How-To: Changing your Cables

If your groupset still feels “off” after having tuned your derailleurs and brakes, you'll probably need to replace your cables. How? That's what we'll explain in this blog. Hydraulic brakes, like you find on most modern mountainbikes, are kept out of this piece, as they require a different approach.

CONTENTS

1. Required Equipment
2. Types of cable
3. Replacing brake cables
4. Replacing derailleur cables
5. Internal cables

1. Required Equipment

• Derailleur cable set
• Brake cable set (road bike)
• Allen keys
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Cable cutters
• Internal cable routing set (optional)

2. Types of cable

You'd be forgiven for thinking that a cable is just a cable... Yet there are 3 different kinds of brake cable, and 2 derailleur cables. Then there are 2 different types of external cables. The main difference between derailleur- and brake cables can be found in the thickness of the cable: a brake cable is slightly thicker than a derailleur cable.The variety between derailleur cables lies in the shape of the “head.” There's a specific cable for Shimano/Sram race brakes, Campagnolo brakes, and mountainbike brakes. The latter has become increasingly rare due to the steady rise of disc brakes. Shimano/Sram cables are marginally thicker than Campagnolo cables, but will still usually work with a Campa brake lever. The same goes for the derailleur cables: the head of a Shimano/Sram inner cable is ever so slightly larger than a Campagnolo cable. To make things easier:

Then there's the difference in outer cables, which can be found in the directionality of the weave. A brake cable is stronger, where a derailleur cable offers less resistance. What that looks like can be seen below:

3. Replacing Brake Cables

The men from GCN (Global Cycling Network) will once again explain how it's done. In the video, they use a Shimano shifter. Sram and Campagnolo shifters look ever so slightly different. Changing cables with one of these, will however be self-explanatory. A side note: use some PTFE (or teflon) in the outer cable before installing the inner cable. This reduces resistance and ensures everything runs smoothly. If your mountainbike uses V-brakes, replacing the cables is broadly similar. Just the removing and installing of the cable in the lever works slightly different. Easier actually, too: you more or less “hook” the cable into the lever.

4. Replacing Derailleur Cables

Then there's the job of changing the derailleur cables. Once again, the men from GCN use a Shimano (race) shifter. And again, changing and fitting the cable with a Sram, Campagnolo, or mountainbike (Shimano/Sram) shifter is slightly different. Just like with the brake cable, apply some PTFE to the outer cables before installing the inner ones, to make sure your derailleur keeps shifting smoothly.

5. Internally Routed Cables

May high-end frames these days use internal cable routing, which require a slightly different approach. The three videos below explain what you need to do to install internal cables. The first video is an instructional video for the Parktool Internal Cable Routing kit, which makes installing these a little easier.

Changing cables can make a bike feel like new, and is a fairly inexpensive job. If you have any questions, our customer service is more than happy to help.

Translated by: Bart van Es