Cables

[davereo]

I am contemplating replacing the cables on my CAAD 9.

I have about 10,000 miles on the bike and have never replaced the cables.

Anybody replace their cables regularly? If so at what type of interval are you doing so?

Seeing as brake cables serve a life saving purpose I am not willing to sacrifice performance for a few pennies. My current set up is 105 on the bike and I can get Shimano cables very easily at the LBS and online. Are there any other cables that you recommend that meet or exceed Shimano's quality.

 

[alienator]

I am contemplating replacing my cables on my CAAD 9.
I have about 10,000 miles on the bike and have never replaced the cables.
Anybody replace their cables regularly? If so at what type of interval are you doing so?
Seeing as brake cables serve a life saving purpose I am not willing to sacrifice performance for a few pennies. My current set up is 105 on the bike and I can get Shimano cables very easily at the LBS and online. Are there any other cables that you recommend that meet or exceed Shimano's quality.

I replace my cables and housings at least every year, and I think that's the minimum interval at which they should be changed. I inspect them a lot more frequently and will change them if something goes pear shaped or summat. If you ride a lot, you may want to change them every six months.......that's what some folks do. Certainly if you ride in challenging conditions you need to pay more heed to your cables and housings. Cable sets from Shimano, Campagnolo, and Jagwire have long been good. You can't go wrong using Shimano housings and cables. Jagwire makes cables for a number of other manufacturers, and I think I remember hearing that they make Shimano's. Of course, that doesn't mean that their branded cables and housings are the same spec as Shimano's. Currently I'm using Ashima cables and housings and like them better than Campy, Shimano, and Jagwire's bets. The Ashimas have a noticeably stiffer housing which has improved braking a touch and has made shifting a bit more crisp. Ashimas can also provides in their kits bits to seal the system. Like Gore's cables, Ashima's have a teflon coating. Another to consider would be Yokozuna cables and housings. What's interesting about Yokozuna's stuff is that the housings (at least the brake housings) have a metal wound exterior. Like Ashima's, Yokozuna's housings are designed to be stiffish. You've likely heard that Gore kits are good, and quite few folks do rave about them. They've got the best sealing in the business. Of course sealing keeps out grit, water, mud, and the like to maintain excellent performance in adverse conditions and in general extend the performance life of the system. In the past I tried IoDupont's Powercordz....and they had a lifespan slightly longer than that of a gnat. They don't use a steel cable but instead a thermoset liquid crystal, and they will hold higher tension than Kevlar, but as I said, durability is not in their list of attributes. Granted, I live in the desert, and the blowing dust and grit here tends to shorten cable lives. One manufacturer I wish would distribute to the US would be Goodridge. I've heard good things about 'em, and I am a bit partial to them since I used the steel braided brake lines when I raced motorcycles. If the quality is the same from their motorcycle to their bicycle lines, their cables will be ace cables. On the installation side of the ledger, the process for changing cables and housings is straightforward and easy. The process does reward attention to detail.