are all shifter cable the same?
 

i'm running ultegra 9 speed groupset with deore RD. i'm going to be swapping out frames from aluminium to carbon, finally.

not sure if i can still use the original shifter cables as they have about 300 miles on it at most.

if not, then which type should i get and any specifics to recommend?

thanks~

Between the possibility of the installed cable being a different length on the new frame, and the tendency for previously cut cable ends to sometimes fray out and be impossible to push through a housing, I would just buy new cables and be done with it.

^^ yea that's what i was thinking.. but i googled and there are so many different types. some show dura-ace, while others shows SiS

There are plenty of differences, but they're of various importance. One fairly important one is Campy vs the rest of the guys. Best I can remember, Campy use a slightly different anchor button ("head"), so a generic cable may jam in a Campy shifter. Haven't heard of any critical consequences of using Campy cables in Shimano gear.

They're available in different lengths too. Some stuff intended for MTBs isn't long enough for full-sized road bike RDs.

Then you can have stainless or galvanized cables, they can be merely spun or spun & die drawn, a couple of different surface treatments to make 'em slicker.
Most casings these days are lined, but there's still some noname, generic stuff out there that isn't.

Check out Jagwire Race cable set

Die drawn cables drag less inside the housing..
Zn coated steel (costs less) much easier to solder
to prevent future fraying, before cutting, than Stainless ,
both are available die slicked.

No, there's no difference that will matter. (None of that stuff above matters really.) The only consideration is whether it is long enough. If it's too short, use the RD cable in the FD, and buy a new RD cable. If your conduits are too short, then buy new ones. But there's no reason not to re-use if everything is long enough.

wow... that's very detailed... thanks!!

i saw those too on ebay... they come in different cable housing which will look great on my addict r1. :) how are those quality though? any personal experience with them?

thanks for the tip... :)

Jagwire is good stuff. If you're going to buy a complete set, they should work fine. Just make sure you use shifter cable and housing for the shifter cables and brake cable and housing for the brake cables. The cables and housings are designed for their specific usage: Brake cables carry high loads while shifter cable housings are very stiff to provide accurate movement for shifting. Performance will suffer if you mix them up.

ok.. got it. hopefully if all goes well, i can transfer the parts over the the new carbon frame. need to cut the carbon stem too........ so much to do is so little time.. as i wanna jump on and ride.........

is the Jagwire Race the same stuff as the Ripcord, just with road brake & shifter cables?