Lately it seemed like I just couldn't get my rear derailleur to shift properly. It was clanging in the middle cog as if it wanted to upshift, but then I'd upshift and it wouldn't go. Or I'd adjust the limit screws, thinking that would make the shifting "start" properly from the outermost 12T cog, but I'd still get clanging or even phantom shifts. Frustrating!

So today I picked up a repaired wheel at Ciclowerks, a super kewl candy-store-like shop on a rural estate in farm and cycling country just west of Waterloo (Ciclowerks - they're in limbo until they move into a now shop in the city), and I thought, what the heck, I'll get a set of Campy cables and housings, it's about time. I went home, installed everything, and the bike now shifts perfectly without having needed a single further adjustment.

So I'm wondering: Is that how they get you?

What? No. **** no, man.

Adjust your derailleurs/shifters right, they'll work fine. Also, ride your bike more.

Are you sure it wasn't just that your old cables and housing were gunked up/draggy; therefore, any brand new cables and housing would've had the same effect?

Sounds like it could have been a tension issue also. Replacing the cables would have fixed that - done properly. Heck, who cares if it works now

How do you maintain cables and housing? How do you lubricate them?

I guess I need to do some research on that!

By replacing them annually if you ride a lot. By checking cable tension often.

I use $1.95 cables and buy housing at less than a buck a foot. The expense is trivial when one considers all the money we flush annually on cycling stuff we don't need.