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Frayed shifter outers


Anton1's picture

By Anton1 - Posted on 21 October 2013

NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.

So my bike is not even 2 months old yet and whilst cleaning it today i noticed that the shifter outer housing is fraying.

It looks like the plastic ferrule has broken and the outer is slowly peeling back with about a third to half of the strands hanging out.

Is this something i should just call wear and tear and fix it myself or is this something i should take back to the LBS for under warranty?

The bike has never been in an accident so i am surprised to see something failing so quickly :/

Pete B's picture

What bike is it on?

I'd be tempted to take it back to the shop and see if they'll do it. If they will, see if you can pay the difference and get the shimano xt cable and outers fitted, the difference in shifting between that and standard cables is amazing.

Brian's picture

I would say warranty as its only 2 months old. Any decent shop shouldn't have an issue fixing it for free even if it wasn't warranty.

hawkeye's picture

The plastic sleeve tends to pull back pretty quickly, 2-3mm within weeks of cutting the cable. That looks more like dud ferrules to me, but regardless that shouldn't happen on essentially a new bike.

If it was 6 months I'd argue normal wear and tear on cheap cables.

Shimano XTR, Jagwire are good but if you can I'd get the shop to put on the SRAM (Gore) sealed system and pay the difference. Shifter cable and outer maintenance then goes from every wet ride to every 12-18 months only. Not cheap but worth every penny if you value low maintenance frustration-free shifting.

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