Cables

[Philimoreto_8]

Got a new road frame with no cables what's the best way to size up the cables both brake and gears. The frames a specialized allez race dsw

 

[raleighnut]

Buy it by the metre and cut to length, be aware though that brake outer and gear outer are different and avoid 'universal' cable (if you have more than 5 gears and would like to try and index them)

 

[Philimoreto_8]

I went out and got that jagwire road complete kit is that the wrong choice

 

[Apollonius]

And don't skimp on the wire-cutters. A clean, accurate cut is essential. Anything else means trouble.

 

[Philimoreto_8]

Can you recommend a good pair

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Then measure the lengths of outer you will need for each run. Brake lever to first cable stop and so on. Keep the outer cable runs as short as you can achieve while avoiding tight bends in the cable - particularly the last piece of outer between the derailleur and last chain stay stop. If in doubt, look at some photographs of new quality bicycles on a website and get an idea of what the cable runs should look like.

 

[Citius]

Assuming you are using the same bars and that the frame is the same/similar size as your old one, then your existing cable lengths will not be too far out.

 

[Philimoreto_8]

Then measure the lengths of outer you will need for each run. Brake lever to first cable stop and so on. Keep the outer cable runs as short as you can achieve while avoiding tight bends in the cable - particularly the last piece of outer between the derailleur and last chain stay stop. If in doubt, look at some photographs of new quality bicycles on a website and get an idea of what the cable runs should look like.

Thanks for the advice

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Assuming you are using the same bars and that the frame is the same/similar size as your old one, then your existing cable lengths will not be too far out.

........unless the cable stops are not in similar places, or the cable routing is not the same!

 

[Citius]

If only we knew what the old frame was, eh...

 

[Apollonius]

Halfords sell the good old traditional Cyclo ones, I believe. They do the job well. Whatever you use, make sure there are no straggly ends and that the cut is a clean right-angle. It is also worth opening up the hole with the tang of a file, and use the file while you have it there to make sure the cut ends are even. Any unwanted compressions at the cuts will mess up you indexing and shifting, and you will wonder why and fiddle with blameless things like cable tension, H and L screws etc.

 

[Citius]

I went out and got that jagwire road complete kit is that the wrong choice

Yes, unfortunately. At best, they are no better than the standard stuff available from your LBS.

 

[Apollonius]

It will do. At least you will have brake cable for the brakes and gear cable for the gears. They are different, so don't mix them up!

 

[winjim]

Start long. You can always trim a bit off.

 

[Philimoreto_8]

If only we knew what the old frame was, eh...

An old giant peloton had it for 17 years