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I found a project bike that was missing some things and I decided to fix it up. The first image is of the front brake which is missing the piece that clips onto the brake cable. The second image is of the rear brake which has the piece that the front brake needs.

Question What is this piece called and is it this something I can safely purchase separately or do I get an entirely new assembly ?

front brake with missing piece front brake with missing piece rear brake assembly rear brake assembly

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    I'd say: If you can get hold of the part, there's absolutely no reason why it couldn't be repaired in a safe manner, provided you have the necessary skills and tools (torque wrench). But as Chris said in his answer, getting the part is probably impossible or economically infeasible.
    – arne
    Mar 31 at 6:57

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I'd probably call it a "brake arm". I'm not that familiar with Tektro brakes but such a significant part isn't generally available as a spare; if it was it would cost almost as much as a new brake. Instead I'd look out for 2nd hand brakes to match (assuming you're not in a hurry). Note that the Novela has had at least one design change, so you might be fitting the whole 2nd hand brake rather than using it for spares. You also need the screw. It might or might not be standard.

It seems to be another BB5 clone. There's some compatibility between brands (I've successfully used a Promax fixed pad adjuster on a BB5) but I wouldn't risk it for the actuator arm.

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Your front brake is one of the most safety-critical parts on the bike. I would take no chances.

If it was a bike I wanted to keep using long term, I'd buy the lowest-spec shimano hydraulic brake set (BR-MT200) and replace the whole thing. Search them out, they're plenty good enough and astonishingly cheap for their effectiveness.

If it were a back brake I'd consider substituting a bolt, but a whole arm like that? It's not worth the risk. Save the old caliper and lever as spare parts for the other brake, someday.

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    Why hydraulic? That means changing a lot of other components on the bike. And keeping the other brake mechanical would create a strange Frankenstein brake setup.
    – Vladimir F Героям слава
    Mar 31 at 6:02
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    I've injured or in a bad crash due to failed cable disc brakes (unfamiliar ceramic pads causing excessive rotor wear get a lot of the blame) and even I wouldn't (didn't) swap cable to hydraulic
    – Chris H
    Mar 31 at 6:58
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    @VladimirFГероямслава That model come pre-assembled and pre-bled. There's very little to do other than bolting them on. A replacement cable caliper has more fiddly setup, like getting pad clearance right. Hydraulics have two moving pads, not the single stationary pad and one moving pad, so centering is "slack off mounting bolts, squeeze and hold lever, tighten mounting bolts, done" whereas cable calipers are more involved. Just my experience. And they're cheap for their performance.
    – Criggie ♦
    Mar 31 at 10:07
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    It does make more sense to swap to hydraulic brakes when the shifter and brake aren't integrated, and integration isn't very common on flat bar setups unlike drop bars. Dropping in MT200s is really easy; I've done it on my hardtail to replace poor hydraulics; I still ought to cut the hoses down, or get a shop to do it.
    – Chris H
    Mar 31 at 10:34
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    Also my opinion: replace for MT200. They are very good, require little maintenance and adjustments (especially if the brake lever is not integrated). In terms of price, they are on par with good mechanical calipers. Except in some applications (touring for instance), I don't see the point of keeping mechanical disc brakes.
    – Renaud
    Mar 31 at 12:36

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