I have been going nuts looking for these knarps. First let me explain. This old Raleigh has a front brake cable with two end pieces. There is no cable anchor point on the caliper to secure the cable. My biggest problem was I had no idea how to describe what I was looking for. In other words I had never even heard the word knarp and certainly had no bloody idea what a knarp was.
Finally I found them on harriscyclery.com And they are made for something else (certain brake levers). However Harris cyclery stocks them for replacement ends for the "two end" front brake cables on some vintage Raleighs (and others). Also, I would like to thank Steve at rebrit.com for his help with some questions I had about this bike. If you are looking for a professionally restored Vintage British bicycle. Steve is the guy you want to get in touch with. Anyway, trying to find a rare part that you don`t know the proper name for is difficult at best. I don`t think I would have attempted this restoration or any bicycle restoration before the internet came along. What a wonderful tool the internet is. Also today I found a 500 watt light stand for the shop. It was on sale locally at Peter`s True Value Hardware for about 14.00 . Now it will be much easier to see what I`m doing in the shop/garage this winter. I am hoping to get some "bicycle work" done this weekend. But I`m ankle deep in leaves, so weather permitting I should get at it. Meantime RIDE SAFE and remember RESCUE-RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh
Hello,
ReplyDeleteBeen looking forward to an update on this project. I enjoy your blog. Hope all is well?
Thanks J.
ReplyDeleteAll is well, Thanks for asking. I have been busy with some "Masonry Work" these past few weeks.Good news is parts for the Sportex 12 have
been arriving. I expect to be updating the blog about that real soon. Also I plan on getting the Raleigh restoration back in gear.
Cheers,Hugh
they also have those knarps at your local hardware store...lawnmowers use them on the throttle cable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex, That`s good to know
ReplyDeleteHugh, Great Blog. I ride a 1973 Raleigh Sports around the neighborhood. Anything longer than 5 miles or so and my knees hurt. Good luck on the project.
ReplyDeleteThanks Big River Bikes, I`ll take all the luck I can get. Take care of those knees.
ReplyDeletehi
ReplyDeleteHello
ReplyDeleteWhich end of the cable do you use the knarp on?
ReplyDeleteDoes the screw-on knarp go at the brake end or in the lever end?
I've read a lot about these knarps and can't figure out how this is supposed to be done. Your picture doesn't really show either.
Hey polyanarch,
ReplyDeleteI`ll try to explain this. If you look at the photograph of the brake above. There is no anchor bolt at the brake-end of the cable. The original cable for this brake had a end piece at both ends. At the lever end it has the typical barrel shape typically found on modern mountain bikes. Now notice, there is no cable anchor-bolt or cable-clamp on the brake caliper. In other words nothing to tighten around the cable. What there is, is a cup or pocket of sorts that the ball end of the cable would fit into. So these two ended cables must have been made to near exact length. You would slip the barrel end of the cable into the lever. (just like a modern mountain-bike lever) As for the caliper or brake end. You would need to close the caliper with shoes removed. This would make it possible to slip the ball end of the cable into the pocket. There is a small gap at the pocket or socket that would allow the cable to be slid into place. Now you would release or open the caliper now putting tension on the cable which now holds the ball-end of the cable snug in the pocket. This is why I needed the knarps. I don`t know where I could get double ended cables made up to the near exact length. So basically what it amounts to is, you have a brake with no cable anchor. To duplicate this set-up I use a typical mountain bike brake cable and fasten the knarp where the ball end would have been on the original cable. I hope this explanation helps.
P.S. I say near exact length because there is a tension adjuster on the caliper.
Thanks for this post! I just got an old 1960s Raleigh from my dad's garage -- and had no idea about how to replace the two-ended cables on the brakes. Your blog came up on as a result of an internet search, and now I know!
ReplyDeleteHope all is well, and thanks again!
Hello Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteYour welcome. It is always good to hear when someone finds this blog useful in some way. Good Luck with you project.
Cheers