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Gear cables
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Looking to change the rear derailleur inner and outer cable. Can someone tell me the difference between the Deore and Xtr cable set and is it worth the difference in price?
http://erinabikeworxonline.com/index.php?main_pa...
http://m.cellbikes.com.au/Shimano-MTB-Stainless-...
Is there a noticeable difference with the more expensive ones as compared to say the cheap ones on ebay? At the moment I have Jagwire braided ones that were stock.
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TBH I don't think it makes that much difference.
I can't find cables mentioned on the Shimano website, but if you look on somewhere like Wiggle or CRC you'll notice that the XT/XTR level cable is described as having PTFE coating. Now, how long that coating is likely to stay on when rubbing against a curved cable is anyone's guess.
Gore Ride On also do fancy coated cables with fancy ferrules that stop dirt getting in to some extent.
I have some real nice looking cables on the 575, that have outers that are much, much stiffer than standard Shimano. Looking around at a few stores the choice of cables really appears to have gone downhill since that build though. Maybe that tells you all you need to know? Shops don't bother offering alternatives because they are so similar?
I would be under the impression that it wouldn't make any noticeable difference. Its a cable at the end of the day and although i'm not sure on prices between the two, i would be much more inclined to spend what im sure is less then half the price on cheaper ones and change them more often to keep the dirt out (not necessarily wear). The same amount of dirt is going to get in there regardless so it just a better excuse to keep your drivetrain a bit cleaner is the way i see it.
Cheers,
Jono.
Unfortunately no longer available under the Gore brand.
Lovely shifting, and with the teflon sealed inner and little rubber boots to stop the crap getting in, they turned cable maintenance into a once-a-year effort instead of having to change outers due to contamination after every wet ride.
Now only available in SRAM branded packaging.
Despite being wildly popular among cyclists, especially in the UK, and profitable, the operation was too small for them to be bothered with.
I've not tried the Gore cables but I do use the XTR cables. My bike came with jagwire cables as standard and after swapping to the shimano, I'd never go back. The levers are a lot easier to push and as the derailleur moves down the cassette under its own tension, it seemed a lot more crisp.
Not long after, I upgraded my cassette and chain to XT, as my so called XT build only consisted of derailleur and shifter, the rest was low spec. This upgrade made the shift as near to perfect as I recon you'll get. Food for thought if you're trying to improve your shifting.
makes such a difference. especially if you don't run a full length outer.
before the gores i had to replace the rd cable every couple month. haven't touched it for about a year...
no longer available though...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/gore-ri...
From my experience, the xtr cables, as well as being ptfe coated, are quite a bit thinner than the Deore. And so are the xtr outers (so I'd recommend changing both).
Consequently, there's less friction and they slide noticeably more easily. I upgraded and would never go back.
You can get the little 2-part rubber cable tongs & shields to help keep dirt out.
I could probably comment on that one having worked at Gore for many years (a long time ago) and being the product manager for RideOn for a while. In short they are good, no doubt there.
One of the great things about working at Gore, which is an engineering driven company, is that all staff are encouraged to pursue personal projects and given the time and resources to do it (google gets good press for it now but Gore's been doing it for decades). RideOn was a creation of one of those projects, unfortunately it was technically very good but hard to manufacture (i.e expensive) and very limited in market scope. Not that many people were willing to pay a premium price for cables at the end of the day.
I might have to have a nostalgia trip and get a set of the SRAM branded ones, just for the fun of it
I use the Gore Cable as well.
its been 18 months for me. replaced cable once. Because it ripped where it connects the the derailour. but not got mud clogged since then.
I have yet to use Ride-on Gore cables but my recent Roadie Carbon frame has full internal cable routing and horrible shifting. I couldn't believe my old 10 yr Ultegra was a lighter action than my new stuff (XT level in MTB speak). Turns out talking to mechanics who know that the best solution for the poor cable routing design is Ride-On cables. I'll put 5,000ks or so on these cables but I'm looking forward to ditching them and going Gore. It's either that or running electronic shifting (Di)!
Here in WA I've found the standard Shimano offerings work fine & probably offer the best vfm but I do prefer the reasonably sealed Flying Snake & Nokon systems as they keep the dust out of the intermediate sections.
I have now run the same Nokon cables for 4 years on my hardtail & have only changed the inners once. The outers are a right pain in the ass to get right in the first place due to all of the small interconnecting links, (a bit like making a bead necklace) but once they're the right length they're great.
I have previously (in the UK) run Gore Ride On cables but found the inner cable outer coating would strip off after a few months of use & cause sticky shifting & I also had a few outers splitting. I had much more reliability opening the intermediate cable guides in the frame up & running full length Shimano outers.
That's my two peneth.