I plan on replacing my cables and housings this winter and would like some suggestions on which to choose?

I liked the Jagwire I used on a build last summer, but sure there are others...

Thanks

I have use Alligator PTFE cables. https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/185...-Cable-Kit.htm Only them or OEM for the last 8 years.

Never heard of them, but thanks for the info... I'll look into them...

BTW!! GO TIGERS!!! (from Albion myself)

Alligator iLink cables

Those look pretty good. I just had a bike built up with Yokozunas after researching myself. Haven't ridden on them yet, but LBS had no problem setting it up. They're known for having extra stiff brake cable housings. I was also considering high end Jagwire, since my stock cables have faired pretty well on my other bike.

Heard mixed reviews for Gore (they tend to gunk up?).

My view is having used many different types...go Jagwire.
Best value, i.e. cost/benefit is Jagwire Racer Cable set. Google it...available in Shimano/Sram and Campy.
Jagwire Racer is about 1/2 the cost of Campy or Dura Ace cable set and in my experience every bit as good if not better...because Jagwire coats their stainless cables...over and above having lubricated lined housings.
I don't subscribe to the other cable sets out there. If you are want to spend more than Jagwire, go either Campy or Shimano OEM cable sets.
I just picked up a Racer set for installing my newly obtained DA 7900 groupset.
PS: if you have an extra large or XXL frameset, the Racer set is available in XL. What I do is purchase a single extra Jag's Ripcord derailleur cable in 2300mm length. This allows me to install a nice full loop on my rear derailleur. Stock 2000-2100mm derailleur cables are a bit short for my bike.
Hope that helps.

The Jagwire Racer kits are good.

I've used Shimano, Gore Ride-on and Yokozuna in the past, but I find for that the Jagwire kits offer great performance at a great price.

Yeah, you could do something fancy like the Alligator iLinks, Powercords, or Nokon, but I don't know that they will work much better than the Jagwire stuff.

And yes, the Gore cables do gunk up. In fact, when I recently installed new Sram Red shifters on my new bike, I replaced the Gore cables after about 8 hours of riding - they had already started gunking up as the teflon coating came off.

I just installed the Jagwire Racer kit on my Tarmac and I like it. The actual cables are black, which is pretty cool. They shift and brake just as well as the stock cables(the housings were the same as stock, Jagwire L3 or something like that).

My experience, in terms of quality/performance and ignoring price:
1. Gore
2. Dura ace
3. Yokozuna
4. Jagwire

I had problems with housing when I had to turn my bars until they touched the frame in order to fit the bike in the car:


I found that the segmented housing by Nokon works well. Another "feature" of Nokon - you can "grow" housing, i.e. add links. I fine tune my housing lengths before I cut cables and wrap bars. I've also put the same housing on a bike that is 3 cm longer in the top tube without any problems (and one has an internal full housing top tube so I had to "grow" the housing about 45 cm in length). Since I got the Nokons I traded in the blue car. I still use the Nokons because they allow me to run tight bends without any problems, they never blow out, and they don't compress. I also run the liner for the full length of the cable now and have never had grit/grime/water/etc related shifting problems.

The regular features of Nokons is that they're about 1/3 the weight (aluminum segments, not steel), they don't blow out (because they're not made of strands of wire), and the come in some colors. They also cost a bit more than regular housing and they require use of the thinner gear cables.

I went from 4mm housings to 5mm, as recommended by my LBS mechanic. Remarkable improvement in shifting..

Yokozuna Reaction cables are great... Highly recommended.

Gore are OK, but the coating on the inners seems to peel off.

Dura-Ace are average at best.

JMR

Yokozuna cables are incredible..but a pain cause they are sooooo stiff. a little hard to get them right but once you do they shift amazingly. Also, you get brake and derailleur for the price of the gore shifting cables.

Good stuff, way better than dura-ace for sure.

Another +1 for yokozuna reaction. Most responsive shifting/braking ever.

They also look damn sharp.

Thanks for posting everyone... A lot to check into...

Don't drive yourself crazy deciding. Other than looks, IME there is no functional difference between dura ace and the more expensive boutique brands. I suspect that cable adjustment was more of an factor for people that saw improvement when they switched. After all, shifting is more pass/fail than degree of performance: shift and the gear changes = pass.

in my experience also…I disagree with this statement.

Wales, sorry to jack your thread but I have a question that's on subject with it. I talked to you about it briefly.
Guy's....is there a rule of thumb as to when to replace cables and housing (one season, two?)
To some of you this may be a no brainer but I have only been riding a few months. My first bike was purchased used and I am unsure of the miles put on before I got it. I don't have any problems stopping or shifting and when I got the bike I took it to a bike shop for a tune up and cleaning, they didn't say I needed new cables.

I replace shift cables when they start shifting improperly and adjustments don't seem to help much. This usually happens after >3000 miles. The likely culprit is extra drag that does not allow the rear to upshift quickly, but I have a set of Ultegra shifters that seem to fray the shifter end at about 3100 miles. Cable sets are relatively inexpensive and I always keep couple sets on hand.

I usually change both the cables and the housings, but now with some of our bikes having newer shifters that have the housings under the bar tape, I may alter my method due to laziness.

And yet you don't explain the functional difference that you experience that cannot have anything to do with proper adjustment or cable wear (old to new).

I agree with you Roger and disagree with Crash's assertion. To me as well, there is no functional difference between any of the top end cablesets including Jagwire's Racer set. Testiment to this? All that have weighed in love their cablesets...universal praise. In contrast with this are all the complaints about shift quality which almost always leads to set up versus types of cables used.

The functional difference is that the shifting is easier…ie the effort required to shift if reduced. I've used several cables, and the smoothest that i've noticed have been the Yokozuna cables. It's not that the derailleur doesn't shift right with the old cables, its that the effort required to move the lever is less. Having tried many cables i do realize that new ones shift easier, however from my experience…as i stated, the smoothest shifting i've ever noticed was with the cables i've mentioned, in fact, there is a marked difference between how well they shift compared to the Dura-ace or Jagwire cables i've tried in the past.

So, save your sarcasm for someone else.

Maybe you need to hit the gym.

My 98# wife has no problems pushing the shift levers with the tips of her fingers. I doubt that any decrease in effort from the minimal amount there is already, would justify a "way better than dura-ace" claim.

wow, now you not only know everything about cycling, you also know my workout routines, impressive cool guy...

you stated there were no benefits or gains, reduced shifting effort is indeed a benefit, or gain.

I never stated I had any problem shifting my bike, and I am sure that no matter what i write you'll have some foolish response about my inability to adjust my derailleur, or my need to hit the gym just to prove your useless point. Again, your unnecessary sarcasm is unwarranted..

But I am sure you already know that...

I had a '09 Cervelo S2 which had the terrible ICS-2 cable routing. You had to manipulate the cable housing to form a "L" shaped bend. It had to enter the top tube to turn towards the headtube and then run back to the downtube in order for the cable housing/ferrules to line up perfectly to a mounting plate. I originally finished the build with the Jagwire Racer kit since that was what I had been using in the past and figured it would be fine. Not even 10-20 miles on the bike and I could not get the shifting up to par; plenty of slack in the shifting and the sram force levers felt much more difficult to shift on this build versus the Kestrel RT800 build it was on previously.
I did some online researching and read plenty of recommendations for Yokozuna cables. I will admit, the Yokozuna cable and brake housing was even harder to cut, bend, and route. But once I was done, the difference in shifting was exactly what I had hoped for. Everything was spot on, front and rear shifting was never an issue after switching to the Yokozunas.

Currently, my favorite and go-to cable kits are Alligator i-links. Besides the aesthetics of the kit, they work just like nokons that use segmented housing but without the higher cost. They don't compress or blow out either, and I would compare them equally to Yokozunas but without the difficulty of having to cut the cable housing.