I was swapping my frame and quite a few other components last night and I found this part on the floor when clearing up.

2012-07-14-215 by Big Surfer, on Flickr

I installed a new headset and bottom bracket which I am pretty sure it didn’t come from. I also installed old front and rear mech and shifters but put in new gear inners and outers. It looks the right size to be associated with gear cables. the shifters are XT combined brake/gear shifters. It looked dirty when i picked it up so it must have come from somewhere it is about 15mm long.

End stop for a cable somewhere?

Pivot pin for a mech?

hose-entry point for brake caliper?

It looked dirty when i picked it up

Has it fallen out of your Prince Albert?

It looked dirty when i picked it up
Has it fallen out of your Prince Albert?

😆

If not the above it looks like the cable entry housing in to rear mech.

aspect ratio looks wrong for any cable part.

Mech would not work out without pivot.

My bet: it’s come off something else.

Its not fell out of a pair of pliers or molegrips has it? looks a bit like a pivot pin out of a cheap tool. cable cutters perhaps?

have you by any chance fitted a new seat post? my post came with 2 of those little things inserted where the saddle rails go, dont serve any purpose other than stopping the seat clamp rattling around in the box. 😀