hoyc

Hi all,

I am in the process of ordering a new brakeset online and I figured I may as well just order the cables and housing while I'm at it.

Anywho, I was looking at a cable that was on sale and I noticed it had the one mountain bike cable end and the other end was a ball. The produce description says that they are compatible with road bikes. I was a bit skeptical and so I emailed the store and they said that the ball is that company's version of the road cable end.

I am still a bit skeptical, has anybody seen/used this type of cable end before for a road bike? The cable brand is Oddysey.

this is what the cable looks like:

Miyata110

It looks like the end someone would use for a DT shifter cable.

hoyc

Also, the company is makes cables primarily for BMX bikes if that helps.

Burton

Yup. The idea is to cut off the lug that dosen't apply to your bike. One end is a mtb lug and the other a road bike compatible. Not high end but they work,

cny-bikeman

I was able to pull up more images of the Odyssey brake cables, and they do seem to have spherical (ball) ends. Most all levers are made so that the traditional brake cable end seats in perfectly. A spherical one would not do so. There's no point in taking chances with something that is supposed to stop you. I would not recommend buying those cables.

fietsbob

I'd look for the Pear shaped end on the cable for road bike brake levers instead.

The pear shape is better because there is more surface on the end
to have the solder bond ing to the cable ..

I only see those ball ends on kid's bikes with the detangling rotors
to spin the front wheel during attempted bike stunts..

Odyssey caters to the stunt BMX crowd, ... so a double ended cable assembly
from them would be like that.

hoyc

I'm not sure what you mean by "pear shaped" but I am used to seeing the mushroom shaped cable ends. But from what I've heard so far, I'll avoid these. I figured even if they did fit, a ball shaped end would place alot of stress on the levers instead of across the entire surface area.

Since I'm at it here, has anyone had any complaints for galvanized vs stainless steel cables? I'm sort of on a budget and am looking for something cheap.

Burton

I guess we need some clarifications. The lugs at the lever end of BMX brake cables are EXACTLY the same as MTB brake cables. The only BMX brake cable thats any different is a split cable used with a rotor on the headset and that cable divides into TWO seperate cables, which is clearly not the case here. But even then the lever end is EXACTLY the same as a MTB cable.

As for the amount of lead on this style vs a pear shaped one, if it was an issue then every MTB out there would be at risk because the contact area on those lugs is also a lot less than on a road bike.

As for the load bearing area on either this model or a 'pear shaped' one - its identical. The biggest issue I might personally have with that model is that it isn't stainless.

cyccommute 

The round end of that cable hoyc shows is made for use on a gyro cable and is smaller than the mushroom end of a road bike cable as can be seen below when you compare the relative size of the cable ends.



Given the small size and that BMX bikes aren't subjected to the same stresses as road bike brakes, the likelihood that the cable would pull out of the brake lever is far too high for safe use of these cables on a road bike. It's certainly not worth saving a few cents.

Get the proper cables, hoyc. The dental bills you save will more than pay for the difference in price.

Burton

So once again - in spite of whats already been posted and in spite of this: ". The produce description says that they are compatible with road bikes. I was a bit skeptical and so I emailed the store and they said that the ball is that company's version of the road cable end." , you're the only one that knows what they're talking about.

Shimano also makes double ended cables and the end for the road brake isn't any larger in diameter. Thats its longer is only an aid to aligning the pivot and thats it.

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...er-brake-cable

Cables for a rotor for a BMX with a detangler are all double ended. The one shown isn't. And since a BMX bike can use either U-brakes or V-brakes, the forces are no different than a U-brake on a road bike or a V-brake on a hybrid or mtb bike.

https://www.danscomp.com/shop-PARTS/GYROS.html

cny-bikeman

What I don't like it the particular shape and size of the round/spherical end. The "mushroom" shape is really cyclindrical, with a 2nd smaller cyclinder that mainly serves to protect the portion of the cable that passes through the brake lever cable boss. If the round type is smaller then there is a better chance for fraying of the cable at the lever.

skilsaw

Take the existing cables off your bike and buy cables that have a matching end. The other thing I would do is buy the cables at your LBS. They can put the correct cables right in your hand today. So you save a buck purchasing over the internet. The convenience of going to the LBS should not be under-rated.

MarkWW

Looking at the odyssey bmx website, it states that the cable has a "Gyro lug included at one end of the inner wire for use with detanglers." My guess is this is if you wanted to run your rear brake with a london mod. This is when you run two rear brake cables from your gyro to your brake.

Regardless, I wouldn't use it for a road bike.

cyccommute 

Let's look at the ends, shall we?



Notice how the ends of the Odyssey cable (taken from their website), is much smaller than the other end of the cable. Any bike shop that says "that the ball is that company's version of the road cable end" don't really know what they are talking about.

Yep. Lots of companies make double ended cables. The difference between the Odyssey cable and mountain/road cables is that the both ends are of similar size. Since you didn't believe the first picture I posted, here's the picture of the cable you linked to:



Notice how the road bike mushroom end of the cable is very, very close to the same size as the mountain bike cylindrical end? And if a picture doesn't convince you, here's what Odyssey say about the cable...as noted by MarkWW above

Not really anything there about "the ball is [Odyssey's] version of the road cable end." Considering that Odyssey appears to make only BMX products, I doubt that they intend the cables for road bike use.

This is the 'London mod' that MarkWW is talking about



What it all boils down to? This is not a proper brake cable for a road bike. hoyc would be prudent to save money on medical care by running the proper cables. Using these cables because they are 'on sale' is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish.

Jupestar

Realise this is an old thread, but came across it when I was looking for this product!

These ball end types are often used in cross tops, when cross tops are used as the main brake, often the case on bull horns with the brake on the flat mount, where it’s difficult to fit MTB brakes, cause of the bend and cause typically the bull bars have a 23.8m clamp diameter against the 22.2 for the MTB.

I wouldn’t use them on road bike levers where a pear fitting is used. Not sure what is stronger, but why would you bother.

I need them cause the pear fitting won’t go in, now I need to find somewhere in UK to buy them!