Cable Lube!

[bikeman66]

Hi all,

Any of you guys got any effective methods of lubing brake cables that are under the bar tape? I'm currently turning the bike upside down, popping the cable out of the cable stop on the frame and squirting some PTFE lube between the inner and outer. Can't really think of a more effective method, but if any of you guys have any little "tricks of the trade" I'd appreciate hearing about them.

I like to periodically take the cables out of their stops, slide the outer away and then make sure the inners are dry and properly lubed, before re-fitting. Obviously this method is not possible when the outers are taped in, so is it just a case of do the best you can and hope the lube penetrates along the whole length of the cable up to the lever?

Thanks in advance for any tips you guys might have.

 

[Hacienda71]

I rub a tiny bit of grease on the area which is in the outer when I first fit the cables. Other than that I don't touch them. Never had a cable stick or snap.

 

[Smokin Joe]

They don't need lubing.

 

[bikeman66]

[QUOTE 3541424, member: 9609"]Are they feeling a little stiff ?
If so I would pull the whole cable out of its housing and inspect, I would hope it was clean and in perfect condition with no rough or sharp bits. probably use a silicine spray or ptfe rather than oil, and refit, if it is still not running smooth you will need to inspect the housing for damage or even too tight a turn.[/QUOTE]
Hi Reiver,

Thanks for your reply.

The cables aren't feeling stiff. The question was more from a routine maintenance angle than correcting a potential fault. I guess I just have a penchant for silky smooth cables. This is my first road bike for about 30 years, and certainly my first since integrated brakes/shifters became commonplace. I must admit I haven't really investigated how easy (or otherwise) it is to remove/replace the cable from the lever. This would obviously allow me to clean and properly lube the cable, but if there was a slightly less involved method it would make life easier I guess.

Thanks again for taking the time to pass on your knowledge.

 

[slowmotion]

Here's a dead nifty trick to get some slack so that you can slide a good length of inner cable back out of the shifters. You will need to peel back the rubber covers on the brake hoods so that the stop at the shifter end can be slid out on the end of the cable. The neat thing about this method is that you don't need to disconnect the inners at the derailleur ends so the indexing doesn't need to be adjusted afterwards. It really made me smile when I first saw this video.

[media]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q1iecATY1o
[/media]