I have faced this problem before on Huret and Simplex shifters. First I remove the shifter from the bike and clamp it gently in a vice. Using soft jaws like hard rubber or soft metal helps protect the shifter. I then use the pointy end of a scribe and tap out the cable head from the back side. It is helpful if you add some light lube such as tri-flo and trim away what is left of the cable with side cutters (diagonal cutters). Hope this helps.
Robert St.Cyr
Sacramento, California USA
> From: youngc@ptd.net
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:12:34 -0500
> Subject: [CR] Removing stuck derailleur cables from shifters - advice sought
>
> I need to remove a derailleur cable with the cable end tighly wedged into the recess on the shifter. Not surprisingly, it is a Huret - one of the later and very capable microratcheting retrofriction models. I suspect that it was a past owner that fitted a cable with the standard size cable end without reducing the diameter of the end first with some filing. Cable is pretty buggered up from attempts to push it through from the reverse side and Kroil hasn't helped. Haven't seen many of these shifters around and I don't want to ruin the finish by a ham-handed approach.
>
> My past efforts at drilling away the end in such an instance have been largely unsuccessful or damaging as the drill drifts away from the hard steel of the cable. I would appreciate advice on other list member's experiences and any tips or suggestions before I attempt to drill a small hole in the center of the end and use a small screw to extract it. Can't really see how a thermal approach could be employed.
>
> Thanks,
> Charlie
>
> Charlie Young
> Honey Brook, Pennsylvania USA