mb158127

I have a couple projects I am ready to install cables on. I don't want to put the same standard housing that typically appears on bikes today which the local coop has in bulk (I don't know how to refer to it - shiny black housings?). I was wondering if anyone knows a source which is an exact or at least close match to the original white housings with the spiral metal inner lining that would have appeared on Mid 70's road bikes like my 73 Raleigh Carlton GS or PX-10. In lieu of something which closely matches the original, I would also welcome suggestions that are tasteful-looking yet economical for vintage restos. I don't know the different keywords used to refer to the different housing types I have seen and liked, which is frustrating my google efforts.

Thanks for the help.

Chombi

I always defaulted to the clear plastic covered cable housing sold by "Pork Chop BMX" (I hope they still have some left!).
It exactly matches the stuff that a lot of the bike makers used in the 80's on their nicer bikes,.......plus the visible casing "spring" makes it look 100 times cooler than opaque cable casings.
It might not be entirely correct for a 70's bike, but it looks more appropriate than going with modern casings with the visible braided wire sheathing look.

Chombi

mb158127

Thanks Chombi - I have a late 80s Klein Quantum which has that so I know what you are describing. I think it looks cool but I don't think I would like it on either of the two bikes I am getting for now. I am going for a vintage English townie look with a leather brooks saddle, brown leather wrap and moustache bars on my raleigh. The clear plastic and metal spring would not go well.

Chris_in_Miami

I always try to save good sections of the ribbed white housing when I'm rehabbing English roadsters to sell. I've searched for it a few times and found no sources, so I dip into the stash occasionally. One alternative would be to use plain white housing and give it an aged beige tint with a thin layer of clear shellac (though it might be tricky to get it applied evenly.) That would have the side benefit of giving you a lined housing - the old stuff is unlined, and it performs pretty poorly.

My Super Course has a set of cable housing that I scavenged from a few old Raleighs, and I tinted the pure-white handlebar tape to match the old housings & brake hoods using the method described above:

lostforawhile

I just used a modern housing kit on my 71, the black actually looks decent with the yellow bike, it has black bar wrap too. most of my housings are short anyway with exposed cables, but I have seen white housings on ebay

dddd

It's well past due for one of the niche vendors to sell a lined housing with a cloth-textured, white plastic covering. Other colors could follow.

Some of those older housings were of a somewhat reduced diameter, 4.5mm or so, but that size would match the ferrules used for Campagnolo 8-9-10-speed shift housing.

In the mean time, vintage housing is sold on Ebay. There are plastic liners used today by a couple of bike vendors which can be inserted into vintage housing, such as the bare stainless shift housings formerly offered by Campagnolo and Suntour.
The housing liner is routed thru some of today's carbon frames, and I know that it is discarded frequently (unused) by a local Specialized/Felt/Orbea dealer.

lostarchitect 

I just use modern housing in white. It is much better than the old stuff.

RobbieTunes

+1, sort of. A local shop here uses Gore's lining, and says it brings the performance level of the components way up in smoothness.

Pars 

Hmmm... might have to line the Campy stainless derailleur housing on my bike... all 1' of it

gaucho777 

They do, but not as much as they did yesterday. I just ordered 20'.

dddd

The stainless housing going to a NR rear derailer is very short, but has a tight bend radius to exacerbate the friction of metal-on-metal.

Worst case is when modern, stainless cables are used in an un-lined stainless housing, a recipe for poor shifting as stainless does not move easily across stainless, but tends to stick. This can get critical when bar-end shifters are combined with modern stainless cables and the stainless housings that Suntour supplied with theirs.

On a related note, carbon OCLV Treks of more than a few years ago had a special (elongated) stainless cable guide under the bb shell to fit the lengthened path of the front derailer cable going around the bulbous carbon structure, then up in front of the tire, and with the tight bend radius there and awash with road grit and water, could get sticky enough to invite cable breakage up near the head of the cable (inside the shifter).
No doubt the SS guide was cheaper than re-tooling for a special, injection-molded plastic guide, but those ss guides need plastic tubing fitted or have to be kept slathered with thick grease if stainless cable wire is being used.

Captain Blight

I'd think just rubbing the cables down with alcohol and some 0000 steel wool would take all the shine off the new white stuff, along with the labelling.

Italuminium

I used Elvedes grey cables, from the roll of a LBS, look pretty decent and with a bit of a squint like the classic Campagnolo grey housing... Though this is a Dutch brand and I don't know if you can order it online.

zukahn1 

+1 I would agree you can buy 7ft length of good quality lined housing enough for one bike for about $10 with shipping online in several colors while white is nice, I would also consider brown or Blue to match the bike. You can also get an enter roll of 100ft good generic stuff or 25ft of Jagwire for about $30.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SIX-FOOT-LEN...item5aebfe69a1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/XLC-Lined-Br...item337d17d883

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Jagwire-5mm-...item51a42457dd