Classic & Vintage - Where do you get your cables/housings?

Where do you get your cables and housings, and for how much? Is it one unit price, or do you buy it by the foot?

shoot i just buy it at the bike shop every time i need it... they probably hate me over there cause i like switching bars and levers and i tend to start fresh every time

I think my preferred bike shop quoted me about 1.90 or 1.98 a foot for cables and housing... I would call again to clarify, but they're closed at this time. I just want to know how much brake and shifter cable housing I need. Brake and STI cables are pretty much all the same size, and it's trim to fit?

For lower end bikes with DT shifting, I use the Bell kit from Walmart for $6. It works, it's black, and it's cheap.

For my riders, if I need a complete kit, I get the Jagwire Racer kits on line.

If you need colors, you can often get the "Jagwire" housing and brake cables from China pretty cheap.

If I only need white or black, good stuff, I use the local bike shop, 2.00/ft for brake cable, 2.50 for STI cable.
I also buy my Jagwire shifter cables, as needed, from the same shop, about 4.99/ea.

Brake and STI cables are not the same size, and neither are the housings. Don't let a shop tell you that.
The shop most likely has no STI housing on hand, and wants to sell you brake housing instead.
Find a more honest shop, if that's the case.

For the bike you're building, I'd probably get the Walmart kit in black, use the brake housing and the brake cables.
Then I'd buy black STI housing for the shifters, and some Jagwire cables for the shifters.

For lower end bikes with DT shifting, I use the Bell kit from Walmart for $6. It works, it's black, and it's cheap.

For my riders, if I need a complete kit, I get the Jagwire Racer kits on line.

If you need colors, you can often get the "Jagwire" housing and brake cables from China pretty cheap.

If I only need white or black, good stuff, I use the local bike shop, 2.00/ft for brake cable, 2.50 for STI cable.
I also buy my Jagwire shifter cables, as needed, from the same shop, about 4.99/ea.

Brake and STI cables are not the same size, and neither are the housings. Don't let a shop tell you that.
The shop most likely has no STI housing on hand, and wants to sell you brake housing instead.
Find a more honest shop, if that's the case.

How much you need depends on the size of the bike. Cables are all made to be cut.
Brake housing, measure along the bar from the lever to the caliper, with room for bends, maybe 6'

Shifter housing, you need about 1' for the RD and about 2' max each side up front. Figure 5'

Is there any particular difference between "Jagwire" and "Shimano" cables/housings? I've searched threads, and I get mixed results.

I buy Jagwire brake housing* in bulk and good quality stainless cables from Niagara Cycle. (http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.php?cPath=4_45&osCsid=f8c8044477c36c6d9edde4efd202675b)
After removing a ton of rusted/corroded cables, I won't use galvanized, not even on low end flippers. Stainless costs a few bucks more but it's worth it.

(* I don't bother with shift-specific cable housing, because I never buy any bikes with indexed shifting.)

We don' need no steenkeeng STI housing!

Campy OE kits for black, red, or white or Jagwire Racer kits (with swapped inner cables) for all other colors.

VO has some beautiful cables and housing (braided alloy stuff)

GG

Last couple of times I brought housing I ordered off ebay so I could get the color I wanted and payed about four dollars for an 8 foot length enough for one bike. Loose cables should run you about $4 dollars a piece at most shops.

Cables: $1/each from the co-op or Niagara cycle
Housing: $1/foot from the LBS
Kits: Jagwire from China/Ebay

I just bought some of this clear jacketed cable (http://www.porkchopbmx.com/Lined-Brake-Cable-Housing-5mm-CLEAR-PER-FOOT-CABLE-FT-CLR.htm) from Porkchop BMX for my Voyageur. I buy bulk rolls from Niagara and other places (the cheap Avenir stuff works fine for indexed systems.)

They've got some nice choices for brake housing...but...no matching gear cable, unfortunately (being BMX and all).


I just bought some of this clear jacketed cable (http://www.porkchopbmx.com/Lined-Brake-Cable-Housing-5mm-CLEAR-PER-FOOT-CABLE-FT-CLR.htm) from Porkchop BMX for my Voyageur. I buy bulk rolls from Niagara and other places (the cheap Avenir stuff works fine for indexed systems.)

They've got some nice choices for brake housing...but...no matching gear cable, unfortunately (being BMX and all).

Just about any decent Cables well work just fine in these if are what you want to use. When buying getting generic type parts I often mix road and better BMX stuff to get what I want no real probelm on simple stuff like cables.

I ordered from BikePartsMart today, got 3 fifty-foot lined brake housings, different colors, all for $50 shipped. That's .33/ft.

For cables, the WalMart pack supplies 4 cables for $5, plus unlined housing.

I have a huge supply of STI 4mm shift housings that I bought on clearance for .50 each, genuine Shimano.

I've also cleaned and recycled many hundreds of discarded cables and housings.

ebay//campy//$50

Seems like beating a dead horse but for simply basic cable Wally world gives the best deal and they are likely the same as come on most bikes or better.

Seems like beating a dead horse but for simply basic cable Wally world gives the best deal and they are likely the same as come on most bikes or beater.

My local Walmarts don't have the Bell tune up kits in stock. I'm looking to complete my project within the week. Are there any other alternatives besides buying cables/housings in bulk?

my LBS has cables and cable/housing kits for cheap

I get it at the LBS, the have the basic white, black, campy grey, yellow, red, and clear jacketed brake cable housing. For STI, they have Black, White, Red, Grey. I get any of them for $1.00 foot. My favorite shift cable is SRAM ultra slick, very smooth shift cables, perfect for Ergo systems.

My local Walmarts don't have the Bell tune up kits in stock. I'm looking to complete my project within the week. Are there any other alternatives besides buying cables/housings in bulk?

A lot of Kmarts often stock the same Bell cable kits.

Huh? They don't sell the matching gear outer cable...brake and gear cable outer are not the same thing, plus if you are going into Ergo or STI shifter bodies, 5mm won't even fit.


Just about any decent Cables well work just fine in these if are what you want to use. When buying getting generic type parts I often mix road and better BMX stuff to get what I want no real probelm on simple stuff like cables.

The SRAM stuff works well and is reasonably priced...I have the white cabling on my De Rosa because my LBS had it in stock.


I get it at the LBS, the have the basic white, black, campy grey, yellow, red, and clear jacketed brake cable housing. For STI, they have Black, White, Red, Grey. I get any of them for $1.00 foot. My favorite shift cable is SRAM ultra slick, very smooth shift cables, perfect for Ergo systems.

For lower end bikes with DT shifting, I use the Bell kit from Walmart for $6. I'd probably get the Walmart kit in black.


For cables, the WalMart pack supplies 4 cables for $5.


for simply basic cable Wally world .


A lot of Kmarts often stock the same Bell cable kits.

Last time i checked WalMart and Kmart cable kits did NOT come with lined housing. Lined housing is a must. The last time I checked cables from Dicks Sporting goods DID come with lined housing. When I flipping alot of bikes i'd buy kits from Kmart for the inner wires and cables from DSG for the housing. The DSG cables had eonough housing left over housing which I'd pair up with the WalMart inner wires.

Awhile back I began buying brake housing in bulk.....something like 100 foot rolls for $25 or so and I'd still use the WalMart inner wires. There is a huge difference in housing out there, cheap stuff in a roll compresses alot, I mean alot. Higher quality Jagwire and Shimano (if you can find it) are very low compression. It makes a difference.

For gear systems nothing but Jagwaire, Shimano or Campagnolo index specific housing. I dont care if the label says index compatible or not...if it's not Jagwire, Shimano, or Campagnolo it's going to shift like crap. OK, mabe there's some others but I think you get my point...cheap housings will index very poorly.

Is there any particular difference between "Jagwire" and "Shimano" cables/housings? I've searched threads, and I get mixed results.

YES, The top of the line Shimano is really slik and it does make a difference if you are rebuilding a STI shifter bike. I believe the Shimano housing is coated on the inside, but no matter, it is superior to the Jagwire. If you are talking about a downtube shifter or a friction shifter bike, save your money cause you'll never know the difference. I use the Shimano cable housing and the black coated Shimano XT cable on my top end bikes with DA, XT or SRAM X9. For a SORA equipped bike, Jagwire will do just fine.
For brake cable housing, it doesn't make much difference and I go with jagwire.
Like Robbie, on a friction shifter flipper, I use the $5.95 Bell pack from Wally World.

"YES, The top of the line Shimano is really slik and it does make a difference if you are rebuilding a STI shifter bike. I believe the Shimano housing is coated on the inside, but no matter, it is superior to the Jagwire."

This sounds right to me, but the Shimano housings are pre-cut and with special grease inside that's pre-measured and especially good.

Note especially that this grease IS NOT distributed within the length of the housing!
It is injected only into the end with the Shimano, SP-41 or SLR logo!
Never cut this end off, and always feed the cable inner wire into this end to pull the grease thru the housing!
Do Not supplement this grease with any supplementary lubrication, which can only dilute or contaminate it's formulation.
Shimano offers costly sealed ferrules which keep the sliding cable surfaces clean, but are not really needed on the longer front housings. I always recycle these from discarded housings if the seal isn't too hogged out.


"Huh? They don't sell the matching gear outer cable...brake and gear cable outer are not the same thing, plus if you are going into Ergo or STI shifter bodies, 5mm won't even fit."

Not true, you can fit 5mm housings into the SHIFT cable port because both 4mm and 5mm housing BOTH utilize a 6mm O.D. ferrule diameter. Shimano has also offered 5mm SIS housing, btw.
Ergo levers are made to utilize a 6mm O.D. ferrule on both shift and brake housings, and any 6mm O.D. ferrule will fit. Campy does have a unique 4.5mm shift housing and ferrules with this I.D. however.

Shimano's STI and aero BRAKE levers have a port for 5mm housing, and no ferrule should ever be fitted. Jamming a 6mm O.D. ferrule in will make future cable housing installation difficult, and likely to allow housing slippage into the ferrule during actual use, with loss of braking force!

I just bought some of this clear jacketed cable (http://www.porkchopbmx.com/Lined-Brake-Cable-Housing-5mm-CLEAR-PER-FOOT-CABLE-FT-CLR.htm) from Porkchop BMX . . .)

This is what I use. If you're running friction shifters, it works fine for shifter cable, too.

One problem with comparing prices is that many of us buy in bulk, via the internet or whatever. The prices we pay are then a small fraction of what a bike shop charges. Doing just one bike, I would buy one of those Jagwire kits on ebay for a nicer bike.

+1 I stopped using the unlined housing as well. Via Niagara or similar, you can buy a 50 foot roll of lined brake housing for $12. All of my lined SIS shifter housing has been bought in bulk via ebay.

+1 stainless cables only.

Niagara.

Buy in bulk. Low-end unlined for bikes that don't deserve it (under $100 resale CL price) Jagwire lined for higher end bikes. For really nice indexed systems that I'm going to ride myself or I'm selling to a friend or a higher-end clientele I use the best Shimano kit I can afford. High-end cable/housings make even a low-end STI shift like a high-end. Put junk cable on a Dura-Ace STI and it'll shift worse than Sora. It's the cable, or mostly the housings, that for the most part which make the most difference when it comes to making smooth shifts. Paying more for higher-end systems just helps lower weight and look pretty/bling. Put high-end shift cable/housing on Sora (as long as everything else is in good condition and adjusted correctly) and it'll shift nearly as nice as Dura-Ace...

But when it comes to some old Schwinn 3-speed that isn't going to sell for more than $100/150 it's stupid to waste $20 on SS cables and lined housing.

Priorities...

I get my Celeste Jagwire sets from the bay. But I also buy sets from other vendeors sometimes just have on hand and to bump an order up to get free shiping.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I found a seller on the bay to sell me an Ultegra STI shifter kit (brakes and shifter) for 33 shipped. Since this is my first bike that I'm working on and I'll be riding it myself, I've decided that's the best I could afford for now. In the future, I'll buy in bulk and consider the value of the bike as Amesja and wrk101 said.

Since I suspect you are building a cult bike, I'm glad you're using good stuff.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I found a seller on the bay to sell me an Ultegra STI shifter kit (brakes and shifter) for 33 shipped. Since this is my first bike that I'm working on and I'll be riding it myself, I've decided that's the best I could afford for now. In the future, I'll buy in bulk and consider the value of the bike as Amesja and wrk101 said.

The cable and housing package kit that came with my Ultegra bar-end shifters was top-notch. I am very happy with it. It doesn't get much better than that in my budget range.

do you guys ever use brake housing for derailleur cable?

do you guys ever use brake housing for derailleur cable?

I'm using brake housing on two non-indexing bikes. Specifically, the lined stuff from Porkchop BMX that I linked to on page 1 of this thread. It shifts very well on these bikes, but I suspect the new chain & freewheel contribute a lot to the performance.

I always use the rolled SRAM housing and stainless wires from the LBS. I forget what it costs exactly but to do a bike is less than going to Burger King so I don't really care about the price. It's not a lot of money to give the LBS but every bit helps. Index housing for indexed bikes, brake housing for everything else. Easy mode, but I'm not building dozens of bikes.

do you guys ever use brake housing for derailleur cable?
I've seen brake housing used on RD housings for 8-sp and under indexed shifters.
I've seen brake housing used for shifter cables on stem-mounted friction shifters to both the front and rear derailleur.
I've seen brake housing used for 7-sp STI housing, with no apparent issues with the shifting.
I've seen brake housing used for 8-sp bar-end shifters, routed along the bar and exited to DT cable stops.

However, for STI use it's pretty flexible and allows the thinner shift cable to move around inside the housing, which may result in inaccurate cable pull. I have no clue, for sure, if this is an actual effect. It does droop quite a bit compared to STI housing, and doesn't always look that good.

I've never asked the bike owner if there was an issue with shifting.
Not generally an ice-breaker, if you know what I mean....

Jagwire housing everywhere- 5mm in bulk on DT bikes, kits for upscale and personal stable with STI, although I've bought some bulk 4mm L3 as well.
Shimano cables from Loose Screws are the schnizz, both brake and shifter. Work for either DT or STI and never break or rust. Simply schnizz fizzy.

LBS, the one I buy parts from is a small ma and pa shop, except there is no ma. He's got very good prices and I like helping support his shop.

do you guys ever use brake housing for derailleur cable?

Yes. I use it like Chris does on my noindexing bikes and even one a few indexing bikes w/ DT shifters just at the RD. It is not as perfect as using shifter housing but you can color coordinate with the brake cables.

Brake housing on an index bike is slightly troublesome if you run it from the downtube to the bars.
This because as the bars turn, the indexing adjustment becomes foggy.
The shorter the length of cable and housing, the less difference that specific housing will make.

I like to always use lined housing like at the rear loop, where a sharp curve is located.