Cold Weather Cables

[Ken Cox]

My shifter cables get stiff and have more resistance the colder it gets.
Recently I broke a cable end because of over stressing it.
Does anyone make shifter cables especially for cold weather?

[powers2b]

A key part of bike maintenance is keeping the cables clean and lubricated.

Enjoy

[2manybikes]

My shifter cables get stiff and have more resistance the colder it gets.
Recently I broke a cable end because of over stressing it.
Does anyone make shifter cables especially for cold weather?

It's most likely ice in there, and dirt. Take it apart clean it out and leave it in the house to dry overnight if the bikie gets damp. Grease the cable, Right before you go out, put a dab of grease right on the end of the housing where the inner wire goes in. Try and plug the hole around the cable with grease. It may only last one ride. So clean it and check it every day.

[Ken Cox]

Yes, clean and lubricate.
So I take that to mean no one makes winterized super cables.

[Ken Cox]

I did a search:

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Nokon Mountain Brake Cable System

• Ultra-lightweight system - lighter than standard wound steel housing
• Competely sealed cable system - liner from shifter to rear derailleur
• Compressionless alloy bead housing improves shifting and braking feel
• Includes lube-port windows and anti-scruff housing sleeves to protect frame finish
• Includes all hardware necessary to fit most frames up to 20-inch
• Larger and more complex frames may require additional kits

First of all, Nokon cable systems take a long time to install, and they're not for the mechanically timid. We often have to use extra pieces when custom-building bikes with Nokon systems here at Speedgoat, and that's a pain. But the bottom-line is that this is the best sealed cable system ever made. No contest. Everything else is absolute total and utter junk compared to these. We've tested them head-to-head with the competition in horribly wet 24-hour events, and only the Nokon system make it through the race without a single cable change necessary (and our racers are picky guys who like nice easy shifts). Used on a road bike, they all but eliminate cable maintenance and replacement and, even after riding through cold downpours, these things feel good as new. So tough to install, yes, but well worth the pain and suffering. The Nokons are just incredible performers.

http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=42020&cat=60&brand=171

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[Ken Cox]

More:

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Avid Flak Jacket

Bullet-proof Kevlar mesh renders the compressionless Flak Jacket cable housing lighter, more flexible, and impervious to thrashing. Ultralow-friction Quicksilver Teflon coated cables make for smooth, effortless control. And red cable shields slip over our unique Shield Lock ferrules to seal the entire cable system from mud, grit and grime.

http://www.webcyclery.com/product.php?productid=16138&cat=0&page=1

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My local bike shop does both the Nokons and the Avids, and recommends the Avids from the cost point of view and aesthetics.

:)

[2manybikes]

More:

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Avid Flak Jacket

Bullet-proof Kevlar mesh renders the compressionless Flak Jacket cable housing lighter, more flexible, and impervious to thrashing. Ultralow-friction Quicksilver Teflon coated cables make for smooth, effortless control. And red cable shields slip over our unique Shield Lock ferrules to seal the entire cable system from mud, grit and grime.

http://www.webcyclery.com/product.php?productid=16138&cat=0&page=1

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My local bike shop does both the Nokons and the Avids, and recommends the Avids from the cost point of view and aesthetics.

:)

Have you seen one of them that actually has a seal on the ends? You can buy rubber covers to go over the ends of any cable making the weather protection about the same as those cables. And making the function in bad weather about the same too.

[fruitless]

Yes, clean and lubricate.
So I take that to mean no one makes winterized super cables.

I've been using avid cables for 3 winters now with the nice red cable sheaths that fit over the avid ferrules. I don't get as much wet weather here as I used to in BC but I've never had a cable problem in the winter since I started using these.

[BikeInMN]

Yes, clean and lubricate.
So I take that to mean no one makes winterized super cables.

My Surly winter bike has full length cable housings on everything. That's about as close as you can get to super cables in my book.

[2manybikes]

My Surly winter bike has full length cable housings on everything. That's about as close as you can get to super cables in my book.

I agree, if you run the housing from the shifter to the derailleur that's as covered as you can get, just like the more expensive stuff.

[Ritehsedad]

What about WD-40 to lube cables? I know it doesn't last long as a lube, but it will help drive out moisture and being confined to the inside of the cable housing, perhaps it won't be too bad. also, the ability to spray it in vice drip it in...

[winston]

My Surly winter bike has full length cable housings on everything. That's about as close as you can get to super cables in my book.

I once had a bike with full-length housings. It was good until stuff started getting in at the rear derailleur end. The cable rusted maybe 10 inches up from the end and the housing got all gummed up. I had to replace the whole housing, which was about 6 feet, at $4/foot from my LBS.
I learned that I should use stainless cables, and that full-length housings weren't a panacea. Even if I had stainless back then, I'm sure gunk would slowly have worked its way up the housing.

On my commuter, I have triathlon brake levers on bullhorns. They point up, letting water in, which later freezes. I haven't figured out how to seal this end of my cables. Any ideas?

[Jesse Smith]

I installed Avid Flak Jackets on my bike and they didn't hold up to the first rain storm. While the sheathing and nosed ferrules are better than exposed cable, I found there were just too many junctions and places where water could get in. And then the water STAYS in. Plus, the red sheath is kind of fragile and gets bent and cracked easily. The nosed ferrules are fragile too and the nosed part can snap off.
I switched to Nokon cables for brake and shifters. Both brakes are run full-housing. The shifters are run regular, but they still have sheathing covering the cable full length.
They consist of a cable, a sheath much like Avid's red Flak Jacket, and the conduit-like metal links for the outer housing. I had a problem with cheap housing cracking at places like where it meets housing stops. The Nokon's housing can be bent to much sharper angles without cracking. The teflon sheath is better than the Flak jackets. It's sturdier and won't crimp. It runs full-length from shifter to derailleur.
The Nokon's are expensive, but so is changing your cables and housing because they're rusty and frozen.

[Ken Cox]

I don't mind expensive if it works.
I think my lbs might have recommended the Avids over the Nokons because of the difficulty of installing the Nokons.
Thanks for the heads up on the Avids.
Maybe I'll push for the Nokons.