Originally Posted by
Steve B.
If you’ve invested in housing cutters as well as shifter cable cutters, it’s always cheaper to just buy bulk lengths of housing and individual cables. If the OP has those tools, then have at it. The advantage to the pre-cut kits is they are ready to go, no cutting tools needed, usually. KCT’ post shows an example where the kit lengths are not going to work, but I can say after 36 years and 20 some odd bikes and many more cases of changing shift cables and housings, I’ve only owned one bike that had the rear derailer cable route across the down tube and down the seat stay, all others (except my electronic bikes) have had the housing stop mounted on top of the drive line chainstay, or were an internal cable routing with a housing stop on the seat stay. In those instances, the precut housings were the correct length and worked just fine.
8" side cutters.. same price as the shipping cost of the 9" (Too Short) housing length mentioned..... i stepped up for the Knipex ones... i use them regularly, including to easily cut spokes.
i have never bought or used "pre-cut" cable housing.... i have bought many jagwire kits... none were what i'd consider "perfect length".
i have one of the Park Bypass type CN-10 cutters... it stays hidden away in an old ammo box full of worn out or useless tools... it is there in the second category... the thing pre-frayed cables, and made a pinched-flat mess out of housings, IMO.
an old pair of 6" side cutters did a far better job on cables and spiral wound housings... stranded SIS was a different story, and spokes were not fun at all with those... enter the 8" side cutters... i was getting about 2 years out of a pair of Channel Lock brand...veganbikes convinced me to step up to Knipex... BIG Thank You! They cut spokes like butter... they're going on three years now, IIRC. i have used them for many other tasks around here too... cyclone fence work, home electrical work, auto heater hoses and battery cables, etc.