Cable housing
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Lafayette, Colorado
Posts: 1,047
Bikes: 1998 Co-Motion Co-Pilot, 2015 Calfee Tetra
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 177 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
5 Posts
Cable housing
A rookie question here. I'm replacing the cabling on the bike. I bought new cable housing. The bike shop sold me 5mm shifter housing. When I got home, I realized that I wasn't sure which housing was brake which was shifter.
Is the brake housing spiral wrap & shift housing longitudinal strands?
Also, I have a pair of housing cutters. It seems really difficult to cut the non-spiral housing (it just crushes - I have to chew through it). Is there a trick? Should I use a Dremel tool with a cutoff disk?
Is the brake housing spiral wrap & shift housing longitudinal strands?
Also, I have a pair of housing cutters. It seems really difficult to cut the non-spiral housing (it just crushes - I have to chew through it). Is there a trick? Should I use a Dremel tool with a cutoff disk?
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 274
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
you have it right
Brake is spiral and more flexible.if your cutters struggle with the derailleur housing,you can use a Dremel.
My basic Park cutters go right through either one,but the der is tougher.
dan
My basic Park cutters go right through either one,but the der is tougher.
dan
#3
hors category
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,231
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
As is often times the case, Sheldon provides a concise outline of some good techniques:
https://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html#cutting
I use bicycle cable cutters followed by a short 'kiss' against the bench grinder: it's rather fool proof. Second best would be cutters and a flat file. I've tried the Dremmel and just found the "snip" and "kiss" or a few pulls of the file to be more efficient.
https://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html#cutting
I use bicycle cable cutters followed by a short 'kiss' against the bench grinder: it's rather fool proof. Second best would be cutters and a flat file. I've tried the Dremmel and just found the "snip" and "kiss" or a few pulls of the file to be more efficient.
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Lafayette, Colorado
Posts: 1,047
Bikes: 1998 Co-Motion Co-Pilot, 2015 Calfee Tetra
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 177 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
5 Posts
Thanks for the tips!
My cable cutters were old & dull. I bought some new Pedro's cutters & they work much better. I don't have a bench grinder so I used a flat file to remove the section of spiral housing crushed by the cutter.
My cable cutters were old & dull. I bought some new Pedro's cutters & they work much better. I don't have a bench grinder so I used a flat file to remove the section of spiral housing crushed by the cutter.