Am I capable of cable replacement????
 

I'm converting my '93(?) Rockhopper to upright posture and will be installing North Road style three-speed handle bars. Therefore my cables and housings will probably all need replacement. I possess Barnetts Manuals and there's an article at the Sheldon Brown website for adjusting cantilever brakes. Fwiw I can R&R and rebuild anything bolting to the long block of a Dodge 318 motor and so what about cable replacement???? Would it be far beyond my skills?

The shifters are indexed (click shifts????) and my experience with cable installation and adjustments applies only to the early 1980s technology, friction type shifting with dampeners.

Cable replacement is pretty easy. I just installed a Jagwire road bike kit and it was pretty good stuff. If you're mechanically inclined it shouldn't be a problem for you.

Given your previous mechanical experience, this job will be a snap. If you've never done it before, just looking closely at the way things work before you take them apart will make everything clear.

Not sure what you mean by "three-speed handlebars". I assume your current drivetrain is 3 chainrings shifted by a front-derailleur, and probably 6 or 7 cogs shifted by a rear derailleur. So hopefully your current shifter will also fit on the new handelbars.

But if you have a 3sp shifter coming into the mix, then other things wlll need to change...

But if you are maintaining a typical 90's mtb setup, then you will want to check utub (and/or sheldon) for tutorials on derailleur adjustment. Pretty straightforward once you see how.

Three speed handlebars like these North Road types: the grips point rearward instead of to the sides. And yes, the bike is equipped with three chainrings and a seven speed rear cog.

tjkoko,

If you've installed Cables before, then you'll be just fine. If you don't have it already, you'll need to get a pair of cutters for the Indexed Cable housing, because it's different from the Brake Cable housing.

Take it step by step, don't cut loops too big for the handlebars, and ask away if you have any questions.

GO FOR IT!! :thumb:

You mean to state that the cable housing that's to be installed around the handlebars, don't make it excessively long.

tjkoko,

Exactly! When the handlebars are turned to their extreme left and right side positions, the loops should be just long enough to create a smooth bend, without any kinks or the appearance of 'straining' at the lever or cable stop. Add 1½" to the length of the Housing (for the Bike Gods :p), then cut the Housing. This applies to all of the 'curves' of the Housing... nice, smooth bends. Drop some lube into the Housings before stringing the Inner Wires.

:)

For cutting cable housing including the Indexed Cable Housing, is there any reason to not use my Dremel with a thin cutoff wheel instead of the Park CN-10 cable cutting pliers?

tjkoko,

Not at all; the important thing is to have a clean, straight cut regardless of the implement used.

First thing first, grab your digital camera and snap some pictures of how everything is now :-), that way if you find yourself asking "which side of the bolt did the cable go?" You will have your pictures :-).

+1; before pictures are a great idea. And also +1 dremel cutting wheel is the #1 substitute for quality cable cutters. Regular wire snips are not up to the task.

Yeah the Park CN-10 cutters look great but if the Dremel gives comparable results, then why the **** not!!! <8^D

And what's with the hash tag #1 in your reply as I don't own a mobile device???

Actually, it's the number sign, not a hashtag. as in, "The number one substitute...".

Hmmmm, the editor shows it as a hashtag because a new window opens when I click on it!!! *(

That may be the Forum software highlighting it for someone who's using a mobile device. It's been the Symbol for 'number' and 'pounds' (weight) far, far longer than it has been the Symbol for 'hashtag'.

I assure you, RubeRad used it for its intended meaning.

Oh, NO argument here, rest assured. 8)

:thumb:

After you cut the cable housing with your Dremel, make sure to round out the inner lining with an awl, ice pick or similar. It should look like the photos here: Cables

I sometimes use the inner wire to hold one end of the housing while measuring it. Don't forget to remove the inner wire BEFORE cutting the housing; don't ask how I found out about this.

Here's pretty much anything worth knowing about cables:
Cables

I've built Mopar 340's and 2.2 Turbo 1's....working on bikes is a treat.

Thanks and I'm quite familiar with Harris Cyclery's and Sheldon Brown's websites; I just contacted them yesterday. When you state removal of the "inner wire" you meant inner cable that runs thru the housing, right?

Be sure to get the correct (different) housing for brakes and index shifting and to get the correct ferrules. I leave a piece of wire in the housing when cutting so as not to squash the housing and then trim or abrade any rough bits. Also, I suggest not adding any lubricant. It gets sticky over time and can thicken up in cold weather (if that's an issue) and can lead to poor shifting.

Question: there are two sizes of housing, fat and thin, which require different ferrules. What are the advantages of one over the other?

Seems like you answered your own question; fat (5mm) is for brakes, thin (4mm) is for shifters. Brake cable is spiral-wound metal, and stronger for saftey, shifter cable is a bundle of straight wires, "compressionless" for shifting precision.

also, I hope you checked that your new handlebars are the same diameter as the old, so your brakes/shifters will still fit...

Not really. I just replaced my shift cables and noticed that the new Jagwire shift housing was significantly thicker than the old Jagwire shift housing. The new one fit the ferrules snugly, the old one was loose. Neither one is spiral-wound, both housings use apparently identical straight bundles. I may not understand what I saw and would appreciate an education...

All of you need to visit the Jagwire website and note that the diameter of the housing varies and can be a function of its styling: link or braided.