Can anyone help please!!!
- Thread starter bev
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
It's one of those jobs that require patience, a little confidence but will give immense satisfaction when you've finished..
You'll need an inner gear cable, enough outer cable to match the sections of outer cable on the bike, a plastic ferrule for each end of the outer cable runs and a cable end nipple.
You'll also need a cable cutter, a pair of pliers, a small cross-head screwdriver and an allen key and some thick lube such as wet chain lube. .
Firstly, is it the front or the rear mech?
Assuming it's the rear you need to shift the gears to the smallest cogs to remove tension from the cable. Put the bike in a stand or turn it upside down and remove the rear wheel.
The cable is attached to the rear mech via a clamping plate, which is held in place by an allen key bolt. Loosen the clamp bolt (don't take it all the way out, they're fiddly to replace!) and the cable should be freed up. Next look at the shifter pod. It should have a small screw underneath the lever. This is a small cover screw and needs to be removed so you can remove the old cable.
Now, screw the barrel adjuster all the way into the shifter housing. Remove the cable starting at the back, take out the final run of outer and slide it off the old cable. Keep all the outer cable runs to measure and cut the new ones. Work your way forward removing outer cable runs (I expect the next one will be from the seatstay to the top tube) and sliding the cable out of them.
You'll end up with a bare inner cable sticking out of the barrel adjuster. Take hold of it about two inches from the adjuster and push it into the housing. The end of the cable will appear out of the hole you took the cover screw out of. Pull the cable all the way out and discard.
Now, carefully push the cable into the hole in the shifter and out via the barrel adjuster. Using your cable cutters cut a length of outer cable to make the first run from the shifter to the top tube. Slide a plastic ferrule onto the inner cable and thread it up to the barrel adjuster, closed end towards the shifter. Use a drop of lube to oil the length of inner cable that will sit inside the outer, then slide the outer cable onto the inner, pressing the ferrule onto the outer and marrying it up with the barrel adjuster. Slide another ferrule onto the inner to close off the end that fits into the toptube slot.
Cut another length to match the toptube to seatstay outer and again thread on a ferrule, the outer cable onto the lubed inner, finishing with a ferrule. Slot these into place on the slots provided. Repeat the cutting, lubing and ferruling procedure for the final run from the seatstay to the rear mech.
Make sure all the ferruled ends of the outer cable runs are seated properly in the slots, and route the bare inner cable down to the clamp on the rear mech. Using the pliers take hold of the end of the bare cable and pull on it hard enough to remove all slack from the cable. Keeping some tension on it tighten up the clamp bolt with the allen key.
Now you'll need to make sure the gears change properly. Use the barrel adjuster that you wound all the way in to increase tension in the cable, or if that's not enough you'll need to pull a bit more cable through the clamp on the mech.
Once you've got the gears running properly cut the inner cable about two inches from the clamp, slide on the nipple and squeeze it on with the pliers to stop it fraying in the future.
You'll need an inner gear cable, enough outer cable to match the sections of outer cable on the bike, a plastic ferrule for each end of the outer cable runs and a cable end nipple.
You'll also need a cable cutter, a pair of pliers, a small cross-head screwdriver and an allen key and some thick lube such as wet chain lube. .
Firstly, is it the front or the rear mech?
Assuming it's the rear you need to shift the gears to the smallest cogs to remove tension from the cable. Put the bike in a stand or turn it upside down and remove the rear wheel.
The cable is attached to the rear mech via a clamping plate, which is held in place by an allen key bolt. Loosen the clamp bolt (don't take it all the way out, they're fiddly to replace!) and the cable should be freed up. Next look at the shifter pod. It should have a small screw underneath the lever. This is a small cover screw and needs to be removed so you can remove the old cable.
Now, screw the barrel adjuster all the way into the shifter housing. Remove the cable starting at the back, take out the final run of outer and slide it off the old cable. Keep all the outer cable runs to measure and cut the new ones. Work your way forward removing outer cable runs (I expect the next one will be from the seatstay to the top tube) and sliding the cable out of them.
You'll end up with a bare inner cable sticking out of the barrel adjuster. Take hold of it about two inches from the adjuster and push it into the housing. The end of the cable will appear out of the hole you took the cover screw out of. Pull the cable all the way out and discard.
Now, carefully push the cable into the hole in the shifter and out via the barrel adjuster. Using your cable cutters cut a length of outer cable to make the first run from the shifter to the top tube. Slide a plastic ferrule onto the inner cable and thread it up to the barrel adjuster, closed end towards the shifter. Use a drop of lube to oil the length of inner cable that will sit inside the outer, then slide the outer cable onto the inner, pressing the ferrule onto the outer and marrying it up with the barrel adjuster. Slide another ferrule onto the inner to close off the end that fits into the toptube slot.
Cut another length to match the toptube to seatstay outer and again thread on a ferrule, the outer cable onto the lubed inner, finishing with a ferrule. Slot these into place on the slots provided. Repeat the cutting, lubing and ferruling procedure for the final run from the seatstay to the rear mech.
Make sure all the ferruled ends of the outer cable runs are seated properly in the slots, and route the bare inner cable down to the clamp on the rear mech. Using the pliers take hold of the end of the bare cable and pull on it hard enough to remove all slack from the cable. Keeping some tension on it tighten up the clamp bolt with the allen key.
Now you'll need to make sure the gears change properly. Use the barrel adjuster that you wound all the way in to increase tension in the cable, or if that's not enough you'll need to pull a bit more cable through the clamp on the mech.
Once you've got the gears running properly cut the inner cable about two inches from the clamp, slide on the nipple and squeeze it on with the pliers to stop it fraying in the future.
battered
Guru
That's a very thorough description, nice work! All I would add is that I favour grease on cable inners, I slather the inner with grease and put it in the outer once or twice to get a good coating of grease inside the cable. This will repel water and help keep the rain out. Regreasing annually (which you can do without removing cables) means the cables will last indefinitely.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Wow, good work- I'd struggle to get it finished in ten mins!
