TromboneAl

Why does this shifter cable come with end doohickeys on both ends? It's two meters long, so it's not long enough that you could use one side for the front, and one for the rear derailleur.

LesterOfPuppets

You could probably do the fronts of two DT shifter bikes with it.

CACycling

I believe the "end doohickeys" are different sizes to fit different shifters.

yowman

and a cheap way for the manufacturer to insure the cable does not fray before installation.

highroller

universal gear cables come with a mountain bike barrel fitting at one end and a road bike fitting at the other so you just need to cut off the end you dont want.

desertdork

The two ends are similarly shaped but sized differently: larger is for Shimano, while the smaller is sized to fit Campagnolo shifters. However, you should be able to use the smaller "Campy" cable end for either brand of shifter without issue.

catonec 

exactamundo fonzarelli

LesterOfPuppets

I never really paid attention to the shift cable ends. I should look more carefully. Of course my shifters are olde tech. They might not be as picky when it comes to end nubbin dimensions.

1 friction DT Campy left, Suntour right
1 6-speed Suntour thumbshift
1 7-speed Suntour thumbshift
2 Sram Gripshift (one 7sp, one 8sp.)

LesterOfPuppets

Sounds kinda like you're talking about brake cables.

dabac

Well, there is this Shimano/Campy semi-interchangeability. People who have gotten a Shimano wire to set in a Campy shifter have reported great grief and woe when time had come for the next replacement. Supposedly they jam in there good.

kamtsa

You need two ends for split cable bikes such as Moulton TSR. One for the shifter and one for the splitter.

fietsbob

May be able to use the left over part as transverse cable on cantilever brakes , too.

if you cut appropriate length, for primary use further in from the end.

HillRider

This is correct. One end should have an "S" molded into the barrel fitting and the other end a "C". Cut off the unneeded end.

As noted Shimano shifters take a slightly larger end fitting than Campy and using the S end in a Campy brifter can cause a jam and difficult removal. I expect using the Campy end in a Shimano shifter won't cause any difficulty but you might as well use the correct one.

Grand Bois

I use a bench disc sander to reduce the size of Shimano cable ends so I can use them on my vintage shifters.

HillRider

If all you have is Shimano size cables, this works for using them in Campy shifters but, since the cable already has both sizes, this shouldn't be necessary.