My shifter had gotten very very tight and my downshifts were not precise at all. When I removed the cable from the housing there was rust and dirt inside. I flushed it out with a bit of WD-40 and then installed the new cable. It was plenty long, so I was able to trim it to length. It even came with an end cap. My bike shifts like new again.
have to modify the end to fit my suntour shifters, which use the small button end. if you have problems with cable robustness in a particular portion of the cable (or simply to keep the end from fraying), simply take your trusty soldering tool, some flux, and some lead-free low temp solder and tin the cable. use a file to smooth the cable surfacemaintain clearance for the casing. this will make the cable monolithic at those vulnerable spots and far more resistant to failure or fraying. i tin all the ends on all my cables, and always use end caps to keep from stabbing myself- can be super painful! i use white glue (rtv will eventually clog) to place caps so they are easy to remove replace/when servicing. happy trails!
Typical derailleur cable, presume that Shimano's quality is going to be a tad higher than your generic inner shift cable, so willing to spend a little extra.
My bomber bike uses a Shimano Altus front derailleur which being your bottom line basic component lacks some nuanced features that higher priced components employ. This particular FD flexes the cable at a small angle as you shift between chain-rings. Eventually, our friend, metal fatigue starts snapping the individual wires on the cable and you know the rest....
(this occurs pretty quickly, occasionally, I'll check for broken wires and replace the cable. In one case, I examined the cable and no breaks were observed-two days later, bink)
After a couple of these return home rides in the 34-14 gear, I started buying these in bulk and carrying a spare in my seat post bag. When the sordid event occurs, it's a five minute fix, and allows me to continue the ride with at least two of the triple chain-ring set. I've always bought the bike shops, but decided to buy on-line in bulk to skip the drivebike. Get about a thousand miles on the cable before the bink
I installed these cables on a SRAM drivetrain and the shifting is smooth. The cables do have a coating that comes off during installation. I thought this frizz was a defect, or that I had done something wrong, but later read online that this is a feature of these particular cables. The frizz looks janky but doesn't affect performance so I don't stress over it.
Shimano quality at a bargain basement price, when on sale. These cables are as good as any I have used. At the sale price, you might as well stock up. During cross season I might need to change out cables a couple of times so it's nice to have extras on hand.
Great shift cables, always good to keep a few extras around the shop for cable swaps. I particularly like that shimano melts the very tip of the cable so it doesn't fray as you're running it through your housing.
I install new shift cables a couple times a year, to prevent them from breaking while I am on my way to work, which would be devastating. These cables work great for me.
