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Any suggestions for where I can buy a new front brake release for my Fuji Sports 12 bicycle? What is the part formally called so I can search for it?

enter image description here

Criggie
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Zack
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    That's a 30-35 year old bike, and new parts are almost certainly unavailable. You'd have to salvage the part from somewhere. (If the problem is merely that the piece is bent, it looks like it could be straightened, if one took reasonable care.) – Daniel R Hicks Jul 02 '16 at 22:02
  • The problem isn't that it's bent. The problem is that it's "soft". When I try to operate the lever, it bends "in and out" instead of "up and down". I'm afraid that after 5 or 10 more uses, it will simply break. – Zack Jul 03 '16 at 01:43
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    If you can remove the lever (and don't care about the plastic covering) you can attempt to "temper" it by heating it red-hot with a torch and then plunging it into oil. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 03 '16 at 01:45
  • An alternative fix is to abandon use of the lever and just adjust cable length such that the threaded adjuster is nearly all the way out when operating normally, then threaded completely in to release the wheel. A bit of a PITA when adjusting the brakes, of course, as you lose much of your fine adjustment range. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 03 '16 at 21:22
  • The lever functions like a QR on a modern brake caliper. So if you don't need an extra 2-3 mm of slack (ie you can just unhook the bridle cable) then go without the folding bit. Less is more – Criggie Jul 08 '16 at 08:15

2 Answers2

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Remove the part altogether and replace it with a brake cable stop such as this one http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/brh27.jpg found at http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/brh27.jpg

and insert a release such as this one

enter image description here

found at http://bicyclehabitat.com/images/library/large/shimano_sm_cb90_1_13_z.jpg

Criggie
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Carel
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0

The part is called brake cable hanger. If the problem is bending, avoid the sheet metal ones and get a forged aluminium one instead.

ojs
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