Is it worth getting something like the SRAM Slickwire or Jagwire Ripcord, about £20-ish, for use with mech disc brakes? Apparently they really make the trail come alive a difference, but wondering if it is that much more over the boggo SRAM/Shimano housing you get with your shifters?

Are you struggling to pull ?

I’ve always used the standard cables that came with the disks. That’s 3 bikes I’ve had with BB7s now and I’ve never felt they needed improving.

Same as what that Scot bloke said ^^

Wotz wrong wiff your brakes ?

What brakes have you got Jamie?

What brakes have you got Jamie?

None yet. However, I have just picked myself back up off the floor after seeing the new BB7 SLs are indeed £120 per caliper.

Wotz wrong wiff your brakes ?

Nuffin. But I fought I wud ask. ROLFAMERGERD!

If you’re buying a fully-assembled bike then just run what’s on it and see how you get on. If that’s not good enough, search for Epicyclo on here and have a look at what he achieved using aluminium tubing.

£42 for the ordinary ones though

£42 for the ordinary ones though

Is that from Germany? Cheapest I saw was about £55.

….these are for the road version btw.

Anyway, looks like I might as well save £20, and run the stock Shimano cables that come with the shifters. Can always change ’em later if needed.

I run Gore ride-on cables and the brakes are smooth in operation, like hydros (also got avid ultimate levers).

Now searching for a replacement, as the sram slickwires don’t look to be quite the same, although I will probably end up trying some.

I got some cable from Nashbar in the US – looked surprisingly like Jagwire, especially where it says “Jagwire” on the outer

about 8 quid a set for F&R inner & outer
delivery was maybe 20 quid so only cheap if you bought a few

Slight hijack… what sort of bend radius can you put on a cable/outer before it drags too much?

I ask as I just bought a second hand bike with Hope V-Twins and was thinking about seeing how far up the drop bars I can get the cables to exit. Currently the bar tape extends about half way along the top, I’m wondering if I can extend that a little to give more hand positions. Perhaps a couple of noodles would provide a better bend? Hopefully that makes sense…

tonyd

You can get quite a small radius with these

Thanks haggis, looks great until you hit the price tag!

Just to go back to a lit firework, as it were, I’ve just ordered the SRAM Slickwire brake kit from Planet-X for £20. Mainly, as I’ve only just got round to realising that the brake cables that came with my STIs are not, obviously, going to be long enough to reach mech brakes, and unfortunately…

I’ve always used the standard cables that came with the disks…..

…the brakes I have didn’t come with cables.

Try linear bmx brake cable housing.

If you want posh go odyssey Kevlar race.

In my experience of bmx brakes, linear cables make them feel so much better.

Seconding Odyssey linear cables. bunging them on the BB5s my dad used to have worked wonders.

I’d imagine that BMX cable sets are going to be pretty short ?

+2 for the Odyssey linears, come in long lengths and colours too.

in BMX, us dinousaurs still running a rear brake always used a linear cable because it allowed a proper setup with minimal influence when the bars got spun from a bar spin or tailwhip : hey dinosaur! why are you spinning those bars 😉

never tried this on mechanical discs because I hate mechanical discs, which have slowly infiltrated the road bike world, I would not touch mech discs whether for MTB or Road, but if you have to run them, its probably worth trying some cheap BMX linear cabling and see what happens?

I feel bad for saying this, but I should point out I have actually bought the SRAM cables, but thanks for the suggestions. I will remember it for next time I need to cable up some mech brakes.

…and when I do so, I will say a little prayer for Esher Shore 8)

…on thing, though. What are the BMX cables like for flexibility? As obviously on a road bike you have to tape them round a few bends.

Aluminium tubing, couple of quid a metre.

Aluminium tube cable outer by paul4stones, on Flickr

Paul I looked a bit closer at your set up and spotted that massive cable loop on the rear V-brake 😯
You is a bad man,I would be ashamed 🙂

I’m always doing that 😳 Never seem to have any cable end caps.

That bike I finished building late at night before the freezing rain came. More about that bike here if you’re interested.

Anyway, looks like I might as well save £20, and run the stock Shimano cables that come with the shifters.

Be careful – shifter outers are not interchangeable with brake routers. The embedded wires are arranged differently and shifter outers may split if used for brakes.