Replacing Cables

[gopherhockey]

I'll be the first to admit while I can do things like tear a dirtbike engine apart and put it back together again, mountain bike maintenance has always been something I have avoided like the plague.

I have run into a situation where I need to replace my rear derailleur cable & housing. It is a shimano XTR coated (black teflon) cable set. I can find this item online.. however, as I started to look at my bike and look at what I'd be buying I started to wonder....

The cable on my bike is about 50% cable & housing, and 50% open cable. There are about 4 different sections of cable housing with open cable running between (as it winds its way down to the rear derailleur).

First, I know this has to be custom/different for every bike/frame design.

So my question is, do you get the necessary parts with a cable kit to pull this off? Or.. is this something for a bike shop only.

I know I can't just buy a cable with housing and string it through to the back without cutting sections out. With each section that is cut, there has to be a cap on each side of the housing where the cable enters and exits. (you with me?)

So if you have 4 sections of cable housing, you have to have 8 ends.

Added to this, my xtr cable has a special piece up by the bars that shows what gear I'm in... this is not the typical kind, but one that is actually built right into the cable itself (using a red marker that slides back and forth as I shift).

So tell me... would you try this at home, or would you bring it in and be without your bike for like 3 weeks while local shops order parts and ignore your bike due to snowboard season approaching.... Ok that wasn't nice, but you get the idea.. ;)

[nigel]

As long as you measure out the housing and get that amount or more you'll be fine.....the cable itself is one length and you cut it when done. Housing you can just match up with your current bits and cut them to that length.

That "reader" by the shifter came with the shifter set not the cable set. When you replace the cables you will just slide them through them and they seld adjust the correct gear to indicate.

Replacing cables yourself is very easy, might need to do some tuning when you do it, but your limit screws should already be set, so its more or less just plug in play :)

If you need help, message me or call me up at work, bring the parts and Ill help ya anytime.

Douglas
651-690-1862

[jeffgude]

Be sure to buy a GOOD cable cutter before you start. Cutting derailler cable & housing with a good Park or Shimano cutter is easy. Cutting the cable or housing with anything else is just about impossible.

[jkalla]

You may not need to replace the housing unless you really want to. If you must then consider that if you buy the housing at a bike shop they might cut it for you. You have the old housing as a guide to tell you what lengths you need. As for the caps on the open ends of the cable - you can reuse those if you slide them off the old housing.

[SilverAthlon]

unless the housing is damaged, you can re-use that without any problem. All you have to do is remove the cable from the housing, and then spray tri-flow or something of that sort (with help from the red straw) through the housing to clean it out. Set it aside to re-install with new cable. (to answer your question, in your case you would need 8 ferrules for the housing ends)

A new cable will cost you $1.99, but a nicely machined/polished/coated XTR cable is about $4.99. I totally recommend the XTR cable. Depending on what shifters you've got, taking the cable out is pretty easy, thhere is a little hole (may have a plug in it) right at the base of where your thumb/index shift levers go into the body. you can unscrew that cap off, and then you will be able to push the wire out. I would be more than happy to help you out if you require such needs.

[grizzly adam]

You can also put the housing up to an air compressor to make sure that all the dirt is out.

I agree that you can reuse the housing. Sometimes, depending on how old the cables are, you can just take it out and clean it and the housing and then put it back in.

If you get scared and take it to a shop, I'm sure you'd get it back pretty quick as they aren't too terrible busy as the summer winds down (at least there aren't a TON of cars at the Richfield Erik's shop when I get home).

[jaybird]

While I agree you need to get a goods cable cutter - I have a Park and it works great - I disagree with not replacing the housings. No matter how well you might clean or lube the housing with the replaced cable, the housing could still be rusted or junked out in a section you can't see. The cable and housing should be changed at the same time, just like changing your oil and oil filter on your car at the same time.


Oh no.... I said the 'C' word! :p

[nord0306]

Take your old cable housing off the bike and bring it into a shop. They will cut new housing to the same length and give you all the appropriate caps that you need. Then you can bring them home, and install the new cable with the new housing. Just shift your shifter to the highest numerical gear (for rear shifter) and then install the cable with finger tight tension. Then you will be no more then 1/2 turn away with the barrel adjuster. For the front der, use the lowest numerical gear, however the cable usually needs to be a little tighter then finger tight, so leave bring the barrel adjusters in so you can accomodate.

I would always replace housing whenever the upshifting on the rear becomes sluggish (after you have lubed the chain to make sure it's not that, of course)

[Kingbozo]

Originally posted by nord0306
. Just shift your shifter to the highest numerical gear (for rear shifter) and then install the cable with finger tight tension. Then you will be no more then 1/2 turn away with the barrel adjuster. For the front der, use the lowest numerical gear, however the cable usually needs to be a little tighter then finger tight, so leave bring the barrel adjusters in so you can accomodate.



Could you clarify how the barrel adjusters should be set when replacing cable?

[nord0306]

normally I set the barrel adjusters about 1-2 turns out, so almost all the way in. That way if the cable is a little tight, you can loosen it up a little. Normally the cable is too loose after you install it. That's why I leave more room to tighten it. remember unscrewing the barrel adjusters tightens the cable. Also, you will have the cables stretch and the housing seat, which will in effect loosen the cable, so you need some adjustment in the barrel adjuster to take up the slack.

[SickBoy]

I generally replace cables and housing as a set. It just eliminates one extra variable when diagnosing shifting issues on old equipment....

now brake housing.... there's a lot less variables there but since you run hydraulic brakes you don't need to worry about that. (Unless you have some incessant urge to unneccessarily purchase new hydro lines and refill/bleed your brakes, this is why I run the Avid cable discs instead of XTR's...)

I spent two and a half hours screwing around with the rear shifting on my Kona last night after replacing JUST the cable... and as it turns out, new housing fixed the problem. Man, was I freaking out though. CFTF in three days and XTR shifting that refused to work....

[gopherhockey]

Originally posted by SickBoy
XTR shifting that refused to work....

Speaking of XTR shifting, I have really been struggling with mine lately.

For one thing, it seems those simple little "how to" instructions you can find in books or on the Internet on how to properly adjust your shifting don't apply to the 03' XTR. Its like the spring is backwards or something. (low normal?)

My problem is that I get it just right, but the adjustment I have up at the shift lever is always turned all the way in. I have no more room to turn it. I try moving it to the middle of its adjustment and re-doing the cable tension, but it always has to go back to the very end to shift right.

Part of my problem is that the cable barrel adjuster is gone down by the rear derailleur. I used to have better luck with that thing.

[SickBoy]

You have RapidRise, correct? I've ben riding Rapid Rise XTR for 5 years and have noticed that it generally only works well with the adjuster barrel on the shifter turned all the way in.

So long as it shifts... who really cares? Your cable isn't going to shrink. If anything it'll stretch and you'll need to turn the adjuster out to take up the slack.

The lack of derailleur adjuster barrels bothers be as well. my '01 XTR on the Kona has one but the '03 XTR on my Salsa is missing it. Hopefully someone puts out an aftermarket kit at some point.

I may go to SRAM XO with their new trigger shifters next year on my Salsa. I want to lighten that bike up a little, get it under 25 lbs.... and maybe a new rear shock with a lockout.

[Kingbozo]

I may go to SRAM XO with their new trigger shifters next year on my Salsa.

Shimanno is suing SRAM for patent infringement on those shifters. Most of the court action is happening in europe. Not sure what is going to happen here.

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/bicycleretailer/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1967691

[gopherhockey]

Originally posted by SickBoy


So long as it shifts... who really cares? Your cable isn't going to shrink. If anything it'll stretch and you'll need to turn the adjuster out to take up the slack.



Yea, thats pretty much the attitude I've taken... it isn't perfect - sometimes it seems like I could use just one or one-half more turns in... but otherwise I've not had anywhere near the same issues as I have had with past bikes/components.

Its good to hear that this is not necessarly unnatural to have them in all the way... now I can rest easier ;)

[jaybird]

Andy's comment on whether or not someone has a rapid rise or not is significant on the adjustments. The previous versions of Shimano's gear had the spring settings to pull the derailleur down to the smaller cogs on the cassette. With the '03 XTR the spring pulls the derailleur to the top.

This is a transition that Shimano will be making to all of their MTB derailleur components.