[jdp526]

Shimano recommends their particular brand of grease for cables. I don't believe my components came with any so I am wondering if anyone knows what type of grease is acceptable to use or should I check with my LBS and purchase the Shimano brand? Thanks,

 

[Changleen]

Nah, I use any old grease I have to hand. Actually often I use chain oil. Works fine.

 

[skurfer333]

any kind of grease will work, they are just looking to make more money off you

 

[Wumpus]

I have ben experimenting for the last year running the cables dry and I also went with a full run of housing from the shifter to the derailer . The thought is the grease attracts dirt and gunks up your housing. I haven't had any shifting issues at all.

I change my cable and housing twice a year. I also don't ride in muddy wet conditions.

 

[skurfer333]

I change my cable and housing twice a year. I also don't ride in muddy wet conditions.

if you aren't riding in muddy/wet conditions and you change it out so often then running your cables dry isn't as much of an issue as riding in muddy/wet conditions. For someone who's riding in the rain, running dry cables would not be a good idea.

 

[jdp526]

Thanks for the input. Still haven't assembled my new frame and components because I am waiting on fork to arrive.

 

[Wumpus]

For someone who's riding in the rain, running dry cables would not be a good idea.

Why is that? Are you getting water in the housing? If the housing isn't sealed up, the grease is just giving the dirt something else to stick to and gum everything up. Have you ever tried running them dry?


The point was that if you ride in muddy, wet conditions that you should consider changing cables and housing more often.


Something that is overlooked often and can contribute to poor shifting is that the plastic of the housing compreses with use and the wire strands stick out the ends. After a few weeks if you pull the housing and trim the ends up, it will help a lot.

 

[urbaindk]

It's usually pretty muddy and wet here in my neck of the woods (this spring being an exception to that rule). That said, I really really like teflon coated cables. I just wipe them down with a real light coat of a light weight oil before I install them and they seem to operate smoothy all year with no fuss. I usually change them around once per year.

I have a set of avid flack jackets I'm going to try out next. I won't do the full seal thing, just from the rear d to the first cable stop. That's where most of the crap hits the fan anyway. I'm not as worried about the cables on the top tube.

I also have mech discs and run a full length housing for the rear brake. In theory that's supposed to help the brakes actuate more smoothly as there are less friction points at cable stops. I don't know if it really makes a difference though. It sure saves time when cutting cables to the right length!

 

[Misfitslacker]

srams joni snot is the best for cables hands down.

 

[skurfer333]

Why is that? Are you getting water in the housing? If the housing isn't sealed up, the grease is just giving the dirt something else to stick to and gum everything up. Have you ever tried running them dry?


The point was that if you ride in muddy, wet conditions that you should consider changing cables and housing more often.


Something that is overlooked often and can contribute to poor shifting is that the plastic of the housing compreses with use and the wire strands stick out the ends. After a few weeks if you pull the housing and trim the ends up, it will help a lot.

I haven't run them dry for an extended period of time (more than a week or two). I can see how your theory makes sense as far as grease attracting dirt, but I'm a freerider so I wreck frequently and when the bike gets ditched it often winds up in mud and other water holes, thats why I use lots of grease. I might take you up on that challenge and run dry cables for urban a few times, but my urban bike has no gears and one brake so theres only one cable/housing so I don't know if I'll be able to tell.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I recommend Tri-flo for lubing shifter cables.