How To Change Your Gear Cables
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Change your old, tired gear cables to make your bike feel like new again!
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If you're using a mechanical groupset you'll need to replace your gear cables every so often. Depending on the conditions that you ride in, it's something that's worth doing every 6 months to a year.
This video shows you how to change cables on Shimano shifters, the technique is similar for most other brands though.
Leave a comment below to let us know what you thought of the video, and, if you liked it, don't forget to like it!
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I have done this procedure many a time but that little tip to take the slack out by manually pushing the rear mech in is just the piece de la resistance! Great stuff! Big thanks for doing what you do.
Good call Jason, the same here I was struggling with the job until I watched this video.
😮😅@@rogergalley3572
😮😅@@rogergalley3572
Thank you! Between this video and the brake cables, you've just saved me 200$ in labor I couldn't afford! Great video!!
Our pleasure, glad you managed to do it yourself.
Almost 10 years and Sir Loyd is still doing great work welcoming us to the GCN show.
That pro tip of pushing the mech while you tighten the cable is amazing - so simple.
Yes!!! Tnx. Really handy
Just spent two hours in my backyard fiddling with gear cables! Now works like brand new, or even better! Thank you!
I am a GCN fan for life with the helpful tips they provide (plus the humor in other videos)! I love how useful the older videos are but also seeing how far they have come from repairing up non-superbikes back in the day that have seen their fair share of UK mud!
Phenomenal editing ... Really such a joy to watch when many DIY vids can be a struggle to get through - I like it moving a little quick but only to get a general sense of what to do - the comment stating some of the trickier elements may want to have a few more shots to further detail what to do and further to demonstrate on older bikes may be quite relevant - again though the pace I found cinematic ... Cheers
Decreasing the speed to minimum, worked for me to understand that part!
Great tip, Dan at 3:40 re taking up the tension in the RD cable. Had to change out RD and cassette this afternoon and it worked a treat; 1/2 turn of barrel adjuster and perfectly indexed gears. Thank-you.
If I may, I'm relatively new to the biking mechanico world and have turned to UA-cam for help when I feel it necessary & have seen a few of your tutorials. I'd like to make some suggestions that may be a service to those out there like me that are in need of help.
-slow down. You guys fly thru the steps! It may not seem so from your perspective but consider your audience!
-don't skip steps or even the most minor detail. For example, in this particular video, you show how to change the front cable in all of 30 seconds when, truthfully, it should be given its own time/video. (Today, I came specifically to see how to do a front cable-and yes, it IS easy, but then again, for someone who hasn't done it before...)
-don't work on new bikes. Most people working on their bikes are going to have bikes that have been thru it, enough that things are broken and need to be changed.
Just a few suggestions; I hope they are helpful in any way.
Also, as to front cables on a grip shift, where should the actual on-bar shifter be positioned? Full back or full forward? And should the derailleur be in the most inboard or most outboard position? I couldn't tell from your 30second afterthought mention in this video.
Hi Chris, thanks for the feedback, always looking to improve so we'll see what we can do. Cheers, Tom
UA-cam allows you to slow down video speed, if that helps with your first point.
Or simply pause the video. And go to next step when you are ready 👌
@@zac8670 this I did not know. That'll make learning vid life so much easier
That "Pro Tip" at 3:35 was really useful.
Simplest video on how to do this swap I've seen yet ....thank you sir
You've done it again, GCN. Thanks for all of the tutorials they are so helpful!
This might be an old video, but that tip for easy indexing is gold! I had to replace my cable and was NOT looking forward to the fiddly process of indexing, but thanks to your tip, all I needed to do was manually move the rear derailer to the 3rd smallest gear and the tension on the able was almost perfect, I just needed to give the adjustment nut a few turns! A lifesaver!
Good stuff. My bike is now geared up for some hill climbing, definitely worth checking the cables if of its not behaving. It's completely changed how my bike shifts.
Thanks for the advice I was not sure how to take up the slack but when you said move by hand the rear derailer up 2 gears it worked thanks.
That pro tip for tightening the cable worked like a charm! Thanks!
Awesome video. I actually had plans to replace my shift and brake cables. GCN published both of those vids. wooo
Great instructions and tips, replaced and up and running again and saved some $$$$$ - thanks guys :)
I just finished buliding my bike and lost the cable cutters a few years ago and I was too cheap to buy some new ones as I only wanted quality, so I got by with cutting the housing with a dremel which was really easy and a good excuse to use the dremel and for the cables themselves i found this cutter on a set of wire strippers and it was very sharp and cut really nice.
Nice video, BUT i also recomend to lub the inner cable just a little bit, before installing. Thanks and good riding!!!
I replaced mine last year without and now my gears have completely seized up. You really need to lube.
Thanks, not all of us are confident in doing these relatively simply maintenance jobs so this step by step guide is perfect
GCN - helping cyclist spend endless hours in the shed - love it!
this comment right here 😂😂😂
January 2021 - this is still the best video if you need to replace your gear cable
Reusing that bar tape... #KeepTheFeltDirty
Thank you! Your simple tip at minute 4 has been very helpful, one to remember : )
Managed to completely unwind my b- tension screw. Happily undid the cable to rewind the screw thanks to this vid.
Wonderful presentation and so helpful. Thank you.
Hi GCN. I use a four hand tool on the cable to ensure the cable had no whirlpool in the middle portion through the hosing or cable guide. The other thing is technology is really improving, the new Sram Cable Cutter had a pin to allow user make the hose round opening if it wasn't cut perfect though the edge is still not smooth.
good video, there will be plenty of viewers with internally routed cables. I recall GCN did do a video on how to feed cables for internally routed frames. I may be worth referencing it
It is important to make sure the cable is properly seated in the shifter on the hoods. This is why it is important to shift to the smallest sprocket. This exposes the cable attachment so can seat properly.
Great easy to follow video guys! Can't wait to give it a crack on one of my many bikes :)
Good lesson Dan 👏
Cheers! Worked perfectly
I went back on this video to refresh my memory and help a friend set up gears. To my surprise someone must have been watching Bill & Ted because listening closely (at 4:47) you can hear someone calmly comment "69 Dude!" The joys of doing bike maintenance late at night in a one bedroom flat with headphones on.
Ah the good old days before internal cable routing. Sort of like working on the old VW Bug.
BTW, were there voices in the background or are the ones in my head coming back?
Thanks for tutorial, very helpful!
Savage detail on doing the front
good vid, but a few more tips on exactly how your thread it through the holes in the Brifters would be good. I found putting it in from the top to see exactly where it pops out worked well. also its worth pulling it taught once you are through the Brifters and clicking them to make sure its seated properly. otherwise you could thread it all through the outers only to realise you havnt got it sat quite right in the Brifters.
Do you need to apply grease to the cable? I got mine stuck in winter.
A wooden cocktail stick worked fine to open up the hole in the outer cable, Clarks brake and gear cable kits were cheap and good quality - had a nice plastic inner unlike the cable it replaced.
+Kie 7077 A wooden cocktail stick is not strong enough ..... and it could snap off and get stuck insde the cable.
+keith bick Since I've done several cables and used a cocktail stick to clear the end, I can say that it is plenty strong enough and does the job fine and they only cost 50p for 150 of them from the supermarket. Also work as tooth-picks!
Most of the force is pushing the stick towards the hole, there is no reason why the stick would break doing this. Perhaps you're not using good quality cutters to get a clean hole, Ice-toolz cutters are good and good value on ebay.
hahaha oh my god am i the only one to catch that "69, DUDE!" at the end
thank you GCN
I think you should have made mention of the difference between the brake and shifter outer cables (we call em "housing" around here). Spiral housing for brakes and compressionless housing for indexed shifting. Getting them mixed up and installed backwards can cause very serious issues.
I think ferrules are always preferred. They prevent outer casing compression at the ends, to make shifting distance more consistent/precise.
Thanks for the tip on setting the RD cable tension. Any tips for the FD cable?
Please check the manufacturer's instructions first to familiarize. It's hard to explain simply.
You can use the low limit adjustment screw to pretension the cable by :
Check barrel adjustment direction in 1st gear before you start.
1. Pretension :
With the chain in small front, small rear, undo FD cable, "wind off" FD barrel adjust all the way, wind up low limit screw so that the FD outer face is inline with the outer ring outer face (or even a touch further out), then tighten up. (fingers pulling the FD cable or gently with the long nose pliers)
2. Low limit
Then set Low limit adjustment normally (while in 1st gear, 0.5-1.0 mm from inner chain). Make sure to be in full low position in the FD.
3. Trim
Then check trim position (big ring, big cassette cog) with FD one click back from full outer ring.
4. Big gear position
Then check the big front, small rear chain position, so that the FD isn't chain rubbing. This is where you need to use the barrel adjustment to get the final 0.5-1.0 mm clearance from the outer chain. If you need to adjust outward, first change FD down to small ring, then "wind tension up" with the barrel adjuster a few turns, then go back to the outer chain ring to check. If you need to adjust inward, you can do this while still in the big ring as you are just letting off tension. In the big gear position the barrel adjuster doesn't always want to move the FD outward, whereas in the small ring position outward FD movement with the barrel adjuster is more detectable.
5. Go back and check 1st gear with FD in full low tension position and use the barrel adjuster. (again 0.5-1.0 mm from the inner part of the chain)
6. Then go back and check the big gear position. You then start to work it out if you've gone too far either way.
My question is about the cables you buy to replace on a road bike. Do you have to get the pricy cables only or can you use basic cable? I have I installed new shimano ultegre 6800 shifters. I was told I can only use shimano cables. I don't believe that. they can cost up to $70. I am not a heavy rider so I don't see myself changing cables offten.
Wiggle are selling Lifeline gear cables for £2.99 and Shimano for £15-20.. But is there a noticeable difference between the two??
Sooo yeah I just did this for the first time on a road bike, along with brake cable and housing replacement, and it took me friggen 3 hours to do it. Sucked. Oh well, the RD cable was definitely frayed inside the shifter mechanism so it was definitely due for replacement.
That's cool man, bet it feels heaps better now! And, you'll be faster still next time.
4:40, I always thought undoed bar tape is no longer useful, especially if it's white
Great video!
They make it easy here. My stupid specialized bike isn't like that on the gear cable front. It's stuck in with no holes...
Should you lubricate new inner cables when you put them in?
I would have liked to seen the front mech' cables being done, my chain comes off at the front and it's not the limit screws, not sure why it's happening :-( ... Not caused by a stretched chain or worn chain rings, both are new.
Man, that was way too quick of an explanation to do such an important job.
Oh I’ve just done mine and I used a 18v angle grinder for the outers.
Thanks for the help Mr 😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
Any ideas on an improvised tool to shrink the cable end caps? My cable cutter doesn't have an integrated shrinker. I use a regular set of pliers instead, which works but is not ideal.
Quick question. I just got a bike with internal cable routing. The place where the front mech cable comes out of the frame does not have any protection so water might get inside of the tube... Is this very bad?
My gear cables are not following the handlebar under the tape. They are going from the shifter to the frame in the air. Would I be better off tucking them under the handlebar tape? What are the pros and cons?
I have an internally routed frame. Does the rear der cable and housing have to enter on the right side of my frame or can I cross the housing to the left side? Same for front der cable and housing? Or does it have to enter the frame on its designated side. reason I ask is because I am installing inline barrel adjusters for front and rear ders.
hi,
Yes you can route the cables so that they enter on different sides.
sometimes this allows you to have a smooth curve of cable.
thanks
Jon
should that farrel that goes into the frame stop click into place or just loosely? mine feels super loose
1:25 D E R A I L E Y U H
can i change the inner fd wire without open the bar tape? because my cable inside the bar tape and how to make the shifting and braking level be smooth? did i need to put some oil into the cable?. i was using 105 groupset.
Are Gear and brake cables universal for any bike? I have a commuter cannondale baadboy and an 1989 vintage fuji touring bike? What cables do you recommend for good long lasting performance?
hi,
No. road bikes have different cables to MTB. the nipple end is a pear like shape on a road bike and a barrel shape on an mtb. We recommend Shimano cables for great performance.
thanks
I second the note on Shimano. I used a cheap knock off once. Lasted 2 years at most. and that was on my down tube shifters and the front derailleur. Went back to shimano. I'm planning on getting another 25 years out of this one! :)
what can i do in the cable tension of front derailleur ( pull it tight or leave it as normal )
Oh for the love of bike maintenance, somebody please clean that bike.
And remove the dork disc.
Respect the stripes!!
My old racingbicycle does not have it on the steer but lower. Can't find any video on that.
My gear lever does not spring back to the neutral position after shifting gears, any thoughts on how it can be fixed?
Ano Nym sounds like dirty/old cables. Time for some new ones...
Thank you!
Tq bro
Hi I have a new set of Ultegra 6700 levers. I managed to get the right shifter and cables in with no problem. But, I can't seem to figure out where the shift cable goes in on the left side. I've tried a couple of places that appeared to be the "cable hole", but none of them seemed to put the cable in the right place for it to actually engage with the mechanism. Any advice?
If my old cable housing isn't damaged, is it possible to reuse it?
The shimano chain is on backwards. Shimano 10sp and now 11sp chains are directional.
This is channel manager Mike Rees' bike. Whenever he's on a group ride, he appears to go backwards, so actually the chain might be the right way around.
Hi! In what minute could you see the chain is on backwards? Thanks!
Flor.e.Cultura if you can see the imprinted writing on the outside of the chain then its on the right way round , the inner plates are chamfered so as to aid shifting up the cassette , 2 way chains have both plates chamfered
6700 chain can NOT be put on backwards, but it sure can be put on inside-out. The outside plates are solid, the inner ones are slotted.
do you recommend ptfe cables?
Nice vid!!
Is it advisable to apply grease on the cables or cable casing ?
usually not. Grease or lube will attract dirt faster and most new cable housing should have a teflon or similar lining to help things slide smoothly.
You can use a little oil dripped at the ends of the housing when you bike cables are getting older to get a little more life out of them.
Why do you have to replace the cable housing too?
Modern outer cable has low friction lining- some form of plastic and for this reason they do not need lubing.
I'm building a new bike up, how do I determine the out cable lengths since I don't have old cables to compare it to?
Don't have massive amounts of cable waving around. Enough to allow handlebars to turn without tugging on either cable and gentle loops. Start off longer, you can always shorten!
GCN when is the Aero vs Non Aero video coming, I would like an extra opinion on the BMC TMR and the Specialized Venge before I drop some hard earnt money.
This Friday. We held onto it last week as we had a bit of an exclusive on the BioShift auto gears!
Global Cycling Network what model of felt is that?I'm still wondering
Is there a rider weight limit?
I forget what you do when the top of the cable is broken off inside the Brifter. It won’t change to the smallest gear so I get it out without tension on the wire. But the wire is so short I can’t reach it. Oops. I can done this before. There is a way.
Last time I changed my cable I didn't remember there was a hole in the shifter for the cable to come out through so I took the entire shifter apart. This time I remembered there's a hole to get the cable out but no matter what I do the end of the cable never lines up with the hole so I'll have to take the shifter to peices again (last time the shifter broke not long after I took it to peices). Why does it keep underlining shifter like I'm making a typo? Isn't that how it's spelled?
Great Video...
Any Links to where I can get the cables and outer tube
I can't get the cable in the tube, it wouldn't go in and I broke it.
Where do you get the tools to do this?
hmm I am lacking the barrel adjuster on my rear mech ( 2014 Cannondale caad10 shimano 105), is this unusual?
Excellent
For cheaper bikes, I recommend using a MIG welding wire in Stainless steel to replace the cable.
this is beautiful
My bolt is round on the derailer. Any idea on how to losen?
Personally I always smear a thin film of grease over the cable when installing and I've never had a problem with dirt. Besides even if I did I could always unhook the outers from the frame and wipe the cable clean. But I've never needed too.
When I climb hills and I am on the small chain at the front plus any of the 2 top gears at the back, the chain keeps wanting to slip one gear down. The top one does it worse than the second one. When I stand and peddle, obviously putting more strain on the gears, it is even worse. Is my cables stretched and need replacement, just an adjustment or is it the gears itself that to be replaced?
it could be one of 2 things; improperly indexed rear derailleur or a worn out cassette. Ive had the same problem when the indexing is spot on but the chain would derail under load. I replaced the rear cassette and the problem was solved.
Can anyone please tell me whether I can install 3*7 shifters in my 3*6 freewheel? Thanks
Dan or anybody else,
What about upper barrels and their depths as I don't think they are mentioned in that tip...
No barrel adjuster on my MTB. Replaced cable but can't get the gears to select.
Good video
lube ferrules and outside end of outer cable for faster fit