I need cables for a new build and the selection is rather large. Are shimano cables good enough or should I rather go for some teflon coated cables from other brands? What about cable housing? Some are mentioned to have internal low friction coating. Don't they all have it?

As long as you go with new housing IME most cables work the same. Longevity might be what you're paying for with the expensive kits but most replace cables at a regular interval.

I've been very happy with Shimano and Jagwire. I use a teflon coated cable for my rear brake because it runs along the top tube and is subjected to all my sweat. I've thought about just running it through some housing between the front and back cable stops but that'd probably add 2-3 grams of weight.

Some of the more expensive cable housing allows you to route your cables with sharper bends than with standard housing. If you're using a standard setup, the fancy stuff is probably not worthwhile.

I have heard (though don't recall exactly where, sorry) that the teflon coated cables have actually caused more sticking problems for some people, but again, I don't recall where I saw this or what the reason was. In any case, I've never had problems with the cheapest cables my LBS carries.

the stuff from shimano usually has some grease injected into the housing, so that your cable gets a good rust proofing coating that can gum up if you're not paying attention to maintenance.

I haven't found cheap housing that has the grease injection, but it's no big deal, since you just have to give the cable a few drops of oil to keep it from rusting and to keep water out.

and yes, sometimes the cables do make a difference, but that's mainly due to the tighter bends required on some bikes.

I bought Yokozuna Reaction cables from Competitive Cyclist during their Christmas sale. The complete brake/shift cable kit was on sale for $39, but since then it has gone back up to $65. I haven't installed them yet, however, because I've decided to save them for the new road bike I'll be buying in the next few weeks. I plan on selling my current bike (2010 Trek 2.3), so I figure it'd be a waste to install them on that.

"We are periodically impressed by new bike stuff. But to be amazed, that's a rarity. And amazed is exactly what we are. No cable set we've ever tried -- not Campy, not Dura Ace, not Nokon, not Gore, nothing -- can match what we felt."

After reading that, and considering they sell all those other brands too, I figured why not give them a try for $39? I'll be sure to come back and start a thread sharing my experience once I use them and see how they perform in comparison to whatever stock cables come on the bike I get.

Thanks guys! Is the Teflon coating really durable or does it start peeling off after a while?

I use Nokons on my road bike. They work really well, reduce housing flex to nothing, and because they don't squish and compress the cable (bend some regular housing acutely and you'll see how a cylinder reduces in diameter when it's bent), the cable can move freely.

When we installed housing on my friend's bike it felt like it was digital shifting - you clicked the lever (which felt like it was installed without cables) and the derailleur magically shifted. Even I was amazed, and I'm the one who told him to get the Nokons. Come to think of it I got them for him.

Eventually the feeling goes away but with well routed cables...

cdr

I guess I must be lucky because every one of my bikes "magically" shifts to the proper gear when I click the lever. Of course, I've adjusted them to do that using $16 Dura-ace cable sets.

I am a big advocate that quality cables are quality cables and you can get great performance out of nice-new cables. It's one of the least expensive "upgrades" one can do to a bike to help restore that "brand new" feeling/performance.

I personally don't like Gore cables. The idea of being sealed is nice but in reality people ride them too long and the teflon liner ends up gumming everything up. Enough to cause issues. I pulled some from a bike this weekend that I hadn't seen since installing the cables about a year ago. It was deplorable. Any possible "gain" that could have been made with them was destroyed by leaving them on too long.

I had another rider I was working with who I installed gore cables for because he "wanted the best". After running into shifting issues on his Cervelo with the routings required we just went back to normal Jagwire housing and inners and presto - perfrect performance.

I sourced and started buying Yokozun Reaction cables last year. After riding on them for about a year - yes they do markedly improve performance. This is mainly because of the high quality inners used, the lube they inject into the housing, and the stiff housings with extra wrapping (particularly the brake housing). I now recommend them for anyone running SRAM in particular. It's a modest "upcharge" from standard cables and can usually be found for the same or less than STI DA OEM cables.

PSIMET - Two Thumbs Up award.

As long as you avoid galvanized cable and make sure you're using the right size and type of housings and cables, you don't need anything fancy for most applications. Unusual routing scenarios or Campy 11-speed might require something a bit better than the QBP stuff your LBS sells by the foot.

heh.

I should add that it's hard to tell there's even a cable installed. No friction, no resistance.

Of course the OP asked about cables. To me a cable is a cable, as long as it's stainless and machined down (and for new-Campy users it should be the narrower 11s cable).

Quick question about these Reaction cables - do they come with end caps for the cable housings that plug into the SRAM shifters, or do I need to use the caps that came with the Gore set included with my SRAM Red shifters?

They come with end caps. You can use those with the SRAM shifters. Personally I use ones from Wheels Manufacturing for right there. You can re-use your Gore if they are clean and clear.

Thanks. I may have to buy a Yokozuna cable set and try it out. I really didn't like the Gore cables that came with the SRAM. Way stiff with wonky caps.

I just installed the Reaction cables and my braking power and shifting is greatly improved. You may find that the tight bend on the rear brake housing near the seat post causes too much fiction. I had to use standard brake housing there.

Not all wire is created equal. Bought a set of Bontrager der housing and cable and it was horrible, hesitation on the upshift and downshift. Went back to generic Shimano and it works perfectly.