Internally routed cable?

OK - finally time to strip & restore 'The Mullett'. Paint job is going to keep it off the road for at least 4 weeks but she should be looking nice pretty soon after her 30th birthday in August...
Question today (might sound a bit daft but):
When I remove the (concealed) rear brake cable - how do I get it back in & still manage to feed it back out the other end?

Keep the existing cable outer in place. Feed the new cable through. Take the old outer off then feed a new cable outer on (assuming you are changing the outer) or reverse and keep the existing cable in place and feed the new outer on. Either way you use the existing as a guide for the new...hope this makes sense???

Yeah - thanks - I'd thought that might be the only way. Just worried that it (leaving a cable in) might cause an issue for the sanding & painting of the frame but will discuss with the painter...

Keep the inner in place but leave plenty and then crimp it together so it hangs loose in a joined circle - shouldnt affect the areas where the cable exits the frame too much for when the paint is being applied - not perfect but a small inconvenience for the man with the spraygun.

I thought frames with internally-routed cables normally had a narrow gague tube brazed in there to guide the cable through? (and to keep water out of the tube)?

I believe most do - however, I have one that doesn't - spent hours trying to fathom how to sort it as i'd taken the cables out assuming it had an internal tube - won't fall for that one again!

How can you tell whether it does (have an internal guide tube)? Or is it safest to assume it doesn't?

There's probably a standard answer to your question but I don't know it! however, after that episode of removing before sussing there wasn't an internal tube, I would get the brake cable and splay the end 2mm's, when you fit it into the toptube you should be able to hear it scratching the inner walls of the cable tube. No noise = no internal cable tube. Random answer I know but that's what I had to do on one of my frames.

Finny

Just out of curiosity how did you re-route the missing cable? a piece of cotton with a small weight attached plus gravity and a lot of frame waggling ?

Shaun

Wait for it....drinking straw with the end snipped into quarters to create a flared effect, inserted into top tube, cable inserted into other end of tube, bit of luck and hey presto, job done never again!