What is the AWG of brake cable?
 

Anyone know what the AWG of brake cable is?? I've got a 1990 Rockhopper that came to me with a piece of PFTE tubing running between the frame stops of the rear brake for the purposes of protecting the frame from cable slap it works far better than the little "donuts" usually sold for the same purpose; however, it's apparently a practice that no one does anymore (even though such tubing is still available.), but I need to know what the AWG of the brake cable is so I know what inner diameter and thickness of the PFTE spaghetti tubing to look for.

Sram and Jagwire brake cable sets come with outer sheathes that cover the cable between cable stops for that exact purpose (as well as creating a semi-sealed system).

Cable donuts still do the same job for much cheaper if you don't need a whole cable set. Ask your mechanic at the LBS, they might even give them to you free.

1.6mm which is close to 14 AWG or 16 SWG.

I assume you could use electrical shrink wrap, but now sure how long you can get them in. Slip on the wrap, then wave a match under it and it will conform to the wire.

Thanks guys! Good Info!

There is a thread in the C&V forums that describes building your own cables... It is specific to Sturmey 3-speed cables, but the general instructions should get you where you want to go.

Shimano sells small coils (~2 meters) of the cable covering tubing used to line cheap housing or as a covering for exposed inner wire and any LBS should have or be able to get it. I recall it costing about $2.

The tubing that I use to protect from cable slap is "Jagwire Black Housing Liner", part no. CA2206. When I used donuts, they ended up migrating and becoming ineffective. The housing liner just works.

The liner is for cables up to 1.8mm, comes in a 30meter roll, and the package describes it as teflon.

About $8.00 for a roll, and 30m should do a lot of bikes.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...ing+Liner.aspx

Thanks for the link for the Jagwire liner. I found the Shimano stuff at one LBS and bought a couple of packs but I haven't see it often.

i agree about the donuts. They all end up at one end of the cable and do no good there.

Not so cheap, Rohloff still supplies housing where the liner is not fused inside the housing,
the end of the liner for them has a flange, so as you turn the bike, the flexing the housing
doesn't effect the cable much, as they move separately,

not that it matters that much, the indexing sequence is entirely in the hub,