I recently purchased and installed Sturmey Archer 3-speed hubs on both of my boys' 20" bikes -- a really fun upgrade. Not a fan of twist shifters that came with the hub kits, I instead opted to pick up trigger shifters. Since I had the cable+housing from the twist shifter, I figured I would be all set, only to discover that both the inner cable and the housing need to be a particular type for the trigger shifter.

I actually managed to use a couple of extra shifter inner cables I had lying about by filing down the tips per these instructions.

The housing is another matter. It's supposed to have a notched ferrule that fits into a sort of keyhole slot in the shifter. I lifted these images from Sheldon's site for reference:



I kludged it together by simply threading a bit of housing into the wider part of the trigger opening, then pushing it into the narrow bit so that the slot cut into the outer plastic on the housing. This worked for a bit, but eventually stripped the plastic off the housing after repeated shifting, so it's not a workable solution. Does anyone know where I can purchase the ferrule to install on the shifter end of the housing? Or can anyone suggest a functional workaround? I realize I should probably just pick up new cables, but it seems like a waste when everything else about the cables is working just fine.

You can get a 3-speed cable, complete with ferrule, inner with the proper end, housing, and barrel adjuster thing for $3 from Niagara or other similar stores.

I'm pretty sure these will work:

https://www.amazon.com/Dia-Compe-Tour...ef=pd_sxp_f_pt

These look a little nicer:

https://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Manufac...sxp_grid_i_1_0

I assume you're referring to this one?:

https://www.niagaracycle.com/categori...e-sturmey-type

From the image, it seems the housing ferrule on the shifter end is threaded, which I believe works with the old shifter but not the modern version. But maybe I'm just not looking at it correctly or it was one of the other cables? I've found what looks like the correct cable for ~$10, but for 2 cables that are already installed, I'd rather work with what I've got if possible. Unless there really is a $3 option!

I don't think the "notched" ferrule is available any more (and now that I think about it, I've never encountered an SA trigger shifter that takes a threaded ferrule...) I've used a few of the threaded variety, and I think I had to file them down a bit if I recall correctly.

Gotta get the SA branded one to get the proper tip on the ferrule, I think this one will work.

It works. I forgot about the filing thing, but the threads just hook on the other side instead of the flange, serves the same purpose though. The big reason for not using a brake step-down ferrule if because it means the housing may pop out of the shifter when the cable goes slack. The SA branded one has the correct ferrule though.

The other thing you could do is head down to a co-op. Some of them save cables and don't charge much for them because no one wants to buy used consumables.

The brake ferrules are too big to fit into the upper portion of the slot, the one I just measured is 4mm and it doesn't look like the wall thickness will tolerate that much filing. The threaded version needs to be 3mm, which means you only have to file off the threads. It will only take a few seconds to modify.

As mentioned before, the threaded version is for the 3x SA grip shifter, not the trigger shifter; you want a SA cable with the step ferrule at the end. The SA cable used to came as all one piece; the cable in the housing with the small crimped cable end on both sides; on the the derailleur side the crimped cable end was inside the knurled adjuster and there was no cable anchor so there was no way to remove the cable from the housing; today they are generally sold with a cable anchor (the cable kit linked by clasher is the correct one) Sheldon brown talks about this and shows how to install the gear shift cable. https://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer/cable.html

BTW, these kits are so cheap it best to just pony up and get the right part.

The threaded ferule will work just fine and there is no need to file anything.

Thanks GB - I was afraid to speak up and I just installed a threaded ferule into one of the modern triggers like in the OP's photo and it fit fine with no filing!

It's the other way around when you have to file: installing one of those newer "lipped" ferrules in the older style shifters that call for a threaded end. You have to cut off the lips.

Great, thanks for all the info. While the "proper" SA cable isn't particularly expensive, it's enough that I'd be motivated to hack my current install to save the cost of replacing cables on two bikes. But at $3 a pop, I'll go ahead and purchase the generic, threaded cables for sure.

In case anyone comes across this thread in the future, I found the threaded Sunlite cables at the LBS for under $5. The threaded part of the ferrule does fit through the wider part of the keyhole opening in the trigger shifter, but not through the narrower slotted part. I suppose just putting the ferrule in the wider opening might suffice, but it seems it might at some point work its way out and increase the cable travel if it rested outside the trigger (e.g. against the slotted region). So, per comments above, I briefly (seriously, about half a minute worth of effort) filed the threads furthest from the tip just enough that the threaded part can be set up into the notch. Works perfectly, and it was a very cheap solution.