Mystery Dia Compe MX99 strange lever question, with pictures.

[Dr.Robotnik]

Hi guys,

Hopefully you can help me solve this mysterious lever problem and tell me how to set it up.

Along with some other bits left by a departing house mate I have this Dia Compe MX-99 lever which is completely different to a normal lever and perhaps you can tell me how it's supposed to work and if there are any bits missing.

The problem is with the hole and slot combo where you thread the cable into the lever. Normally you have a cylindrical hole in the lever about the diameter of the lead cylinder on the end of the brake cable. You also have a slot running perpendicular to the way the cable will eventually travel to allow you to put the cable in.

However on this lever (which does not appear to have been modified), (1.) the cylindrical hole has about a 4mm larger diameter than a normal cable end (the lead cylinder bit) and there is (2.) no perpendicular slot for putting the cable in.

My question is, how are you meant to get a cable in? You currently cannot thread a normal cable in as the angle the cable would have to travel to get the cable end in is far to big. Are you meant to use a different cable like a dérailleur cable end? Am I meant to have some device to shim out the hole in the lever? Is there meant to be some knarp type device in the hole to hold a cable?

Basically how does it work? Please let me know as I'd like to use it.

Thanks a lot in advance for any help.

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Problems...

[harris]

can you just push the cable inner  throu the hole and then push the cable back on after feeding the inner all the way throu

[Dr.Robotnik]

can you just push the cable inner  throu the hole and then push the cable back on after feeding the inner all the way throu

I assume you mean take the cable inner all the way out of the outer and thread it through the big hole?

I tried to say in my post about how I've tried this, you currently cannot thread a normal cable in as the angle the cable would have to travel to get the cable end in is far to tight, hope that makes sense. Maybe I should take a picture of that?

Unless I didn't understand your post properly?

[harris]

yes understood and thats what i ment,thread just the inner throu..strange
i wouldnt use a blank end and knarp as you would never get it lined up either.

[Dr.Robotnik]

yes understood and thats what i ment,thread just the inner throu..strange
i wouldnt use a blank end and knarp as you would never get it lined up either.

By blank end do you mean, just cable with no end? Perhaps I haven't been clear enough with what's going on, it's just so hard to describe as I don't know what each slot is called.

Imagine if you had the slot on the front of this that is missing you'd slot the cable end in and then rotate the cable, through the slot running in line with how the cable would normally travel and then slot it into the lever body and barrel adjuster right?

This lever has that second slot on it, in fact I'll add it into my pics so you can see it better (sorry for the pics I only have a camera phone). See below...

I am really hoping someone sees this and says, oh you just are missing a special knarp or some other part or something else, as it stands no one recognises this bizarre set-up...

[HEYWOOD BMX]

  I`ve got an MX99 somewhere (can`t find it now I need it!) and when you pull the lever back,there is a steel Pivot type thing inside connecting the lever to the body.The cable end just fits into this.Wish I could find my lever so I could give a more accurate description for you...

[Dr.Robotnik]

I`ve got an MX99 somewhere (can`t find it now I need it!) and when you pull the lever back,there is a steel Pivot type thing inside connecting the lever to the body.The cable end just fits into this.Wish I could find my lever so I could give a more accurate description for you...

I think I know what you mean, sounds like the long pull/v-brake version, was the rest of the lever like this though, with this hole and slot set-up?

I've seen the majority of MX-99's with just the normal slot and hole set-up though so if it'll help and you find the lever and have some pics then please post them.

[Dr.Robotnik]

BTW to spice this up, I might throw in a random BMX part as a prize to who ever sorts this out. It'll be used though and probably new or mid school, but maybe just maybe I'll have something that'll help you out.

[Dr.Robotnik]

So basically no one on here managed to win the fantastic prize.

A friend at work suggested that it was the same set-up used on old motor bike levers and the hole in the lever IS for a knarp device and leaves a stronger lever as it doesn't incorporate the slot for the cable. I'd believe that as I have broken two Tech 77's there.

I also had a thought and that perhaps it is part of a weird dual cable set-up, to have two cables come from the lever to the top of a gyro. Anyway here are some better before pictures, showing nhow I received the lever with all the bits missing...



Now here's where I start making buts, first I have made myself a very industrial knarp, prior to de-burring and polish.





I then found the missing hardware and the barrel adjuster from and old lever.







I am sure you are all fascinated by this so I just thought I'd say that I'll be doing a lot more customisation in my lunch breaks this week. Still to come is a bearing modification and some exciting machining. I am just posting this up here to force myself to do this or face public ridicule. Hopefully I won't muck it up and I'll get a sweet lever out of it.

Cheers

[Dr.Robotnik]

^Hmm, those came out big, but are not that size in photobucket....any ideas? 

[Gary72]

Looks OK on my screen, Any more updates? Is the knarp threaded all the way through? If so how does the grub screw grip the cable or are there 2 grub screws one from each end?