I bought a replacement brake cable for a BMX bike, and it is way too long. Are there any good techniques on cutting it down? The exact length of the cable is 72 inches, and the distance from my lever to the brake is about 35 inches. Thanks

just cut the outer casing to the required length with some sidecutters,open up the hole (if squashed)with a pointy object put on a end cap,put the inner cable thru and in the calipers anchor bolt..tighten and trim the cable so that theres 2" left and place a cap on the end to stop it fraying..sqeeze the brake lever a couple of times to check eveything is good and tight..and go ride!

Use a large pair of sharp cutters on the cable, none of those tiny wire cutters. If you don't have a cable end, a spoke nipple makes a good substitute.

Your question is an important one.

Cutting the cable and the housing is easy. Doing it correctly is difficult.

The problem is cutting the housing. There is a special tool for cutting cable housing. If you don't have access to one (like at your friendly bike maintanance place), the best alternative I have found is a tin snips.

After cutting, it is crucial to make sure the cut end is in good shape. Use a file to remove any crushed part of the housing AND TO REMOVE ANY BURS FROM THE HOUSING END. If you do not smooth out the cut end of the housing, it will quickly abraid and damage the cable inside.

If you bought good expensive multi-wall cables, you do not need to lubricate. If you bought general hardware store brand cables, then squirt some grease into the cable housing before re-threading the cable through it. I use spray-can white lithium grease for this purpose because it is easy to slip the spray straw into the cable housing.

If you do not have white lithium grease, wipe whatever grease you have onto the cable and then slip it into the housing.

After struggling with (heavy) tin snips for years, I finally bought a Park cable cutter at the bike shop. It was expensive, but it makes cutting even heavy cables as easy as snapping a strand of spaghetti. And most important, it leaves no sharp edges. I'd recommend the special tool to anybody that intends to do regular maintenance themselves.

All of the advice posted is excellent. I use a dremel cut off wheel while working on cables and housings. It makes for very clean cuts and I already had the tool. Make sure when you finish the cut you debur, open the end, and lube. The cable part can be a little tricky so make sure you put the cable against a block of wood while cutting so you don't splinter the end. Happy Trails!