Mountain Biking - Gore Vs nokon Vs Yokozuna cables...is there a clear winner?

so since my bike weight is not exactly anything to bother with but I do need new cables

which ones offer the best shifting performance?

I'm seen a few roadies that love yokozuna but haven't heard much about them in the mtb world

I really like the idea of a sealed cable from Gore

but i have red some poor reviews on nokon cables so I'm on the fence

I primarily ride all mountian and race XC

Check out Aztec Powerlines. They retail for ~$40 a pair, but I've seen them on Ebay for half that price. It's a good sealed system that doesn't break the bank.

I run shimano cables and housing, they are cheap and filled with grease, thus amazing shifting. The dura ace or xtr stuff is the best and the plastic housing ends fit very well too.

XTR brake cables are unbeatable. Best cable brake product made (and this from a *****-mano hater).

I don't have a favorite for shifting, other than teflon cables themselves. Used generic, Shim, SRAM, and Aztec -- nothing really jumps out. Heard a lotta good about Gore, but for the price,THEY'D BETTER BE! Can't see that for a wear-out item.

Nokon, I've BEEN TOLD, are awfully high-maintenance. Won't comment of Yoko's until I hear something other than the company line.

On my previous bike, I had gore derailleur cables. Shifting performance was always excellent but after about nine months I had to replace them because the liner was damaged and allowed debris/water in. Now granted, this was most likely an installation issue (I did the installation and myself) but nonetheless it was an issue.

My new bike has plain campy cable with no liners (it's a used litespeed w/chorus 9-speed). I just squirt some lube in every now and then and don't sweat it. I think I'll just stay with the cheap stuff for now...

I've been very impressed with the Jagwire Ripcord housing for my mechanical discs, the difference is especially noticeable on the rear run. Bought in a 25' roll it's a much better deal than getting the smaller one bike kits, altho still more expensive than good generic brake housing (which works very well in any case and is probably from Jagwire too). It's a compressionless housing similar to a derailleur housing, but with the kevlar reinforcement to hold it together. Had never yeard of Yokozuna, just checked out their Reaction brake cable it's also a compressionless type, but this stuff makes the Ripcord seem inexpensive.

Any housing can be well sealed if you use full housing runs (no interruptions to let in contaminants). Cables I usually get what's on sale in stainless or teflon coated stainless.

+1 on the Dura Ace/XTR cables. Best deal, moneywise.

Higher end Jagwire or Avid (which i think is made by Jagwire anyhow) or Shimano stuff. Stainless cables, with a full housing run.

Sure, it may run a bit heavier than the other stuff, but it's easy to setup, and much easier to maintain/replace as needed.

Oh yeah: it just plain works really well.