As above will probably buy bulk for personal use over the next year or so… any cheap places?

Bulk Shimano SP41 outer – Parkers
Jagwire Stainless steel inners of eBay

these guys do bulk. No idea if it’s just retail price and bear in mind you’ll need ferules and end caps too;

http://www.mailorderbikes.com/m5b0s208p0/Components/Gear_Cables

Just get Gore ride on’s and forget. Why the need for bulk buying?
From a review:

I’ve had a set of these on 3 bikes and one set has lasted for nearly 4 years. Shifting is still virtually as good as when they were fitted too. Some people complain that they’re hard to fit but if you take your time it’s pretty straight forward. They are expensive but 2 sets have paid for themselves already and they’re still going strong. Quite simply the best cables available; thank god they started making them again. It’s pretty sad to get excited about gear cables but when a product is this good it’s justified.

wot Jota said (though not too worried about the make of inners)
Though I’ll add, buy the ferrules and cable crimps offa eBay too.

Shimano SP41 in 10m coils from Parkers.
Sealed shimano ferrules with noodles and rubber boots in a 4-pack from CRC.
Inners new with the shifter, or any stainless and preferably PTFE coated.
Fit full-length outers and forget for years.
Job done.

PaulD

I bulk bought a load of PTFE coated stainless inners from wherever google threw up as cheepest, they charged postage so buying 20 seemed economical and at least means I can fiddle and replace them as soona s the shifitng starts to slow down. SP41 outer from either parkers (for plain gray) or mtb-direct for the coloured stuff. Parkers are good for jars of end caps, crimps etc.

Top top – use aluminium end caps at the rear mech, they tend not to be as well sealed as the plastic shimano ones with the noodle, but they protect the cable outer from bending.

Just get Gore ride on’s and forget. Why the need for bulk buying?
From a review:
I’ve had a set of these on 3 bikes and one set has lasted for nearly 4 years. Shifting is still virtually as good as when they were fitted too. Some people complain that they’re hard to fit but if you take your time it’s pretty straight forward. They are expensive but 2 sets have paid for themselves already and they’re still going strong. Quite simply the best cables available; thank god they started making them again. It’s pretty sad to get excited about gear cables but when a product is this good it’s justified.

Has anyone else had any experience of these? sounds interesting although requires drilling out the cable guides on my bike?

Yep I use gore cables on my commuter, great cables, no need to drill out the cable guides.

while on the subject does ~39p each sound pricey for ferrules? normally buy from LBS along with cable (bought per meter or possibly feet) didn’t think they were that much.

Also I’ve seen on other bikes what look like O-rings on cable outers to protect headtube paint, along the lines of these but as I said O rings, anyone know where I can get them?

I just bought a Shimano kit of crc for the new build.

3m outer cable
2 inners
2 end caps
And 8(I think) ferrules

£19, probably not the cheapest but everything needed in 1 kit

Thing to be wary of when buying kits, is there enough outer supplied if you’re hoping to run full length outers. Often the answer is no.

Jagwire Ripcord from High On Bikes
http://www.highonbikes.com/jagwire-ripcord-mountain-bike-gear-cable-set.html

Nice and smooth shifting,alu ferrules and includes everything you need,plus enough cablehousing to run full length outers on a medium Prince Albert and a 140mm Travel Lefty.