Time to replace those STI cables?

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

typically break with very little warning. If you're lucky, you'll notice
that your bike might shift up to a larger cassette cog or chainring without
much trouble, but hesitates shifting back down. That's often the only
warning you'll ever have that your cable is fraying inside the shifter.

Quoted message said:

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so.

I have indeed noticed that lately, and they're at least 15k miles old, so I
guess I'd better do something about it. Thanks :-)

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

Another symptom - you can go to the small ring (especially on a triple),
but it seems like the lever is jammed when you try to go back to the
bigger one.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately, so maybe it's time to remind the world that they don't
last forever, no matter how good you take care of your bike, and that they
typically break with very little warning. If you're lucky, you'll notice
that your bike might shift up to a larger cassette cog or chainring without
much trouble, but hesitates shifting back down. That's often the only
warning you'll ever have that your cable is fraying inside the shifter.

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so. Some might fail sooner, some might last longer, but many fail within
that range of mileage. Your cable might look brand new or thoroughly rusted,
but neither in an indication of future life. Replace them *before* they go
bad, as otherwise they'll always break when you're on, as they say, the
wrong side of the hill.

Ironically, brake cables virtually never fail. The reason is that there are
no tight bends in a brake cable run as there are inside an STI lever for the
shift cables. The shift cables wrap tightly around a very small radius,
which is what causes the failure. Brake cables have neither the tight curve
nor the small diameter, but customers are far more inclined to replace brake
cables because they feel (correctly) that their life depends upon them...
but the truth is, a broken brake cable is an exceptionally rare thing, and
there is usually visual evidence (you can inspect either end of the cable,
wheres for the shift cable, the lever-end is completely hidden).

Hope this helps someone out there-

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

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately, so maybe it's time to remind the world that they don't
last forever, no matter how good you take care of your bike, and that they
typically break with very little warning. If you're lucky, you'll notice
that your bike might shift up to a larger cassette cog or chainring without
much trouble, but hesitates shifting back down. That's often the only
warning you'll ever have that your cable is fraying inside the shifter.

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so. Some might fail sooner, some might last longer, but many fail within
that range of mileage. Your cable might look brand new or thoroughly rusted,
but neither in an indication of future life. Replace them *before* they go
bad, as otherwise they'll always break when you're on, as they say, the
wrong side of the hill.

It's possible to check the state of the cables by [censored] to the
smallest cog or ring, then moving the lever without pedalling to get
some slack in the cable. Then use that slack to push the end of the
cable out of the lever. That part of the cable will be curved, which
is OK, but it is is the slightest bit of looseness in it's weave or
has the slightest fraying, replace it.
--
JT
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John Forrest Tomlinson said:

It's possible to check the state of the cables by [censored] to the
smallest cog or ring

Your bike must have a gearing system similar to that invented
by Mr Garrison.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately

fyi - I have also seen a few Campy cables snap at the shifter end. Campy
owners also need to replace their cables regularly.

yep, it's a good idea. I once had a piece of cable get stuck in an STI mechanism and stopped it working. I was lucky to get a replacement from Shimano; then, after great patience and a heap of luck, I eventually got the cable fragment out

Thanks, Mike. You are quite right. I've had shift cables break at the
lever, usually the rear cable, because I didn't change them out often
enough. It was aggravating to ride cross-chained for 20 miles back to
the ride starts. I now try to replace them at least once a year.

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:......

Quoted message said:

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so. Some might fail sooner, some might last longer, but many fail within
that range of mileage. Your cable might look brand new or thoroughly rusted,
but neither in an indication of future life. Replace them *before* they go
bad, as otherwise they'll always break when you're on, as they say, the
wrong side of the hill.

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:19:08 +0000 (UTC), sally <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately

fyi - I have also seen a few Campy cables snap at the shifter end. Campy
owners also need to replace their cables regularly.

It's not only STI or Ergo that have this problem. I just helped
someone replace the cable on a MTB. The old one had frayed and
seperated in the shifter. Getting the remains out of the shifter was a
real hassle.

It was a Shimano shifter, but I don't recall the model.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
snip>

Quoted message said:

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so. Some might fail sooner, some might last longer, but many fail within
that range of mileage. Your cable might look brand new or thoroughly

rusted,

Quoted message said:

but neither in an indication of future life. Replace them *before* they go
bad, as otherwise they'll always break when you're on, as they say, the
wrong side of the hill.

snip>
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles

Quoted message said:

www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Better mileage than I get. I try to replace the rear STI cable at no more
that 3,000 miles. Whenever I forget, it catches me shortly after that. Same
results with both 8 and 9 speed DuraAce. Enough of a concern that keep a
spare in my seat bag, along with a tube, mini patch kit, Tyvek boot, gold
SRAM link and a sparse hex /screwdriver multi-tool.
Bill

John Everett said:

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:19:08 +0000 (UTC), sally <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

fyi - I have also seen a few Campy cables snap at the shifter end. Campy
owners also need to replace their cables regularly.

It's not only STI or Ergo that have this problem. I just helped
someone replace the cable on a MTB. The old one had frayed and
seperated in the shifter. Getting the remains out of the shifter was a
real hassle.

I've had it happen once or twice on a barcon too. On the other hand, it
was extremely easy to remove the cable. It kinda sucked having my top
gear be 36x13 [1] on my way home, but it wasn't the end of the world.
The rear derailleur cable would have been much more annoying.

[1] I could have done 11 or 12, but the rubbing was more annoying than
the lower gear.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."

Michael Warner said:

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

It's possible to check the state of the cables by [censored] to the
smallest cog or ring

Your bike must have a gearing system similar to that invented
by Mr Garrison.

I just hope that JFT does NOT put pictures of this technique on his web
page!

--
Tom Sherman - Here, not there.
I am supporting cannibalism by eating more nuts.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately, so maybe it's time to remind the world that they don't
last forever, no matter how good you take care of your bike, and that they
typically break with very little warning. If you're lucky, you'll notice
that your bike might shift up to a larger cassette cog or chainring without
much trouble, but hesitates shifting back down. That's often the only
warning you'll ever have that your cable is fraying inside the shifter.

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so. Some might fail sooner, some might last longer, but many fail within
that range of mileage. Your cable might look brand new or thoroughly rusted,
but neither in an indication of future life. Replace them *before* they go
bad, as otherwise they'll always break when you're on, as they say, the
wrong side of the hill.

Ironically, brake cables virtually never fail. The reason is that there are
no tight bends in a brake cable run as there are inside an STI lever for the
shift cables. The shift cables wrap tightly around a very small radius,
which is what causes the failure. Brake cables have neither the tight curve
nor the small diameter, but customers are far more inclined to replace brake
cables because they feel (correctly) that their life depends upon them...
but the truth is, a broken brake cable is an exceptionally rare thing, and
there is usually visual evidence (you can inspect either end of the cable,
wheres for the shift cable, the lever-end is completely hidden).

Hope this helps someone out there-

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

Thanks, Mike, for the heads up.

What I've wondered recently, is which wears out 1st? The cable or the
housing of either shifters or brakes? For the most part Cables can be
inspected relatively easily. However the inside of a housing is
impossible to check for wear of the liner.

Thanks, John

Quoted message said:

What I've wondered recently, is which wears out 1st? The cable or the
housing of either shifters or brakes? For the most part Cables can be
inspected relatively easily. However the inside of a housing is
impossible to check for wear of the liner.

Thanks, John

For shifters, unless the housings get kinked (usually while transporting the
bike), the housings will usually outlast the cables. But it's always a good
idea to inspect for any kinks or roughness where the cable housings enter
the ferrules. Brake cable failure is an exceptionally-rare thing; generally,
the housings deteriorate first, or the cable will get so rusted &
contaminated that the brake performance suffers (typically not releasing).

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

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

Quoted message said:

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately, so maybe it's time to remind the world that they
don't
last forever, no matter how good you take care of your bike, and that
they
typically break with very little warning. If you're lucky, you'll notice
that your bike might shift up to a larger cassette cog or chainring
without
much trouble, but hesitates shifting back down. That's often the only
warning you'll ever have that your cable is fraying inside the shifter.

In my experience, they typically fail somewhere between 7-11,000 miles or
so. Some might fail sooner, some might last longer, but many fail within
that range of mileage. Your cable might look brand new or thoroughly
rusted,
but neither in an indication of future life. Replace them *before* they
go
bad, as otherwise they'll always break when you're on, as they say, the
wrong side of the hill.

Ironically, brake cables virtually never fail. The reason is that there
are
no tight bends in a brake cable run as there are inside an STI lever for
the
shift cables. The shift cables wrap tightly around a very small radius,
which is what causes the failure. Brake cables have neither the tight
curve
nor the small diameter, but customers are far more inclined to replace
brake
cables because they feel (correctly) that their life depends upon them...
but the truth is, a broken brake cable is an exceptionally rare thing,
and
there is usually visual evidence (you can inspect either end of the
cable,
wheres for the shift cable, the lever-end is completely hidden).

Hope this helps someone out there-

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

Thanks, Mike, for the heads up.

What I've wondered recently, is which wears out 1st? The cable or the
housing of either shifters or brakes? For the most part Cables can be
inspected relatively easily. However the inside of a housing is
impossible to check for wear of the liner.

Thanks, John

sally said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

We've had a run of people breaking the shifting cables in their STI road
bike levers lately

fyi - I have also seen a few Campy cables snap at the shifter end. Campy
owners also need to replace their cables regularly.

Oddly enough, just this past weekend, my LBS mechanic suggested that it
was time to change my Campy shifter cables, something that I had not
previously known to be part of "regular maintenance." Thanks for the
information, Mike et al. Regards, Roy Zipris

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman said:

Michael Warner said:

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

It's possible to check the state of the cables by [censored] to the
smallest cog or ring

Your bike must have a gearing system similar to that invented
by Mr Garrison.

I just hope that JFT does NOT put pictures of this technique on his web
page!

Sorry to not be clear. The way to check the cables is to shift to the
smallest cog or ring, then use your hands to push the derailleur in
the direction it would move when shifting to the larger cogs or ring.
That will produce slack so that you can get the end of the cable to
come out of the shift lever for inspection.

--
JT
****************************
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Visit http://www.jt10000.com
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JT,

Unless your shifting system is different than mine I think you have it
backwards (or have to remove the chain to move the deraileurs). Here
is what I do:

Shift into the big-big combination. Now without moving the pedals put
some tension on an open section of cable and then click the shifter to
downshift all the way. This should leave enough slack in the cable to
inspect the cable ends at the shifter.

This method uses the chain to hold the deraileurs in position so the
cables can be loosened by the shifter.

Steve

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman said:

Michael Warner said:

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:12:12 -0400, John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:

> It's possible to check the state of the cables by [censored] to the
> smallest cog or ring

Your bike must have a gearing system similar to that invented
by Mr Garrison.

I just hope that JFT does NOT put pictures of this technique on his web
page!

Sorry to not be clear. The way to check the cables is to shift to the
smallest cog or ring, then use your hands to push the derailleur in
the direction it would move when shifting to the larger cogs or ring.
That will produce slack so that you can get the end of the cable to
come out of the shift lever for inspection.

On Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:30:14 -0400, Steve Sr. <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Unless your shifting system is different than mine I think you have it
backwards (or have to remove the chain to move the deraileurs). Here
is what I do:

Shift into the big-big combination. Now without moving the pedals put
some tension on an open section of cable and then click the shifter to
downshift all the way. This should leave enough slack in the cable to
inspect the cable ends at the shifter.

This method uses the chain to hold the deraileurs in position so the
cables can be loosened by the shifter.

Right -- I had it backwards. Thanks,

--
JT
****************************
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Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman said:

Michael Warner said:

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:12:12 -0400, John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:

> It's possible to check the state of the cables by [censored] to the
> smallest cog or ring

Your bike must have a gearing system similar to that invented
by Mr Garrison.

I just hope that JFT does NOT put pictures of this technique on his web
page!

Sorry to not be clear. The way to check the cables is to shift to the
smallest cog or ring, then use your hands to push the derailleur in
the direction it would move when shifting to the larger cogs or ring.
That will produce slack so that you can get the end of the cable to
come out of the shift lever for inspection.

JT,
When you intended to write "shifting" you omitted the "f". Hence, the
scatological implication, and the request for NOT posting pictures.

--
Tom Sherman - Here, not there.
I am supporting cannibalism by eating more nuts.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

[...inspect and replace your shifter cables...they typically fray and
break in the 7-11,000 mile range...]

Ironically, brake cables virtually never fail. The reason is that there
are no tight bends in a brake cable run as there are inside an STI lever
for the shift cables. The shift cables wrap tightly around a very small
radius, which is what causes the failure.

I just replaced my shift cables after only about 4,000 miles. They had
frayed badly where they chafe against the rubbing block under the bottom
bracket, and half of the strands were broken. They turned out to also be
frayed inside the STI lever area, but not as badly as under the bottom
bracket.

How would I prevent that fraying under the bottom bracket? I figure
lubrication would attract dust, dirt, and abrasive [censored], but lack of
lubrication doesn't sound so good either.

--
Chris BeHanna

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