RomeoTango

I am just now getting to the point where I am replacing worn/broken (some by me "fixing" it) parts on my first road bike. Right now I am trying to understand the cable market. Plain cables, teflon, polymer coated - what are the pros and cons and what is your choice.

As an aside, some of the newer polymer coated cables seem to come with full-length housings. My bike does not have/use the full length. Does that mean I cannot use the newest technology? Or am I looking at the wrong cables? For example, Jagwire has their new Road Elite Sealed cables with polymer coating. Can I use those?

cxwrench

The Road Elite cable set come w/ full length sealed LINER... not housing. The housing is cut to the proper length just like any other housing, except it has a liner running through it. It's basically the same as the first gen Gore systems w/ a liner running from shifter to derailleur through the normal length pieces of housing. Jagwire makes good product, if you ride on conditions where your housing gets some dirt/grit inside i'd give them a try.
To be clear, the Jagwire system does NOT use full length housing. It does have a full length liner.

coasting 

I took my bike to the shop and he had a big reel of something and cut bits off that. My bike shifts flawlessly.

Nagrom_

I'm a fan of Yokozuna Reaction.

jrobe

I am a fan of just buying the inexpensive cables that my LBS carries and then getting in the habit of changing them regularly. Inexpensive but new cables work perfect. I change them every 3000-4000 miles. I buy about 10 at a time from the LBS for about $2 each and then take about 10-15 min to change them twice a year or so. There are better places to spend extra money than on expensive cables.

NWS Alpine

My choice would be he following:

DA 9000 cables
Jagwire Road Pro braided

Werkin

Shimano's BC-9000 cable set with polymer-coated cable and new brake cable housing has less friction than other brake sets I've used. Just about all newly installed cable sets work slickly on a long, full housing rear brake run at first, and then become notchy a couple weeks later, the BC-9000 set remains slick. I think the BC-9000 housing is special too based on my experiences cutting it, routing ease, and its resistance to taking a set. I say the kit is well worth its extra cost for rim brakes. I would not use the BC-9000 housing with mechanical disc brakes though; polymer coated cable, yes.

After experiencing the brake kit's performance, I purchased the 9000 derailleur cable kit. It also uses a polymer coated cable, but pairs with standard sp-41 housing that has a polymer friendly lube. I'll install tomorrow probably, and will try a few things for this install that I haven't tried in the past. More later if the kit stands the test of time.

I caution against using any lube with a petroleum base due to potential damage to the polymer coating. I also caution extreme care if using a Silicone based lube, Silicone will contaminate things you have no intention of contaminating, and because of its excellent flow properties, it will migrate both near and far. I suspect Silicone is a component of BC-9000 housing lubrication, wipe cable sections in contact with cable clamps with denatured alcohol, and wash hands thoroughly after handling cable that has passed through the housing. Apply maximum torque settings on cable pinch bolts with polymer-coated cables.