Finishing cables..
- Thread starter wafter
- Start date
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Jody
Stubborn git
Whilst I completely concur with the responses above and also leave my cables slightly long to allow for future possible fettling, if you have money burning a hole in your pocket you could always purchase some cable cherries:
https://foragercycles.com/collections/cable-cherries/products/cable-cherries
Costly, but they are funky ferrules.
Thanks all 
For the record I'm averse to crimped-on ends since their removal usually ends up shortening the cable if cut; meaning you only have a finite number of removals and refittings. I have had some success with squashing the crimped-on ends across the crimp to remove them, but this has proven somewhat hit-and-miss and tbh I'd rather have nowt on the end if I can get away with it.
I'd not considered using nipples before; I have some kicking about but assume this would only work with one size of cable (brake and gearing being different ODs at around 1.6 and 1.3mm respectively)..?
Looks like solder is unfortunately out as I run stainless cables.. although ideally I'd like something like this that will penetrate into the cable and bind the strands together without increasing the cable's OD. I had considered superglue so might give that a go.. I notice that most cables are often fused at their ends when new to facilitate passing through the outers - I wonder if this could be replicated with common tools..?
I'd not considered heat shrink tubing - sounds like a nice idea, however again would probably require removal to get the inner through the outers, unless it was really thin (as there's usually a bit of waggle room inside). I'll maybe look into this a bit more..
At the moment some of my cables are left raw, however that's more through indecisiveness / lack of commitment than an actual plan
I love the look and idea of the cable cherries, however that'd be knocking on the door of £200 to do five bikes!
For the record I'm averse to crimped-on ends since their removal usually ends up shortening the cable if cut; meaning you only have a finite number of removals and refittings. I have had some success with squashing the crimped-on ends across the crimp to remove them, but this has proven somewhat hit-and-miss and tbh I'd rather have nowt on the end if I can get away with it.
I'd not considered using nipples before; I have some kicking about but assume this would only work with one size of cable (brake and gearing being different ODs at around 1.6 and 1.3mm respectively)..?
Looks like solder is unfortunately out as I run stainless cables.. although ideally I'd like something like this that will penetrate into the cable and bind the strands together without increasing the cable's OD. I had considered superglue so might give that a go.. I notice that most cables are often fused at their ends when new to facilitate passing through the outers - I wonder if this could be replicated with common tools..?
I'd not considered heat shrink tubing - sounds like a nice idea, however again would probably require removal to get the inner through the outers, unless it was really thin (as there's usually a bit of waggle room inside). I'll maybe look into this a bit more..
At the moment some of my cables are left raw, however that's more through indecisiveness / lack of commitment than an actual plan
I love the look and idea of the cable cherries, however that'd be knocking on the door of £200 to do five bikes!
Legs
usually riding on Zwift...
- Location
- Staffordshire
I've done this in a pinch! But I prefer proper caps...
Jody
Stubborn git
Wonder how hard it would be to drill and tap your own?
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/501428400/titanium-ball-bearings-x-10-packs-plain
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Sea of vapours
Guru
- Location
- Clapham, Yorkshire Dales
These are reusable multiple times and are rather neat: https://jagwire.com/products/small-parts/cable-end-non-crimp
(Available in a variety of colours; easiest to see what they look like in red.)
They are surprisingly easy to put on, since the very small hole in the rubber end piece feeds into a cable-width hole within the two piece aluminium shell part. They also stay in place very well, in my experience. And they look relatively inexpensive compared to the 'cable cherries'.
(
(Available in a variety of colours; easiest to see what they look like in red.)
They are surprisingly easy to put on, since the very small hole in the rubber end piece feeds into a cable-width hole within the two piece aluminium shell part. They also stay in place very well, in my experience. And they look relatively inexpensive compared to the 'cable cherries'.
(
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wonderloaf
Veteran
I would imagine you can just cut it off with a sharp knife, or it may even just pull off.
youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
I leave them a little longer anyway, and use heat shrink. Comes off easily when required.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I can only speak for myself, but I never re-fit cables. I fit them and then a year or two down the line if they are starting to fray at the pinch bolt or at the end (if the end cap has fallen off), or if I'm doing some other work (or having some other work done) and it seems a suitable time then I replace them.
T4tomo
Legendary Member
Realistically how many times are you removing and refitting over the finite lifetime of a inner cable, which are pretty cheap to replace in any event??
You cut off maybe 4mm with crimp end, so leaving an additional 20mm will give you 5 replacements, or knock yourself out and leave 40mm giving you 10 goes!
You are searching for a solution to a problem that is purely theoretical and doesn't exist in real life.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
This ^ ^ x 11/10
And the answer has a mode of 0 and a mean of not much more. An extra cm gives one the option to do this once. Two cm allows 'twice'. Any more and, as Goldfinger said to Bond, "no laughing matter".
Jody
Stubborn git
In a choice of colours?
I'm sure they would be available if I put more than 20 seconds into my Googling effort
Jody
Stubborn git
Ok, I put the extra minute in and found these
https://www.gekkobodyjewellery.co.uk/anodised-titanium-replacement-spare-balls-4877-p.asp
https://www.achadirect.com/en/xbt4g
Already tapped so you only need some 1.2mm grub screws and to drill them
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
Thanks all
For the record I'm averse to crimped-on ends since their removal usually ends up shortening the cable if cut; meaning you only have a finite number of removals and refittings. I have had some success with squashing the crimped-on ends across the crimp to remove them, but this has proven somewhat hit-and-miss and tbh I'd rather have nowt on the end if I can get away with it.
I tend to cut the cable with a longer than usual excess of anything up to 8-10cm whenever possible. It's become a bit of a trademark at work. I wrap it around itself on gear cables which has the added advantage I can hook my finger into the loop to pull the cable if I need extra tension for readjusting.
In the short term, or on some hub gear systems where a crimp won't fit superglue on the end of the cable can stop fraying.
