STI rear cable life??

Quoted message said:

I seem to get a max of about 3000 miles out of Shimano rear derailleur
cables. Any other experience or suggestions for a more durable cable.
Shifter is Durance 9 speed. Had the same experience with the 8 speed.
Bill Brannon

Bill: That's about half of what would be the normal low end for STI cable
life. I'd replace the housings (if you haven't already) and check for any
burrs that might be increasing friction. I'd also make sure there's some
lube where the cable goes underneath the bottom bracket. Do you live near
the ocean (or any other place where there might be corrosive elements in the
air)?

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Bill said:

(...)
Time flys, 3,200 miles since the last replacement. The 3,000 mile threshold
seems rather consistent for me.
Bill>

5200 miles so far (with good and bad weather, summer and winter) and
it's still working very smoothly.

Francesco

Bill said:

I seem to get a max of about 3000 miles out of Shimano rear derailleur
cables. Any other experience or suggestions for a more durable cable.
Shifter is Durance 9 speed. Had the same experience with the 8 speed.

I seem to trash rear derailleur cables like no one else I know. I went
through at least 6 of 'em on my FS mtb; finally bought a Roll-a-ma-jig for
dirt cheap and the problem ceased. (Even had a slightly frayed cable that I
almost /wanted/ to replace, but it lasted like a whole 'nother year before
finally opening up enough to affect shifting.)

On my road bike, about 3-4 months ago I was on a solo ride and suddenly lost
my rear shifting. Sure enough, the cable had broken -- right in the shifter
(as I believe you also described elsewhere). (My broken mtb cables were
invariably down by the derailleur.)

I replaced it with a "teflon"-type cable and all's been well so far, but I'm
starting to think my shifting technique might be at least partly the
problem. Maybe I'm too "ham-handed" at it? Shift too often? Don't keep
cable(s)/housing lubed well enough?

When/if this cable breaks, maybe I'll try a Roll-a-ma-jig on this bike, too.
(Although if it breaks up in the shifter again, then maybe the RAMJ wouldn't
have helped.)

Bill "pretty sure what I really need is a new mechanic" S.

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Quoted message said:

I seem to get a max of about 3000 miles out of Shimano rear derailleur
cables. Any other experience or suggestions for a more durable cable.
Shifter is Durance 9 speed. Had the same experience with the 8 speed.
Bill Brannon

What terrain do you ride in? How often do you shift?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email hidden]> wrote in
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Quoted message said:

"Bill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I seem to get a max of about 3000 miles out of Shimano rear derailleur
cables. Any other experience or suggestions for a more durable cable.
Shifter is Durance 9 speed. Had the same experience with the 8 speed.
Bill Brannon

What terrain do you ride in? How often do you shift?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Very rolling, plus a couple of eastern mountain trips per year. Lots of
frequent ups and downs. Usually pushing in both directions.
Bill

Quoted message said:

They fail inside the right lever. The individual strands start to brake
where they wrap inside the lever. Symptom is shifting becomes
inconsistent.
Not wanting to release to a larger gear. (The broken strands hang up)

Even though it fails inside the lever, the problem may still lie elsewhere.
Having to exert too much pressure to shift is going to cause issues in the
area it connects to the head (inside the lever).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Bill said:

I seem to get a max of about 3000 miles out of Shimano rear derailleur
cables. Any other experience or suggestions for a more durable cable.
Shifter is Durance 9 speed. Had the same experience with the 8 speed.
Bill Brannon

A nice gentle bend of the cable and its housing going into the rear
derailleur should help.