.

Stunned silence was replaced by mild irritation-fettling aside; I’d literally engaged its rear stopper three, maybe four times in the last eight years. Initial thoughts leaned toward buying another Surly “braker” unit (as fitted to my Univega) but since the law only requires fixed builds to run a single, lever operated brake, I decided this presented the ideal opportunity to forgo it completely. Not so the braze-on posts. Some folks love nothing better than taking a hacksaw to their framesets but I like the option of reintroducing stuff should need, or fancy take me. They might also make brilliant blinky mounts...

A quick rummage in the spares drawer resurrected this resin Tektro stoker/dummy lever, some grey primer and my long T handled 5mm Allen key. Despite being well maintained, I was surprised at how arthritic the wide arm cantilever’s stainless mounting screws had become and momentarily envisioned strip-city. Having bypassed this grim narrative with a timely shot of release spray and severed the inner cable, things breezed together pretty smoothly.

Despite being previously repatriated and increasingly weathered, the Spa cycles leather handlebar wrap rewound sans protest and having wiped the bosses clear of residual grease, it was a question of either applying a thin, protective layer of polymer lube or, in this instance a thin coat of grey primer topped off with some of this Sugru “form & fix”.  

For the uninitiated, these are thin sachets of self-setting, flexible rubber that, until cured have a texture broadly similar to play dough/plastercine and can be moulded in much the same way.

Achieving smooth, even effects takes literally forty seconds or so, though seems to require a few hours unmolested to cure fully. Paint protectors are an obvious use, though ours has also been employed as replacements for mudguard (fender) stay caps, resealing electrical cables/dynamo wire etc.

Having double checked lever symmetry, reinstated and sealed the cowhide wrap, taking this opportunity to substitute the fetching but only moderately secure wooden plugs with some tap-in composites On the home straight, reinstating those canti-bolts with some Teflon prep the back door sprung open. It was Joshua who, to my astonishment proceeded to tell me this Dualco unit must be a “vacuum primed” design. 

Upon my affirmation, he then explained the mechanical principles behind them-correctly (!) Somewhat fond of deviating from the stock strip when it comes to degreasers and similar grime busting potions, I’ve just taken delivery of this three-litre dilute to taste concentrate from chemicals direct.

Hmm, familiar orange hue, “safe on all surfaces”, not for human consumption etc, interesting aroma too…I’ve a few sneaking suspicions about its potential hostility towards delicate anodised and indeed, flamboyant wet-spray finishes but let’s see how it behaves in various strengths and contexts before passing judgement.