Bicycle Mechanics - Cable Cutters: 30 bucks? Really?

I need to get cable cutters. I've only been looking at bicycle-specific tools so maybe that's my problem, but I can't help but think there must be cutters that will still cut cable and housing clean without crushing it and not run me $30. Recommendations? How do you cut your cable and housing?

How about a brand new pair of jagWire cutters (the same as Shimano) for $19.00 including delivery? I have a few if anybody's interested.

BTW- don't PM me. email me either through the forum's link, or at info at the sight below my signature

Recommendations? Buy a set of proper cable cutters and use the correct tool. FB's offer sounds good as Jagwire makes good products.

That looks like a good deal. I bought a no-name branded pair at Menards for $13ish a few years back and they were poorly made. Had to replace them two seasons later with good ones. Cheap tools rarely save you money in the long run.

There's just no way to cut housing that will not crush it. Some do less damage and cut in ways that make it easier to re-form the ends back but unless you use an abrasive cutting wheel in a Dremel or similar you're going to crush the housing.

The housing cutters sold by the bike tool companies do a nice enough job that only minimal fixing is needed for the end. But the best ends still need to be ground or filed square and clean to get the very best feel from your brake or shifter housing installations.

A Dremel is a pretty easy way to do it, and if you don't have one, you should. You'll find it useful for all sorts of things.

+1. I use a cable cutter for cables and to cut housings to rough length. I use an abrasive cutoff wheel (in a Dremel) to cleanly cut the ends of housings. Clean square cuts on the ends of housings go a long way toward ensuring clean shifting.

FB, That sounds fantastic. I'm emailing you now.

Also, thanks for the Dremel tip guys. As I slowly get more and more invested in doing quality repair and maintenance you guys are the best resource a broke college kid could have. :)

I need to get cable cutters. I've only been looking at bicycle-specific tools so maybe that's my problem, but I can't help but think there must be cutters that will still cut cable and housing clean without crushing it and not run me $30. Recommendations? How do you cut your cable and housing?

I use junk wire cutters from harbor freight, and have never crushed or mangled housings. Cables almost always come off clean. Make sure they have a nice edge and use them the right way.

a file and an ice pick can fix a lot of ills (assuming you cut it a little long to allow the leeway)

The jagwire ones mentioned are pretty nice. I have an old pair of them that even have a little awl on the end of the handle to open the housing liner after cutting.

I really like the Shimano SIS cutters. Compared to the Park unit, it does more of a slicing cut rather than the crimping motion that damage the housing in the process. I don't even have to fiddle with opening up the liner with a nail afterwards!

midwest p6300, felco c7 or you can search for cable/wire rope cutters.

I've been using a pair of these, which I bought locally for $12. No problems so far.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1286438

I use them infrequently. If I used them every day, I'd get a bicycle-specific pair and a Dremel tool.

I use an old ice pick to round out the inside of the housing end after cutting with Park cutters.

Recommendations? How do you cut your cable and housing?

With Felco C7s. $50, but you only have to buy one set per lifetime. Felco > *.

I just use some generic wire cutters that came in one of those 90-in-1 (non-bike-specific) tool kits. They work fine.

A $30.00 tab shouldn't stop one from putting a decent tool in the toolbox. Tools cost money, but they save a lot of money too. bk

I don't even have to fiddle with opening up the liner with a nail afterwards!

Then you're not finishing your brake housing ends properly. It will always ovalize 4mm shift housing as well. I use those same cutters on a daily basis.

The jagwire ones mentioned are pretty nice. I have an old pair of them that even have a little awl on the end of the handle to open the housing liner after cutting.

Those are the ones I'm selling for $19.00.

Just run some cable in the housing while cutting. It will reduce the amount of crushing considerably.

I use some regular wire cutters to cut off the cable off I'm not going to use and pull it out of the housing. I cut the housing to length, slide the cable back in and fit everything on the bike Once I have everything adjusted I cut the cable to its proper length. Normally I'll have one or two wire strands that don't -quite- cut, but they break off with a quick twist.

I was given an older set of cable specific cutters and haven't ended up using them as much as my regular wire cutter. They mangled the ends too much. Instead i just use standard side cutters. I simply score the outer housing until I can see the coil (for brake housing) and slightly bend it to get the tool edge in-between the coils and cut through. A few strokes with a good file and it's all done with no mangling. The bike specific cutters might work better if they were new and sharper, but I've continued to just go back to standard cutters. If I worked in a shop I'd probably invest in some, but with the frequency (infrequency) that I re-cable our bikes, it has never slowed me down much at all.

-Jeremy