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My winter road bike is playing up.
Its not shifting very well to the smaller sprockets on the cassette. Makes me think it needs new cables. Mech is also sloppy and worn (4 seasons CX!) Which doesn't help so might look for one as well.
The cable routing is dubious. Under the bar tape into the frame and out the back. Tight based on where the holes are and a Shimano mech.
I found the Shimano stuff I used last time a bit stiff and I wonder if that is why it hasn't lasted as long. It would be helped by some good quality cables.
Anything particularly good. Winter road bike so cheaper is better, not the aluminium segmented stuff. Anything better than Jagwire. I liked those bits for under the bar tape, they seemed to help.
I changed the cables on mine which didn't make much difference. Then i changed the jockey wheels after another thread on here and its made a massive difference.
I've always just used the normal/high spec Shimano SP41 stuff (not the super duper newer stuff). That or the Jagwire equivalent because it comes in kits with colored outer, whereas Shimano you have to buy the colored SP41 outer, then a set of inners, set of ends, etc.
I wouldn't have thought stiffness was an issue on a road bike, it's not like it has to move much.
If your cables are internal then my feeling is that the sloppy rear mech is more likely the cause of shifting issues. Internal cables are crap for many reasons but they don't tend to get gummed up.
Internal cables are crap for many reasons but they don’t tend to get gummed up.
Although the bit where they run under the BB can be full of mud and crap from everytime you submerge the bottom bracket. Quite a bit of crap in mine when I last opened it up...
SP41 and nice stainless inners, sorted.
Firstly, check the condition of the section of outer cable to the rear mech as it can easily get corroded, full of cr@p. Some models of Shimano shifter also have a propensity to chew the nipple off the cable and the frayed ends affect shifting. Campagnolo gear inners are slightly thinner, more flexible and work better around tight cable runs.
When was the last time you replaced the outer?
SP41 isn't infinitely durable the tighter bits (the loop at the rear mech and under the tape will eventually add a bit of drag. I still think sectional externally routed outers are "better" on a road bike, partly because you can just replace the worst offender at the rear mech in ten minutes and improve shifting
you might get away with flushing it through with wd40 and fitting a fresh inner, it'll shift nicely for a few miles then start getting worse.
IME a slightly baggy mech isn't such a problem if the jockey wheels are good, the cage is straight and the cable moves smoothly.
https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-dura-ace-9000-road-gear-cable-set-polymer-61074.html ~£32
I replaced the rear mech cable with part of this kit, while fitting a new r7000 rear mech and 11-34 cassette ~2 years ago, shifts much nicer than what came on my 2016 Cube Attain GTC. Ended up re-using the original outer, for some reason it worked better than the outer in the kit.