Originally Posted by
jpgroth
The change of cable itself is easy.
BUT:
The degree of wear on this cable indicated that the previous owner didn't take care of this bicycle, for a long time.
This cable failure is a CLEAR WARNING for you to look at the BRAKE cables.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you to change the brake cables and housing as well, because if the brake cables fail instead, the consequence can be an immediate loss of braking power.
Unlike a motorized automobile, the bicycle is a very simple and light machine, with ZERO fail-safe system in its design.
Hence in my book, there are only TWO mechanical conditions for my bikes:
PERFECT, or UNRIDABLE.