Cable lube?

[Snidge]

Im new to this whole cycling thing and need some sort of help.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

In these dusty times in winter I understand that dust sticks to the cables and somehow gets jammed in the cable casing transforming my 27 speed into a single speed. Now this is where all you "experience" comes into play!

What is a good lube at a fair price and how often do the cables need lube? My logic tells me that the lube would just attract more dust, blocking things up sooner. True or not?

[Racer X]

I use finish line dry lube. Every now and then I just strip the housing from the cables, run some bog roll with parafin accross the cables to clean em. Then I dribble some lube down em and wipe the excess of. Re assemble then go ride.

[Johan Bornman]

Most re-lubrication strategies don't have any handy hints for cleaning the inside of the cable housing.

 

If you are really not able to replace the cable, follow Racer's advice AND squirt a litre or two of Q20/WD40/ZX60 down the cable outer and hope all the gunk comes out.

 

Putting a clean inner inside a dirty housing doesn't do much good.

 

A lubricated cable that's not protected by special ferrules is a recipe for failure. Dry is  better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cassie]

Johan, I still maintain you should come up with a "device" that connects to the cable housing for rinsing/flushing purposes....If yuo do, I'll buy the first one!!

 

Something like a moerse syringe/old school bike pump + paraffin?

 

 

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Something like a moerse syringe/old school bike pump + paraffin?

But Cassie if you have this abnormal fascination with diesel.

[Johan Bornman]

Johan' date=' I still maintain you should come up with a "device" that connects to the cable housing for rinsing/flushing purposes....If yuo do, I'll buy the first one!!

 

Something like a moerse syringe/old school bike pump + paraffin?

 

 

[/quote']

 

This has been done before. In the 1990s companies like Avid had such syringe gadgets for cleaning brake cable. In those days we still had cantilever brakes (very, very crappy) and the high tension required in the cables, especially if they were set up with a too-long straddle wire, caused the cables to quickly deteriorate.

 

I saw those gadgets in the magazines of then. The problem is that you first have to rinse with a solvent (usually paraffin, which is very oily) and then soapy water and then dry the lot out. It wasn't successful.

 

Today I don't think they're necessary. With continuous cable routing the problem is minimal and besides, no-one except for some old retro toppies still ride with cable brakes.

 

 

 

 

[Fleming]

If I intend re-using a outer cable I take a length of fishing line and fold it in half. I then thread both ends through the outer cable so that you have a loop of fishing line sticking out one end. Take a small piece of clean thin cloth, maybe 5x10mm and place it through the loop and pull the ends of the fishing line so that the piece of cloth is pulled through the outer. You need to experiment a bit with the size of the cloth as too big and it might not pull through the outer and too small and it doesnt collect all the dirt as you pull it through. You want a bit of resistance to ensure it wipes the entire surface clean.

 

You can use a solvent if there really is a lot of gunk inside but I normally just use a dry cloth. I find lubricating the cables to cause more problems so I rather leave them dry.

 

I also perform this procedure when installing new cables as alot of them seem to come with some kind of grease. I have no idea why they do this as it makes the cables really sticky.

 

[Johan Bornman]

If I intend re-using a outer cable I take a length of fishing line and fold it in half. I then thread both ends through the outer cable so that you have a loop of fishing line sticking out one end. Take a small piece of clean thin cloth' date=' maybe 5x10mm and place it through the loop and pull the ends of the fishing line so that the piece of cloth is pulled through the outer. You need to experiment a bit with the size of the cloth as too big and it might not pull through the outer and too small and it doesnt collect all the dirt as you pull it through. You want a bit of resistance to ensure it wipes the entire surface clean.

You can use a solvent if there really is a lot of gunk inside but I normally just use a dry cloth. I find lubricating the cables to cause more problems so I rather leave them dry.

I also perform this procedure when installing new cables as alot of them seem to come with some kind of grease. I have no idea why they do this as it makes the cables really sticky.
[/quote']

 

This is friggin' hard-core. I'll keep you in mind when I need an angioplasty or stent.

 

I agree with you on hating it when the housing is pre-greased. When I push that cable through and a blob of grease pops out like a grub in a peach, I'm miffed.

 

 

[Cassie]

Ahhhh...Johan - your knowledge never stops to amaze me!!

Thanks for the info....

 

We are talking about gear cables are we? Just checking.

 

I'd still rather clean my sections of gear cables than having a full housing...that way i stay up to date with the condition of the cable and everyhting around it...

If there is nothing to clean - then I would probabaly not pay enough attention to my components.