shifter cable failures

[JimK]

Out on a ride yesterday, one of my shifter cables broke inside the shifter. I used a wrench to set the gear to 6 and rode home that way. No monster hills to climb, fortunately, but a lot of coasting!

I looked at my little bike maintenance journal. This is my second shift cable failure in 5 years. The other failure was when the cable got all frayed inside the shifter, which was about 2.5 years ago. Looks like I should just replace cables every 2 years and save myself the surprises!

This being my second replacement operation, I was a bit more casual... and ran into more trouble! 1) the 20 mm is measured with the barrel adjuster removed! 2) be sure to put the barrel adjuster back on in the correct orientation before tightening that grub screw! 3) no, those frayed cable ends really don't want to go back down that tiny hole! I snipped off maybe 2 mm of frayed cable to get it back in... which of course makes the cable too short.. but there is still a bit of slack, though the adjusters are pushed to the end.

Bicycle adventures of another kind!

[JimK]

I should add.. the break was right at that plug on the end of the cable. The cable broke very cleanly right flush at the end of the plug. Got to be a stress point there, so not too big a surprise.

[Danneaux]

Jim,

I'd suggest checking your cable housings for splitting or sharp, creased angles near the end that could affect smooth cable entry/exit that could contribute to fraying of the cable and eventual failure. Housing condition can have a marked effect on cable life, whether it be brake, derailleur, or Rohloff cables. Might be time for a change there as well.

All the best,

Dan.

[JimK]

Yeah, there could easily be a deeper issue somewhere. Even a new shifter might be worth the trouble. They keep tweaking the design and probably that means improving it, too! Mine looks like this (thanks Sheldon Brown's estate for the image!)

[Danneaux]

Jim,

The newer style now has a "wavy" grip design, which I really like. White numbers, also, for easily readability. The waves help with the grip in wet conditions more than the older round style and almost as much the triangular style, which yours appears to be.

I believe you would have to go with a later body to adopt the newer wave grip.

The cable stops at the shifter body in modern models differ from yours also, and seem to offer more support where the cables enter the housing.

It might be a worthwhile update, Jim.

Best,

Dan.

[mickeg]

When I was a teenager I learned the hard way that I had to grease the cable at my clutch lever on my motorcycles.  After breaking two clutch cables in a couple months and complaining to the shop that sold them to me, they looked at my parts and said "why did you clean all the grease off before you brought it in?" and I said, "what grease?"

I suspect that the Rohloff shifter cable might not last too much longer if you grease the end, but it might.  Only one way to find out.

My shifter cable (see photo) on my Long Haul Trucker lasted about 10 years before I started getting stabbed by little wires at the bar end shifter.  I did not have many strands left when I changed it.

[Andre Jute]

Chalo Colina, famous even this side of the big water for his 48-spoke Rohloff wheel, describes the Rohloff cable change as "an odious job" and advises having at least two complete sets of spares because when you make a mistake you can't reuse the parts...

[JimK]

  when you make a mistake you can't reuse the parts...

I was rather amazed because I made maybe three mistakes and got away with just one set of spare cables. They kept getting shorter! I just squeaked by in the end. Yeah, I do need to stock up on cables now!

[mickeg]

I was rather amazed because I made maybe three mistakes and got away with just one set of spare cables. They kept getting shorter! I just squeaked by in the end. ...

If your outer housing would still work if slightly shorter, that is one way to "fix" it if you cut your inner cable just a bit too short.

[il padrone]

My shifter cable (see photo) on my Long Haul Trucker lasted about 10 years before I started getting stabbed by little wires at the bar end shifter.  I did not have many strands left when I changed it.

The old SunTour bar-con shift levers were notorious for busting gear cables in a surprisingly short time span. The cable got flexed too much right close to the metal end-stop (as in your photo). If you used normal twisted wire cables they failed. The solution was to use much more flexible braided-wire cables. These lasted for years.

The Rohloff cable and shifters are generally much more easy on cables - they give a direct-pull on the shifter, and the cable is not held under stress like with Shimano's STi shifters. Mine are still in action after nearly 5 years of use. I have not had to touch them; will be a problem if I finally do as I'll have to re-learn the cable-change process

[il padrone]

This being my second replacement operation, I was a bit more casual... and ran into more trouble! 1) the 20 mm is measured with the barrel adjuster removed! 2) be sure to put the barrel adjuster back on in the correct orientation before tightening that grub screw! 3) no, those frayed cable ends really don't want to go back down that tiny hole! I snipped off maybe 2 mm of frayed cable to get it back in... which of course makes the cable too short.. but there is still a bit of slack, though the adjusters are pushed to the end.

Bicycle adventures of another kind!

This is the little variation in procedure that has tricked me...... not once, but twice !!  Grrr...

But despite that I was able to undo the grub-screws and carefully retwist the cable ends so as to be able to fit them back into the fastening holes. Both occasions 

[il padrone]

A friend's frayed shift cable (and housing) under 'roadside repair'. It all came good eventually. He really needed a new housing though