I recently picked up a nice raliegh at the good will for 25 bucks the shifter cables were completely shot. I repaired them by using a straw some coil wire and electrical tape. I was wondering if there is a better way or do I need to just spend the cash and get it recanled. I will post pictures as soon as i figure out how.

What? Cables are cheap and easy to fix. An lbs can sell a set of cables/housing to you for a decent price, surely. Xmart also carries a full set of Bell cables/housing for something like $10.

I would venture a guess that this bike needs a complete tune up. Cables/housing, adjust derailleurs and grease for bearings. Again, an lbs can do this for you, or with basic tools like screwdrivers, allen keys, pliers, and a crescent wrench you can follow along with a youtube/diy video.

If you keep old, nasty cables on, they will snap at the least opportune time, and you will, according to Murphy's Law, will end up stuck in your highest gear when you are furthest from home. In traffic, while it's raining, going uphill all the way.

I don't see a problem with that.

I'd like to know which components and what brand components the cables are being used with. Cobbing up a brake cable is likely unsafe IMO. But doing so with a SA AW gear cable is quite acceptable as an attempt. But I do agree with others who say just get the correct cables and don't look back. Andy.

The derailers are shimano deore rear 6 front three with shimano biopace crankset it is a raliegh elkhorn mountain trail I believe 86 since that is what the components are dated. I will post pics if someone can let me know how. I took it to my LBS and he wanted 80 bucks to replace them. I have tuned the derailers and cleaned it up but the hubs and bb and headset are all sealed and they seem quite fine. And i would order online i just dont know which cables exactly to get that would be correct for the shifters.

Replace the cables .. Housing too . you will double what the bike is "worth".

but hell you only paid $25

Getting the right cables and housings will also roughly double what he spent. He could more than triple what he spent on the bike if he also springs for new tires and tubes and bar tape. But I agree, it's a good investment.

A good source for cables and housing is the ebay seller "buildyourbike". That's who I buy most of that sort of stuff from when I don't have 3-4 weeks to wait for the stuff to come from China at under 1/2 the cost. If you're not comfortable sourcing generic cables and housing, and in so doing, knowing exactly what specs you need to buy, then Clarks and Jagwire are good brands, but they cost 3-4 times what the same stuff, bought generically from Chinese sources, would cost.

I Like My Local shop personally .but You Amazon-Pay Pal Ebay-cell phone people seem to not like local businesses .

I like them fine if their prices are not too far above those available online. I recently purchased some spokes and some cable housing from my LBS, as the prices were within a few bucks of what I would have spent online. But, for example, I can easily procure decent handlebar tape for $2 a set on ebay, whereas locally, it's more like $12-15.

That's the kind of bike that calls out for the $8 Bell kit.

https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Sports-70.../dp/B00GVKCO9S

Ok so it is actually the housings that were bad. But i was told its the connection to the shifter is different than the standard of today which is why it cost more to get them. I do agree it would substantially raise the price as it has newer bontrager tires.( I know they aren't the original brand but they are in great condition so why mess with that) it def needs a new seat but other than that everything on it is fine. Does anyone know if the bike shop is blowing smoke or is there some truth to this. And again i will post some pics if someone would be so kind as to let me know how (i know this helps alot more when identifying parts and such) thanks for all the input

3rd button from right on the quick reply. Just browse to the photos. I've never tried from my phone with BikeForums, but I'm sure it'll work in some fashion.

That's Andromeda, a randomly selected pic from my hard drive.

ok so I figured out the pics. these are all shimano components and some pics of how I fixed the cables. the front cable was much much worse off, but it is really just the housings. ill put a full pick of the bike up. and a before and after.

Yes sir i just pluged my phone into the computer whatya know pulled em right up

I think they are blowing smoke up your arse...Derailleur cable ends were the same in 80s as they are today...the only difference is the slightly smaller diameter end on Campagnolo compatible cables.

Most definitely blowing smoke. Although I like the ingenuity of your "fix", just go ahead and replace the cables and housings. Replacing cables and housings is the cheapest thing you can do to an old bike that'll make the largest difference in performance.

Here's what you need to do. Take the cables and housings off of your bike. Measure how long the housings are. Go to the bike shop and tell them you need housings in those lengths. (It'll take them all of a minute to cut them.) Also get new shift cables and "ferrules" for the ends of the housings. Go home and replace the old with the new. Don't tell them what bike you have, don't tell them what you're doing with it. Just tell them you need 4mm ("shift") housing for the shift and 5mm ("brake") housing for the brakes (if you're replacing that as well.)

Also, biopace...

Also, rear brake mounting spot...

(Neither of the above are your problem, but both are generally frowned upon, they'll work fine however.)

EDIT: Are those extra spokes on the chainstay? That's awesome! I've never seen an integrated "spoke storage" system on a bike before. (And it acts as a chainstay protector!)

+1...good advice from corrado33.

As a former small business owner .... don't compare a LBS who must pay for the shop (rent/mortgage/etc) and utilities etc. as compared to an on-line place that is most likely paying zip for the "shop in the ether" and utilities. Yes, they pay for the website, etc, but still have lower costs than the LBS costs.

Kind of like comparing the costs of an author writing at home versus a writer "writing" a novel at Macdonald's or Starbucks free wifi site - no rent etc...

Besides, who gives after sales service - the on-line seller or the LBS?

NOTHING is FREE. EVERYTHING ELSE costs MONEY and TIME

You want a decent $$ for your time at work don't you? How about getting your employer to subcontract to India or China???

That bike dates from 87-88 and those components are more or less the ancestor of all modern mountain bike parts. The bike is well worth spending a few bucks on if you're going to ride. All of the cables are b og standard off the shelf bits anywhere. Except ..... You may need a straddle cable for that back brake, also not a big deal. If it isn't broke then don't replace it. Just get a standard mountain bike cable kit and do it.

I agree that the LBS offers service, but as a knowledgeable former bike mechanic who does my own work, I get little to no value added from that, so why should I pay a premium for it? Others who DO extract significant value for that can pay for it without me subsidizing them. And BTW, I'm retired, but when I was employed, I was compensated and employed specifically for my ability to deliver a differentiated and more valuable work product than other alternative sources. If what you provide is a commodity - and selling standard bike parts like cables and bar tape to knowledgeable buyers IS a commodity, you don't get to charge a substantial premium when no added value is offered to the buyer.

Really, the ONLY value added I get from my LBS, is the ability to get something TODAY, as opposed to a few days or a week from now. And since I carry my own inventory of consumables, I very rarely NEED that ability to get what I need TODAY.

In capitalism that is determined by the buyer, not the seller.

Corrado 33
I actually went to the s-works concept shop here in tampa (sorry had to give them a shout out) and they got me set up full replacement in the original ugly purple for $22 bucks and did some restoration (reflector brackets and rusted screws and such) and the bike is actually getting rode daily now by my mother who would not let me sell it after she ride it! Thanks for the advice and sorry its been awhile simce if been on. And yes that is "spare spone storage" which I didn't notice till i got it home! I was just as surprised as you, I actually bought the bike fir the rear rack alone. 25 bucks and i get a bike and a rack for the price of a rack sign me up. But the bike will stay as is for probably the next 10 years until she can't ride it anymore then a full restore. Again thanks for the advice and ill be posting two other bikes that i picked up for free, a free spirit that i can only get dated around 72 and a k2 attack 3.0 ditch find that i have since stripped and polished ( screwed it up a bunch as its my first strip and polish) but what better way to learn than on a bike out of a ditch lol. Updates to come