To lube new brake/gear cables?

JackGuest-com said:

Hi all,

I've recently put a new gear cable onto my bike (detailed in previous
posts) and I'm currently putting a new rear brake cable on too.

My question is whether/how to lube these new cables.

I lubed the inner cables (shot down the hole) when I fitted the gear
cable and also lubed the outer cable using a thick 'cycle grease with
teflon' (red stuff from halfords) - I basically just applied a thin coat
using my fingers.

What I've just noticed though is that lots of grit/little twigs etc have
stuck to the outter gear cable because of the lube.

So, should I lube the outter cable of my new back brake cable in the
same way or not?

Depends what make they are. Modern cables such as Shimano's have a
plastic liner and should not be lubricated. However, if the cable
housing has no liner, grease the inner cable thoroughly.

Thick grease can /add/ friction. Better to either use no lube (for lined
or prelubed cables) or apply light oil to inner.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

Thick grease can /add/ friction. Better to either use no lube (for lined
or prelubed cables) or apply light oil to inner.

~PB

what kind of light oil would you recommend? Something like GT85?

David Waters said:

what kind of light oil would you recommend? Something like GT85?

I use stuff that comes in a non-aerosol can labelled "light oil". I don't
know if GT85 is adequate or not.

~PB

JackGuest-com said:

Hi all,

What I've just noticed though is that lots of grit/little twigs etc
have stuck to the outter gear cable because of the lube.

Does this mean you put grease on the outside of the cable cover?