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Old June 16th 10, 04:06 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Peter Cole[_2_]
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Posts: 4,572
Default new cables, brake and shifter

Mark Cleary wrote:
I am going to put some new inner wire on the brakes and shifters my
question is if they should be lubed. Also the housing is fine no issues
but maybe I should put new housing on too, I have a huge 25 ft roll? I
normally run a little Vaseline on the wire from time to time or even a
coat of very light oil. I just wonder if new wire should be left alone
or lubed.


I'd go with the "ain't broke, don't fix it", with a couple of caveats.
If you have brifters, fraying or breaking cables can screw them up.
While not dangerous, breaking shifter cables can be a nuisance, so it
makes sense to replace them well before they're likely to break.

The only place I renew the housing is the final loop to the rear
derailer. That is a relatively short section that often gets junked up
from wheel spray, and the increase in friction may cause subtle and
difficult to identify shifting problems. It's worth it to replace it
periodically just to avoid the hassle.

As for lubing cables, it shouldn't be necessary if the housing is
plastic lined (I've not seen unlined shift cable housing). I thought
teflon coated cables were a good idea, but I just had one shed all its
coating inside the housing, creating quite a lot of friction.

I never replace brake cables or housing -- maybe I've just been lucky,
but they seem to last forever.
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