Frank Drackman wrote:
> I am getting ready to replace the cables & housing on a bunch of bikes. In
> the past I have purchased cable sets or housing from LBS. This time I will
> be purchasing bulk housing and I am looking for advice. If you have any
> recommendations, good or bad, or suggestions on where to purchase I would
> love to hear them.
>
> Thanks - Frank
The type of basic lined housing that almost all shops buy in bulk and
use for repairs is fine. There are a small number of different makers
whose products get many different brand names put on them, often the
house brand of whatever distributor it came from. As long as it's lined
housing and the correct type for whether you're doing a shift or brake
housing, don't worry about it. Prices that LBS's charge for bulk
housing bought over the counter actually vary quite a bit for various
reasons, so you might want to do some comparing there. If one place's
price seems high compared to another, you're within your right to say
so. What matters most by far in terms of the performance you'll get is
how well you size the housings and prep the ends.
For cables, if these are bikes that are going to get ridden and that
you care about etc, get stainless always and "slick" (die-drawn) if
possible. My favorite are the ones made by Jagwire and sold as house
brands by Quality, Cyclone, and numerous others.
