Cable and Housing thread
05-07-09, 05:05 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Cable and Housing thread
In the last year or so, I have built way too many bikes in pursuit of the "perfect" ride. Most, I have kept and ride. Some I have built for friends. Throughout the building process, I have fooled around with various components and parts to find what I like best. I have used a number of different cable systems and offer the following impressions. Feel free to chime in or flame away as the mood strikes you.
Dura Ace:
Pretty much the simplest to install and most innocuous operation.
Installation is straightforward with only standard cable cutters needed. After perpendicular cuts on housing, a bit of finer snipping is sometimes needed on the cut end to remove burs and to allow cable insertion and smooth travel. Works well. I always use a bit of Phil waterproof grease on newly installed cables. Only criticism is that I can only find gray housing. I'd prefer black.
I find the price of DA cables and housing a big plus but I always buy them on sale online or on eBay for much less than at my LBS. Usually $12 to $14 for brake or derailleur sets.
Jagwire:
I've used various versions on my bikes. Installs much like the DA with the same housing cutting parameters. I like the frame protectors they include in some of their kits. Comes in black, which I like. Performs well, much like DA.
Price is lowest among systems listed herein and I can usually get them for between $9 and $12 online or from eBay.
Nokon:
First installation provided a bit of a challenge as adjusting the housing lining length took a bit of getting used to. All those little housing links can be a bit of a challenge to install when compared to conventional one-piece housings. It bends well and has an attractive appearance. However, with DA 7800 brifter derailleur cable set-up, the two housing/cable sections emerging laterally from the brifters tend to sag into an unattractive droop. This is fixed with a short section of zip tie to hold these F and R derailleur housings together, forward of the head tube. Over time, the black anodization wears off, revealing silver colored Al beneath. I don't dislike the look. The housing can wear a bit and produce a bit of noise when turning. A bit of grease or oil fixes the problem. I judge the performance as a bit superior to DA or Jagwire, with less friction.
Relative to conventional systems, this stuff is pricey at $40 to $50 for either brake or derailleur cables and housing.
Yokozuna Jet Lubed:
A bit dastardly to install, relative to the aforementioned systems, as a Dremel tool is needed to get clean cuts on both the derailleur and brake cable housing. Even using the Dremel, the brake cable housing, different in its construction and appearance from the derailleur cable housing, has a tendency to deform at the newly cut end and causes difficulty fitting into the provided housing end ferrules. Both the derailleur and brake cable housings are less flexible than other types I have used and dislike sharp turns. For me, this means tinkering with exact lengths for best fit and function, particularly when using these brake cable housings on single pivot style brakes like Zero Gs. Also, on shorter reach bars, like 3T Ergosum Pros, the brake cable housings don't like the sharp turns and need to be firmly secured at multiple points on the bar (I use electrician's tape) to force the housing to bend adequately so as not to create awkward and uncomfortable bulges under bar tape.
The performance of the Yokozuna system is noticeably superior to all the others listed. It feels like there is no friction at all as brake levers are squeezed and gear changing is smoother and more effortless.
Price for me was somehting like $52 for the complete brake/derailleur set. So, more than Jagwire and DA but less than Nokon.
Summary:
I spend way too much time and money on bikes. As much of a relative pain as Yokozunas are to install, I will use their stuff, until something better comes along, because of the great performance.
Dura Ace:
Pretty much the simplest to install and most innocuous operation.
Installation is straightforward with only standard cable cutters needed. After perpendicular cuts on housing, a bit of finer snipping is sometimes needed on the cut end to remove burs and to allow cable insertion and smooth travel. Works well. I always use a bit of Phil waterproof grease on newly installed cables. Only criticism is that I can only find gray housing. I'd prefer black.
I find the price of DA cables and housing a big plus but I always buy them on sale online or on eBay for much less than at my LBS. Usually $12 to $14 for brake or derailleur sets.
Jagwire:
I've used various versions on my bikes. Installs much like the DA with the same housing cutting parameters. I like the frame protectors they include in some of their kits. Comes in black, which I like. Performs well, much like DA.
Price is lowest among systems listed herein and I can usually get them for between $9 and $12 online or from eBay.
Nokon:
First installation provided a bit of a challenge as adjusting the housing lining length took a bit of getting used to. All those little housing links can be a bit of a challenge to install when compared to conventional one-piece housings. It bends well and has an attractive appearance. However, with DA 7800 brifter derailleur cable set-up, the two housing/cable sections emerging laterally from the brifters tend to sag into an unattractive droop. This is fixed with a short section of zip tie to hold these F and R derailleur housings together, forward of the head tube. Over time, the black anodization wears off, revealing silver colored Al beneath. I don't dislike the look. The housing can wear a bit and produce a bit of noise when turning. A bit of grease or oil fixes the problem. I judge the performance as a bit superior to DA or Jagwire, with less friction.
Relative to conventional systems, this stuff is pricey at $40 to $50 for either brake or derailleur cables and housing.
Yokozuna Jet Lubed:
A bit dastardly to install, relative to the aforementioned systems, as a Dremel tool is needed to get clean cuts on both the derailleur and brake cable housing. Even using the Dremel, the brake cable housing, different in its construction and appearance from the derailleur cable housing, has a tendency to deform at the newly cut end and causes difficulty fitting into the provided housing end ferrules. Both the derailleur and brake cable housings are less flexible than other types I have used and dislike sharp turns. For me, this means tinkering with exact lengths for best fit and function, particularly when using these brake cable housings on single pivot style brakes like Zero Gs. Also, on shorter reach bars, like 3T Ergosum Pros, the brake cable housings don't like the sharp turns and need to be firmly secured at multiple points on the bar (I use electrician's tape) to force the housing to bend adequately so as not to create awkward and uncomfortable bulges under bar tape.
The performance of the Yokozuna system is noticeably superior to all the others listed. It feels like there is no friction at all as brake levers are squeezed and gear changing is smoother and more effortless.
Price for me was somehting like $52 for the complete brake/derailleur set. So, more than Jagwire and DA but less than Nokon.
Summary:
I spend way too much time and money on bikes. As much of a relative pain as Yokozunas are to install, I will use their stuff, until something better comes along, because of the great performance.
05-07-09, 05:28 PM
#2
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I like my Nokons. A little lube when people complain about the squeaks and I'm good to go 
05-09-09, 09:46 AM
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So far, I am quite please with my Yokozuna cables, but I did have a problem and I am concerned it will happen again. The step-down end caps are not small enough to fit in the openings on my brakes, so I just left the cable housing ends bare. However, if you use the barrel adjuster on the brakes, it unravels the housing. I replaced the short section to my rear brake already. I am glad it wasn't the front. At least I didn't have to re-wrap the bars.
05-16-09, 05:02 PM
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I have been running Nokon housing, with PowerCordz cables (with the proper Nokon lining for PowerCordz) and SRAM Red. After countless hours of attempting to get the rear dir dialed in and having 2 different LBS’s take a look, I have given up on the combination. The shifting was terrible, there was constant ghost shifting, and shifting would actually degrade throughout a ride. Both LBS’s think the issue is that the flexible Nokon housing mixed with the really flexible PowerCordz are causing the cables to move around during riding; resulting in changing tension on the cable (thus effecting performance). Basically, I am giving up on the combination and going back to more traditional cabling and probably housing… Hopefully this will help others out there...
05-16-09, 08:26 PM
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I have been running Nokon housing, with PowerCordz cables (with the proper Nokon lining for PowerCordz) and SRAM Red. After countless hours of attempting to get the rear dir dialed in and having 2 different LBS’s take a look, I have given up on the combination. The shifting was terrible, there was constant ghost shifting, and shifting would actually degrade throughout a ride. Both LBS’s think the issue is that the flexible Nokon housing mixed with the really flexible PowerCordz are causing the cables to move around during riding; resulting in changing tension on the cable (thus effecting performance). Basically, I am giving up on the combination and going back to more traditional cabling and probably housing… Hopefully this will help others out there...
