Stripping cable outers

[Dave5N]

Yeah and they're £32!!!

Mine weren't. Buy well, buy once.

 

[Dave5N]

All the outer gear cables I have ever cut have been with a pair of pliers. Just offering my two cents because spending £32 on a set of cable cutters is a lot of money for what they are and what you need them for.

Nope. Snot. Taint.

 

[e-rider]

who bodged the cable up in the first place? get them to sort it!

on second thoughts - stay well clear of them - idiots!

sharp wire cutters will work but not as well as cable cutters

 

[bicyclos]

Invest in decent tools. I know you shouldn't but I cut old spokes off the wheels with my park cable cutter, thats how good they are. Before cutting any length of outer cable insert an old peice of inner cable where you are going to cut so that the cut end does not get crushed. The bit of inner cable can be pushed out easily when you feed the new cable through.
My cable cutters are 4 yrs old and have done numerous cable jobs for myself and friends bikes with them. Well worth the money........

 

[jpembroke]

Personally, I'd start again: new cables, new outers. Might seem a bit OTT but I hate stuff to be bodged on my bike. Your LBS sounds a bit iffy btw.

On the subject of outers: brake outer is lined with a steel coil, gear outer is lined with steel wires. Gear outer tends to be harder to cut than brake outer but cuts cleanly. Brake outer is softer but will often get pinched during cutting and the inner coil is prone to splintering and burring. This can be rectified by trimming with cutters and opening the hole up with a sharp pointed tool (awl).

And I agree with Dave5N: good set of proper cable cutters are well worth the investment. I have the Park ones and they are fantastic. Yes, they are expensive (and there probably are cheaper alternatives out there) but they work very very well.

 

[jpembroke]

Sorry, I'm from Barcelona. (I'm not, but anyone get the ref?)

Ok. So.

1) Bike is European
1.1) so intended originally to have brakes wired opposite way round to here.

2) They changed the cable lengths around
2.1) but left the metal covering on the end of the cable outer, that would normally go in the top tube boss, on the short cable to go in the front brake

3) This metal bit stops the cable from sitting properly in the tension adjuster on the brake caliper, the outer wont 'go in' the hole cos the metal bit makes it too wide

4) I want to remove this

5) I thought cutting the outer just before the metal bit would allow me to take it off along with a tiny bit of outer...
5.1) ...without making the length too short to turn the bars (I checked, I don't think it will)

6) I want(ed) to know what the best tool for the job is.

Simples?

Oh, and if you are referring to the steel cable end ferrules, then these can usually just be pulled off. There is no need to cut them off unless they've been pinched on.

 

[PpPete]

These work fine for me - cable inners & outers both. I've not tried them on spokes yet though.

 

[4F]

I use a pair of pliers and brute force.

With you there, I use a pair of wire cutters and a wooden mallet.

 

[tyred]

When using wire cutters, it's worthwhile to use a smooth file to remove any rough/sharp edge on the cable.

 

[Joe24]

I replaced the brake cables on my Giant one time, and ofcourse the cables were way too long. I didnt have any proper cutters, just a multi-tool and some old pliers.
And a hammer
I put the brake cable in the multi tool(sharper then the pliers) squeezed the handle, then put the multi-tool against a wall and gave it a few wacks with my hammer
Done, but it wasnt neat, but it did me for abit till i got someone with proper cutters to cut them then put the little widgets on the end.

 

[Radius]

who bodged the cable up in the first place? get them to sort it!

on second thoughts - stay well clear of them - idiots!

sharp wire cutters will work but not as well as cable cutters

Chainreactioncycles, they did well apart from that one oversight...

 

[Radius]

Personally, I'd start again: new cables, new outers. Might seem a bit OTT but I hate stuff to be bodged on my bike. Your LBS sounds a bit iffy btw.

It's not the LBS that did it, it's Chainreaction, my LBS are good in the experience I've had with them.

On the subject of outers: brake outer is lined with a steel coil, gear outer is lined with steel wires. Gear outer tends to be harder to cut than brake outer but cuts cleanly. Brake outer is softer but will often get pinched during cutting and the inner coil is prone to splintering and burring. This can be rectified by trimming with cutters and opening the hole up with a sharp pointed tool (awl).

Doesn't seem possible to cut through this steel coil with anything!

Oh, and if you are referring to the steel cable end ferrules, then these can usually just be pulled off. There is no need to cut them off unless they've been pinched on.

I am, and they can't, I tried

 

[jpembroke]

Doesn't seem possible to cut through this steel coil with anything!

except for a good set of cable cutters of course......

 

[02GF74]

I use a dremel cut off disc to do cables; gear cables are made from metal wires and it can help to wind some masking tape round first to stop them ripping trough the plastic outer.

 

[Radius]

Football with staff cancelled, so went down to LBS minus active front brake (not too far luckily), and guy gave me some cable cutters (Park tools ones, just to please you lot), and said "you know what you're doing", but we ended up having to wrestle the inner about a bit to get it to retract into the casing in order to cut the outer. Did it in the end and now as good as (or better than) new! Thanks for the replies, might still eventually get some cutters.