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Molto Verboso
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Tierney wrote:
The thing against the allen is the same thing on a torx cap screw - they are down where the dirt is flying and will eventually fill with road crap. Getting the dirt out of a little hole would be a PITA. I just suggested the torx because I prefer it over the allen which strips out easier. So forget what I said about the cap screw. The stock system, I think, will work best. You just have to buy the right tools.
Never had a problem with the cap filling with road crud, and we have plenty of that in the UK.


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I've just finished adjusting my cables after taking apart the shifter tube and cleaning / re-greasing, and decided to give the Philips head screws a go.

I agree that the clutch has a lot of tension on the nipple, and with it being easier to get at, the stock bolt is OK to work with.

But the shifter box on a smallie is a lot harder to get to than a large frame. It's right on the bottom, and there's little room to get even small spanners in there. So I am trying the screws and they were 100 times easier to do up. It feels like I am getting enough torque to tighten it properly, so will see how it goes.

If all OK, I will swap out for grub screws
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cool.. just a question.. if phillips are working well, why switch to grubs? I think a little phillips head might be easier to get in there than even a small allen wrench.. ? no? anyway, glad you're creating easier solutions for yourself.. it's always nice.
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Hey Vader. The screws I bought are too long to fit under the selector box cover.....I'll either cut them to length or go for grubs. But you are right, if the Philips screws work, they will be easier than grubs I agree
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Right on... do whatever works.. I was just thinking out loud!

I don't use the selector box covers so I hadn't thought of that!
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Molto Verboso
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I once backed the pinch bolt out too far and I watched the little inner slug fall out and go rolling away to my astonishment and dismay. I took apart a spare to see what just disappeared and decided it was worth my while looking around the garage floor for it, which I did find eventually.

I second the 7mm hex driver with the 8mm wrench. It's much easier to hold the tools at a right angle to each other in a tight space than side-by-side, and the hex driver allows you to hold the pinch bolt still and not slide out of position on the cable. The Parks wrenches look good too, though. You can also just grind down an extra wrench to use as a jam-nut wrench.
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⚠️ Last edited by pdxjim on UTC; edited 1 time
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cool....I have not seen the hex driver, but that would work as well as a Philips I guess.
I tried the 8mm spanner with a 7mm socket on an extension from my 1/4 inch socket set with mixed results....I think the socket was a little too bulky....the hex head on that 7mm pinch bolt is mighty slim. I'm sure the SIP pinch bolts with 8mm hex bolt heads combined with an 8mm hex driver would be nice
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Molto Verboso
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The phillips has the same 90 deg advantage, but I wouldn't trust being able to get it tight enough with a screwdriver. I'd stick with a hex bolt or hex cap head screw or something that will allow sufficient torque.

BTW, the little slug inside the barrel is important because it prevents the bolt from fraying the cable.
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Molto Verboso
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The little slug is flat on end and I think is curved on the other, so I'd just buy 2-3 new pinch bolts. They're cheap. Carry at least one spare with a spare clutch cable in your tool box. The day will come when you'll be glad you did.
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I need to check my slugs.....I didn't realize they were shaped at the ends and just chucked em back in and think they are fraying the cable....oh well...live and learn
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pdxjim wrote:
The phillips has the same 90 deg advantage, but I wouldn't trust being able to get it tight enough with a screwdrive.
When you buy inferior parts, the Philips head gets it tight enough.....in this case too tight .....the original is on the left, what's left of the replacement on the right
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Molto Verboso
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Interesting...
Is your photo upside-down?
Did the broken one have the little slug of metal inside?
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Yes, upside down sorry.
The broken one had no slug, and the threaded shaft went right through it. Ie: no solid end....the screw was long enough to clamp the cable without the slug.
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Molto Verboso
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I was wondering if it didn't. Maybe the lack of it caused unusual stresses inside the threaded housing? Might also have just been a bad pinch bolt, or as you say, an inferior one.

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