I've rebuilt the front brake on my project C15 with new shoes. However, it turned out that the brake cable was way too long with split nuts added to take up the slack. Maybe it was a rear cable fitted to the front. This bodge was hidden behind a layer of insulation tape, YUCK!
Anyhow, I was lucky enough to get a new old stock front cable, but this is now too short, by a fraction of an inch, to reach the lever on the drum. Maybe this is because the shoes have a bit more meat on them. I think the lever is held on its shaft by square splines, so no adjustment there.
Do I really have to buy more cables, until I get one that fits?
Here is a snap of the lever from my bike. I suspect that it might not be right. Note that the hole at the top is in line with the square hole at the bottom. I found a picture of an original C15 lever on Ebay, where the pin hole was obviously offset, but all the after market ones seem to be like mine. Maybe this is why the previous owner found it necessary to bodge a longer cable to fit.
CHeck out this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186059278801?_trkparms=itmf%3D1%26aid%3D1110006%26rkt%3D10%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26mech%3D1%26algv%3DSimOrganicCassiniWithToraRecallsWithIrrelevanceDemotionV2%26pmt%3D0%26amclksrc%3DITM%26sd%3D186059249887%26sid%3DAQALAAAAEIn93UCqNS5xk4I480TUeiE%3D%26itm%3D186059278801%26noa%3D1%26brand%3DBSA%26asc%3D309643,309867%26ao%3D1%26rk%3D9%26pid%3D101506%26b%3D1%26mehot%3Dnone%26lsid%3D3%26meid%3Dae90a4f20eb844bba278311499c5dc20%26pg%3D4481478&_trksid=p4481478.c101506.m1851
My 2 x C15s have the front brake arm where the 2 holes are in line.
Yours , looks offset a shade.
I wonder if you could turn yours over and bring the cable hole up a shade
Quote from: rhyatt on 02 Jul, 2026, 21:35 My 2 x C15s have the front brake arm where the 2 holes are in line.
Yours , looks offset a shade.
I wonder if you could turn yours over and bring the cable hole up a shade
Just what I was thinking.
The other thing to check is that the cable adjuster is sitting properly in the handlebar lever. Non standard levers can be a pain, my B40 had Bantam levers fitted which made fitting the NOS cable next to impossible.
Okay, so it sounds like the lever is correct. Yes, I had the cable correctly seated at the handlebar end, and the adjust wound to the end stop. Maybe I need to think about looking for stock handlebar levers.
I did think about taking a file to the handlebar lever, but it would be tricky to get the notch right.