| Cable Cleaning
Dirty or worn cables can create problems when braking and shifting. If you
ride in the mud, you'll need to clean out your cables every couple of months. Want
to keep the dirt out of the cables? See our mud-proofing
page! A dirty brake cable makes it harder to apply the brakes, and can keep the
brakes from rebounding fully away from the rim. |
| A dirty shifter cable -- especially the rear shifter -- can keep the rear
derailleur from shifting smoothly from a larger to a smaller cog.
Cable hang-up can be subtle. But it's
the most common cause of intermittent missed shifts when dropping the rear
derailleur into a higher gear (smaller cog). Any rubbing, noise, or sense
of resistance means the cable needs service. |
|
Check the cable housing (the sections of big black tube that surround the
cable). If you see a sharp bend, the housing needs to be replaced. Look at
the exposed sections of cable. If you see fraying, breaks in the individual
wires, or loosened wires, the cable itself must be replaced.
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Dial the cable-tension adjuster down at the handlebar
(clockwise when viewed from the cable), then turn it back one turn. This
puts the cable in its starting position. |
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Undo the cable at the far end (at the brake mechanism
or at the derailleur) by loosening the bolt on the retaining clip. |
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Remove the
cable cap. Using needle-nose pliers, grasp the shaft of the cap on the sides
opposite of the crimp-marks. Squeeze until the shaft of the cap "rounds
up" and rotates freely on the cable. |
| If there's a rubber boot, slide it off. Check it for holes and tears. A boot
that lets mud in (then holds it there) is worse than no boot at all. If the boot
is damaged, get a replacement.
This derailleur cable boot has a tear
in the nipple where the cable enters. |
|
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Slide the cable housing caps away from the housing. Now slide caps and
housing off the cable.
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| Keep the pieces organized, so you don't lose any, and don't
get them mixed up. |
|
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--
Degrease cable
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Lube cable with wax-based lube
-- |
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Clean the cable by rubbing it with a paper towel soaked in degreasing
solution. Once the degreaser is completely dry, rub a dry lubricant such as
chain-wax into the cable. When the chain-wax is dry, rub the cable smooth with a dry towel.
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Clean out the cable housing(s). Squirting WD-40 or
pressurized Teflon lubricant through the housing is a
quick method. If you have an airgun, follow the WD-40 with a long blast of air.
Let the cable housing sections dry. |
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Wash the boots with soap and water. Use a cotton swab to
clean inside the boots. |
|
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If you have a barrel adjuster at the end of the cable -- for example, on the
rear derailleur, take it off and clean it out.
Apply bearing grease onto the threads of the barrel adjuster.
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| Screw it all the way in. (On some derailleurs, where there's
a second small hole beyond the barrel adjuster,
you may want to slide the adjuster onto the cable before screwing it into the
derailleur. Otherwise, the cable may not thread smoothly through both the hole
in the adjuster and the hole in the derailleur.) |
|
Now begin reassembling the cable. For each section of housed cable, thread the end cap onto the cable, then the housing, then the next end
cap. Fit that section of housing back onto the frame the way it was originally.
After that section is fitted, go on to the next section of housed cable, until
the cable is completely reassembled.
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CAREFULLY slide the cable through the barrel adjuster and
towards the retaining clamp. If it stops moving, don't try to force it, or
you'll delaminate one of the strands of metal in the cable!
Pull the cable tight and secure the
retaining clamp. |
| Now adjust the cable tightness with the barrel adjuster:
for derailleur cables see the section on tuning the front
or rear derailleur. For brakes, see the brake
tuneup section.
If everything is working, replace the cable cap (or better yet, put on
a new one) and crimp it down tight. |
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[Fix-it Index Page]
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