retswerb

Recently picked up a cheap craigslist bike that came with a shoebox of tools. The tools weren't clearly pictured in the ad but I showed up and lo and behold, a bunch of vintage Park stuff - score!

This BT-2 has me confused, though. I understand how to use the modern BT-2 (BT-2 Cable Stretcher | Park Tool) but this must be an older design and it has me stumped and feeling dumb.

The notched end goes up against the cable carrier of course, with the cable running through it. What I can't figure out is how the other end is supposed to grab the cable. I tried sliding the cable between the moving handle and the body of the tool so that the crimped end cap is on the bottom side, but it slid around and wasn't held well even once the moving 'latch' piece was lowered to be inline with the tool frame. The space between the curved end and the moving bit is too small to fit the end cap through it, so the cable can't be fed through there. Am I missing something / doing it wrong, or is it just a poorly-designed tool?

cyccommute 

Remove the end cap. The cable is fed through the end with the red lever then the lever is pushed down to hold the cable in place. The notched end goes against the hanger. These were really meant for cantilever brakes more than most other kinds.

retswerb

Yeah, I guess that would work. Weird to me to have to cut the cap and slightly shorten the cable each time it's needed. Thanks for the help.

wesmamyke

My understanding was it was from the ten speed boom, so mostly for road caliper brakes. Also many shops used to solder the ends of cables, so it might not have been that obnoxious to use. Somewhere I have a Schwinn marked one with red handle, have never used it though.

Trakhak

You're using it to adjust a cantilever brake, it would seem, since you referred to the cable carrier. That's what the tool was designed for.

No need to cut the cable---simply use pliers or a vice grip to squeeze the crimped cap at a right angle to the original crimp marks. The cap should slip off and should be reusable.

That said, the tool was intended for use in the initial setup of the brake, to make it easy to position the cable carrier at the optimal height for the best brake actuation geometry. Once that's set, adjustments should be made by moving the brakes pads inward on the arms to accommodate wear, not by raising the cable carrier.

Moe Zhoost

I rarely have to cut the cable to get rid of the endcap. Most come off easily with a small crescent wrench or plier clamped loosely on the cable and butted against the end cap. Then a bit of a tug and it's off. In most cases the cable end is not damaged to the point where you can't get a new cap on, but it's condition may impede running it through housing (and if you are going to do that, why not just replace the cable).

Another option is to leave enough of a tail on the cable so that you can snip it multiple times.

I like that your tool is spring loaded, which would free up your hands, unlike the plier like tools that I've used.

cyccommute 

You shouldn’t have to cut the cable end off. Just pull it off with pliers.

retswerb

Fair enough - I've never attempted to pull one off, makes sense. Thanks for the help, all.