Unable to remove gear cables from 8spd Veloce Ergo's!

[rjsdavis]

Feel like a total tit posting this, but I can't remove the gear cables from either of the Veloce Ergo levers on my son's bike! I hadn't particularly anticipated anymore bother pushing these out, than you would getting cables out of an STI lever, but there you go.

Before anyone says it, yes, both levers have been ratcheted back to the smallest cogs on both sides, and when I peel back the hoods, I can clearly see the cable ends of both of the gear cables in each of the levers. I had expected to simply push them through and they would come out as normal, but the little feckers won't budge at all!

I don't understand this at all. I can't see anything that's either clamping them in place, or preventing them from just being pushed out, this is the first time I've actually worked on a Campag Ergo lever (am almost exclusively Shimano for road), and I don't want to go applying too much pressure to get this out, and inadvertently break something - particularly if I'm supposed to undo some sort of hidden clamp!

Would be grateful for any responses to establish whether I'm missing a step, or whether these cables have corroded firmly into place in the cable holder? I've been applying liberal applications of freezing "crack it" as well as GT85 to help loosen then up if it's the latter....

Many thanks for any responses.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

This is actually a fairly common problem. Campagnolo cables have slightly smaller heads than some other brands. Certain brands of cable have heads of just the right size to get jammed tightly into Campag shifters.

The solution involves wiggling, jiggling and prodding, drilling, or in extremis, disassembly of the shifter and careful application of sufficient heat to melt the cable head.

To avoid the problem in the future, always use Campag cables, or file and grease cable heads before fitting.

 

[stringfellow1946]

One- eyed-jim is 100% correct Campagnolo uses smaller Nipples on BOTH the the Gear wires & the Brake wires. Even on the older Super Record levers they are smaller than modern Dura-Ace.
Always use Campagnolo Inner Wires.

 

[rjsdavis]

Ok, thanks chaps. At least I'm not going mad...

Fortunately, I can disclaim any responsibility for this, as I just ported over the entire groupset that arrived on another bike, as was. This time however, the cables are now worn and frayed and definitely need replacing.

I've been doing plenty of the jiggling, wiggling and prodding, but resisted any drilling to date. I can see that removing a cable from a down-tube shifter is going to be a damn slight easier than an Ergo lever... It's beginning to look like at partial disassembly will be required, but having said that, how does this help me to get the cable nipple out of the holder in any event? There still won't be enough on show to grip them with some needle-noses and yank it out, and they seem to be far to tight and in there for too damn long to simply push them through from the exit side. I think the only thing small enough to apply heat without damaging the shifter itself is a soldering iron, but can't imagine that this would actually heat up or even melt the nipple (or even distort it) in the way that's needed to get the little fecker out?

 

[stringfellow1946]

Move the gear lever to maybe 6 clicks up from the small sprocket position so you can clearly see the inner wire where it exits the holder (like you last photo above but much further round) then Cut the inner wire about 10mm from where it exits. then with long nosed pliers to apply twisting/ pushing motion on the inner wire. I have managed to get this method to work on several occasions.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

Failing that, attack the centre of the head carefully with a small drill bit in a Dremel. You should be able to pull the cable wires out of the drilled-out head, then prise or punch the remains of the head out of the shifter with a tiny screwdriver.

I haven't had to resort to heat, but a decent soldering iron should be hot enough to melt the nipple. I'd definitely disassemble the shifter first though, to avoid the risk of melting any plastic parts.

 

[rjsdavis]

Thanks chaps for these suggestions - I'll give them a go. I'll start with the dremel idea first, and then cut and push after....

 

[rjsdavis]

It's not going well at the moment... first drill-bit has snapped without really making much of an impression on the head of the nipple. I suspect that this is the way to get these little feckers out, but the stainless steel of what's in there is tough going to get through. I've also got some reverse threaded bolt removers for where bolt heads are rounded, but can't even get a pilot hole drilled atm.

It's a horrible combination of nipple heads that are clearly too big, as well as some mild corrosion that are making the situation 20 times worse than it should be....

 

[Apple Tree]

Now desperately trying to remember if there were any Ergos where I did not use Campag cables !
Would a freezing spray help to pull nipple away from the sides ?

 

[rjsdavis]

Now desperately trying to remember if there were any Ergos where I did not use Campag cables !
Would a freezing spray help to pull nipple away from the sides ?

Sadly not, I've been doing exactly that with Crack It spray which is freezing cold!

Am onto drilling the nipped heads (which is tough, and not going well), but had read that the nipped heads were lead? In which case I could just melt them out with a soldering iron. Anyone tried melting them out?