metal composition of brake cabels

billx said:

Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other non-corrosive
material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with the
non-corrosive metals?

I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for steal
to save cost?

They generally are stainless steel, but a lot of stainless steels will
still rust given enough time (although not as badly as mild steel).

Billx said:

Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other non-
corrosive material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with
the non-corrosive metals?
I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for
steal to save cost?

Yes, you can use quality stainless steel cables for brakes. Quality
housing and cables costs more. For a great article on the details of
cables and housings see Sheldon Brown's site URL:

<http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html>

Your life depends on your brakes... make sure you know what you
are doing.

--

Quoted message said:

Your life depends on your brakes... make sure you know what you
are doing.

Because clearly you can't spell.
Phil Brown

high quality brake cables /are/ stainless. cheap ones are galvanized
steel, which can corrode, then rust. badly.

but stainless can rust also, particularly the cheap stuff. simply
replace with quality stainless cables from japan or italy [or usa if you
can possibly find them] and make sure their package states their country
of origin. all stainless steels are not created equal.

billx said:

Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other non-corrosive
material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with the
non-corrosive metals?

I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for steal
to save cost?

Stainless steel has iron on the surface that will oxidize.

"jim beam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
| high quality brake cables /are/ stainless. cheap ones are galvanized
| steel, which can corrode, then rust. badly.
|
| but stainless can rust also, particularly the cheap stuff. simply
| replace with quality stainless cables from japan or italy [or usa if you
| can possibly find them] and make sure their package states their country
| of origin. all stainless steels are not created equal.
|
| billx wrote:
| > Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other
non-corrosive
| > material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with the
| > non-corrosive metals?
| >
| > I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
| > rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
| > cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for
steal
| > to save cost?
| >
| >
|

There is magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steel categories. Magnetic
rusts, non does not. Test the cable with a magnet before buying to solve the
problem.
javaloop

that's too simplistic. ferritic [magnetic] stainless can be
successfully passivated and therefore very rust resistant, particularly
in a merely rainy environment.

Quoted message said:

There is magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steel categories. Magnetic
rusts, non does not. Test the cable with a magnet before buying to solve the
problem.
javaloop

On Wed, 26 May 2004 13:04:39 -0400, "billx" <[email hidden]> may

have said:

Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other non-corrosive
material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with the
non-corrosive metals?

Good stainless cables exist and are readily available. The difference
in stretch characteristics between plated and stainless steel is not
worth worrying about in this application.

Quoted message said:

I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for steal
to save cost?

Interesting typo there.

Many bikes come with galvanized steel cables as original equipment;
yes, they're cheaper. It would be nice if mass-production bike
manufacturers would pop for the extra buck (approximately, at the
prices they pay for materials) in cost to equip their units with
stainless cables, but this is a detail that's often overlooked.

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On Thu, 27 May 2004 12:16:19 GMT, [email hidden] may have

Quoted message said:

There is magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steel categories. Magnetic
rusts, non does not. Test the cable with a magnet before buying to solve the
problem.

That's not a valid test. I have samples here that exhibit significant
magnetic attraction which do not corrode visibly even in a salt spray
environment.

--
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Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"Werehatrack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 26 May 2004 13:04:39 -0400, "billx" <[email hidden]> may

have said:

Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other non-corrosive
material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with the
non-corrosive metals?

Good stainless cables exist and are readily available. The difference
in stretch characteristics between plated and stainless steel is not
worth worrying about in this application.

Not that plating makes any difference either way. I don't think that you meant
to imply that, but it's a possible reading of what you wrote.

Nearly all industrial steels have remarkably similar elastic properties.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for steal
to save cost?

Interesting typo there.

It's now widely recognised as a standard business method [1]. Remember Enron?

Quoted message said:

Many bikes come with galvanized steel cables as original equipment;
yes, they're cheaper. It would be nice if mass-production bike
manufacturers would pop for the extra buck (approximately, at the
prices they pay for materials) in cost to equip their units with
stainless cables, but this is a detail that's often overlooked.

The big difference, since even many stainless steels will rust in wet
conditions, is to keep your cables lubricated. I can honestly say that I've
never had even a cheap cable rust, but that's because I run oil into the cables
the day I get the bike, and regularly thereafter according to how the bike is
use and the conditions it experiences.

The cyclist's motto: Lubrication Is Your Friend.

[1] I was going to say "methodology" just to troll Jobst, but I decided he's had
his quota for the week :-)
--
Mark South
Citizen of the World, Denizen of the Net
<<Tiens! Ce poulet a une grenade!>>

On Thu, 27 May 2004 16:09:48 +0200, "Mark South"

may have said:

"Werehatrack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 26 May 2004 13:04:39 -0400, "billx" <[email hidden]> may

have said:

Can brake cabels be made out of stainless steal or some other non-corrosive
material so they don't rust or is the strength problem with the
non-corrosive metals?

Good stainless cables exist and are readily available. The difference
in stretch characteristics between plated and stainless steel is not
worth worrying about in this application.

Not that plating makes any difference either way. I don't think that you meant
to imply that, but it's a possible reading of what you wrote.

Eh, true, but since they're both steel, and it's been a long time
since I saw a bike cable that was neither plated nor stainless, I
identify them that way to categorize the two common types.

Quoted message said:

Nearly all industrial steels have remarkably similar elastic properties.

Also true, and the differences are insignificant in an application
like this.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I bought a Trek 2300 last year and notice the brake cables are severely
rusted and the bike's only been exposed to rain a couple times. Can the
cable be replaced with one that won't rust? If so, did Trek opt for steal
to save cost?

Interesting typo there.

It's now widely recognised as a standard business method [1]. Remember Enron?

You might say I do. I interviewed for a job there about four months
before things started to unravel.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Many bikes come with galvanized steel cables as original equipment;
yes, they're cheaper. It would be nice if mass-production bike
manufacturers would pop for the extra buck (approximately, at the
prices they pay for materials) in cost to equip their units with
stainless cables, but this is a detail that's often overlooked.

The big difference, since even many stainless steels will rust in wet
conditions, is to keep your cables lubricated.

There are, of course, those who feel that a teflon-lined oilless cable
is best, but given the proclivities of that material, I'm with you on
this.

Quoted message said:

I can honestly say that I've
never had even a cheap cable rust, but that's because I run oil into the cables
the day I get the bike, and regularly thereafter according to how the bike is
used and the conditions it experiences.

That's a practice which I suspect is omitted by more high-end bike
owners than the manufacturers take into account. It's been my
experience that purchasers of expensive machinery tend to be
enthusiasts with skill and dedication less often than they are poseurs
who "want only the best" and haven't got a fscking clue about what to
do with it or how to take care of it. This applies to a lot more than
just bikes. I know some people in the tech support field who have
whole portfolios of "rich idiot" tales to share.

Quoted message said:

The cyclist's motto: Lubrication Is Your Friend.

Except when applied to friction surfaces.

A few years back, I recall seeing a pricey chain lubrication kit in a
local store (*not* a store of the lbs persuasion, but a place which
catered to the Moneyed And Foolish) which had an elaborate drip shield
to ensure that drips from the freshly lubed chain would not land on
the carpet or the wheel. I suspect it was bought more often for the
former reason than the latter. The same store had two expensive
'bents as its only cycle offerings...and the chain lube gadget's drip
tray was nowhere near as long as the run on the longer 'bent. I guess
the people who would buy that lube kit probably wouldn't think of
using one of last week's WSJs to catch the drips.

Quoted message said:

[1] I was going to say "methodology" just to troll Jobst, but I decided he's had
his quota for the week :-)

It would probably have taken more than just that one word to do it
anyway.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Werehatrack said:

Many bikes come with galvanized steel cables as original equipment;
yes, they're cheaper.

What are Shimano inners made of? I thought most builders would just
throw a complete Shimano brakeset on the bike, and the cheaper ones come
with all cables.

On Thu, 27 May 2004 19:51:54 +0100, Zog The Undeniable

may have said:

Werehatrack said:

Many bikes come with galvanized steel cables as original equipment;
yes, they're cheaper.

What are Shimano inners made of? I thought most builders would just
throw a complete Shimano brakeset on the bike, and the cheaper ones come
with all cables.

Some are apparently galvanized steel; I have such a set.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.