When to Replace Gear Cable?

[Shadow]

In order to avoid the huge hassle of Broken Gear Cable, (as suffered by @Jimmy Welch in yesterdays post), when do you replace your gear cables?
Is there such a thing as a recommended time frame or mileage?

 

[HLaB]

When it starts to get dodgy shifting or snaps. I've had cables never fail after several years and I've had others fail often; there's no pattern to it.

 

[C R]

The cable for the rear shifter in my road bike snapped after about 5000 miles the year before last. Luckily for me the nipple came out easily and replacing the cable was easy. Now I replace the shifter cables every year, before they have a chance to snap.

I think I've seen a shimano document that suggests replacing the cables every 2000 miles.

 

[Domus]

Only ever had one break, bizarrely it was on the work stand after a dirty day on the bike. It broke in the shifter and was a pain to get the end out. I changed the rear cable just before my week in France with the Fridays as a precaution.

 

[raleighnut]

Installing them is a big part, plenty of grease makes em live longer

 

[Paulus]

I change them if there are signs of fraying, or, if they get sticky and after cleaning there is no improvement.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I replace once a year, but I do approx 12,000 miles a year. I did also bulk buy gear cables at 40p per cable, and thus replacing is a no brainer.

Otherwise if shifting is getting sticky or cable is fraying.

 

[ianrauk]

Usually once a year when I get the bike serviced.

 

[T4tomo]

If it is fraying in the shifter you should notice the shifting getting less slick. The angles in the "exit under the bar tape" shifters make them prone to that. The old flight deck washing line style shifters were much kinder to cables as are bar end and friction shifters.

I tend to do it if I'm changing bar tape etc, because cables are cheap as chips so whilst you've striped the bar tape off you might as well change gear and brake cables (not hoses).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I tend to do it if I'm changing bar tape

Funnily enough I tend to do the bar tape once a year as well. Even with my high standards the non black bar tape gets a little grubby after a year.

 

[T4tomo]

Yes I have "drops" bar tape on our bikes that have the relevant shifters, and the top layer peels a bit after while so probably change that every couple of years, although we do a lot les miles that you and spread over different bikes.

It was before I put drops tape on the OH's bike that her Tiagra shifters had chewed a cable, the black stock bar tape had lasted too long dammit!

 

[C R]

If it is fraying in the shifter you should notice the shifting getting less slick. The angles in the "exit under the bar tape" shifters make them prone to that. The old flight deck washing line style shifters were much kinder to cables as are bar end and friction shifters.

I tend to do it if I'm changing bar tape etc, because cables are cheap as chips so whilst you've striped the bar tape off you might as well change gear and brake cables (not hoses).

My Sora 9 speed was shifting flawlessly up to the point when it snapped mid ride.

Edited to clarify that it was the cable that snapped.

 

[T4tomo]

My Sora 9 speed was shifting flawlessly up to the point when it snapped mid ride.

where did it snap though? as in where on the cable, not on B4204 thru Lower Broadheath

 

[Shadow]

My Sora 9 speed was shifting flawlessly up to the point when it snapped mid ride.

And then what did you do?
Presumably not replace it mid ride?

 

[cougie uk]

Never had one snap and I only change the cables if I'm changing the stem or something and can't leave the old ones in place.
Obviously I'd change it if it was fraying - but never seen that either.