Finishing cables..

[GuyBoden]

In the past, I've put a blob of epoxy resin on the end of the cable, which can easily be removed when needed by heat/flame, but that's when I had a lot of excess epoxy resin. It was a very good solution.

 

[freiston]

I understand that if you want to go the soldering route with stainless steel cables, then you need to use silver solder. I've never done it myself - I just use a crimp end.

 

[Sharky]

Just thought of it and never tried to see if it works, but a hot glue gun might work.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I use spoke nipples on the cable ends and find them easy to pull off gripping the head with pliers...still need to trim a few mill of splay at times

OP: "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)..?"
Brake cables are 1.5mm and gear cables are (mostly) 1.2mm. A nipple for a 2mm spoke is actually less internally as the thread on the spoke is rolled, so maybe 1.8mm. These slide on (as roley has said) and then need to be crimped on (would 'work' with both brake and gear cables).
Thobut; this surely falls foul of the OP's desire for 'no crimping' and not clear to me how using a nipple is easier/better than a 'normal' cable end for this function (other than pulling off plier grip). Just saying.

 

[matticus]

OP: "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)..?"
Brake cables are 1.5mm and gear cables are (mostly) 1.2mm. A nipple for a 2mm spoke is actually less internally as the thread on the spoke is rolled, so maybe 1.8mm. These slide on (as roley has said) and then need to be crimped on (would 'work' with both brake and gear cables).
Thobut; this surely falls foul of the OP's desire for 'no crimping' and not clear to me how using a nipple is easier/better than a 'normal' cable end for this function (other than pulling off plier grip). Just saying.

Must admit I was surprised that a spoke nipple was in any way "better" than conventional ends. In fact, I'd imagine they're heavier :O

 

[wafter]

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'.
View attachment 662665
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Thanks - seems like the right idea although I agree about the looks!

I would imagine you can just cut it off with a sharp knife, or it may even just pull off.

Aye; was thinking similar

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.

I'm tight as a duck's arse and tbh don't see any point in replacing cables unless they're visibly damaged / degrading as you describe. This brings me on to my subsequent train of thought that I really ought to implement some sort of maintenance / inspection schedule for my gear; apparently cables often fail at the lever end where it's not immediately obvious - so it's probably worth having a squiz at these on a semi-regular basis along with other areas of the bike..

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.

That's a "how long's a piece of string" question as I'm currently fiddling with the bike a fair bit, and as a matter of principal I don't like implementing things that are irreversible / require disposal of otherwise serviceable parts / require replacement parts if I can help it.

Also, ideally I'd always want excess on the cable to pull it tight through the clamp so I'd disagree with the numbers you suggest..

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

Nice work - although being "surgical steel" I think it's likely that they'd be hardened. Also I suspect that the grub screw size would be too small so they'd want drilling out and tapping to a larger size.

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.

Thanks - I was wondering if there was some sort of "self contained" approach of managing the excess cable. My new, uncut RD cable currently has maybe 120mm of excess past the clamp, which I think could be looped back and secured somewhere..

I think I'm going to try superglue on the other cables and take it from there as it's potentially the easiest / cleanest solution so far..

 

[wafter]

Crikey round two; this is a popular thread

I understand that if you want to go the soldering route with stainless steel cables, then you need to use silver solder. I've never done it myself - I just use a crimp end.

Ta - hadn't thought of that although did wonder if other dissimilar melty-metals might work; although I got as far as brazing and thought that might be a bit hardcore. Will look into silver solder!

Just thought of it and never tried to see if it works, but a hot glue gun might work.

Cheers - I think it might be a bit thick to get in between the strands of the cable though..

OP: "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)..?"
Brake cables are 1.5mm and gear cables are (mostly) 1.2mm. A nipple for a 2mm spoke is actually less internally as the thread on the spoke is rolled, so maybe 1.8mm. These slide on (as roley has said) and then need to be crimped on (would 'work' with both brake and gear cables).
Thobut; this surely falls foul of the OP's desire for 'no crimping' and not clear to me how using a nipple is easier/better than a 'normal' cable end for this function (other than pulling off plier grip). Just saying.

Thanks - my query was really around the nipple working with varying diameters. I assumed the suggestion was that you'd sort of screw them onto the cable as the core of the thread was a close fit on the cable..

 

[Jody]

Nice work - although being "surgical steel" I think it's likely that they'd be hardened. Also I suspect that the grub screw size would be too small so they'd want drilling out and tapping to a larger size.

They were only surgical steel as used for body piercings. Other material is available.

You can also get grub screws down to 1.2mm

https://www.accu.co.uk/slotted-head...q5U5vGotejU1g6Yu9fkhg1sLj5_VS3QRoCKoYQAvD_BwE

I'm half tempted to try and make some.

 

[ColinJ]

I think that long lengths of unused cable look awful! I can see the case for (say) 2-3 cms extra, but 8+...

 

[tyred]

I use heat shrink or electrical insulation tape works well too if it's good quality and wrapped tightly.

Soldering is easy if you have galvanised cables but most will be stainless steel these days so soldering is more complicated.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Well done, everyone! Quality CycleChat effort: 3 pages on cable ends.

 

[ColinJ]

Well done, everyone! Quality CycleChat effort: 3 pages on cable ends.

The discussion about that cable will go on and on - there is no end to it!

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have mentioned this before on here, but I'll do so again, what the hell.

If you knead the rind from Babybel cheese you can make cable end blobs that look really good. Unfortunately they fall off quite quickly.

 

[matticus]

Well done, everyone! Quality CycleChat effort: 3 pages on cable ends.

There are a lot of inter-related strands.

 

[tyred]

Well done, everyone! Quality CycleChat effort: 3 pages on cable ends.

Wait until we get started on chain cleaning...