Worth the effort of fitting or just change cables more frequently?
Define "more frequently"...
I find cables last for years without lubing or changing.
Adjusters are there if you fit drops to a bike with slotted cable guides, because there won't be a barrel adjuster on the downtube like there is/was on road bikes. As for lubers - not really necessary on any other bike with a full length cable run so, not sure if you need them on a gravel bike specifically.
I rarely if ever change cables on my MTB with full length cables, I just apply a bit of silicone lube every 3-6 months. Shifting is still spot on. I think people change cables too often!
I just change them when they snap or suspect they're frayed, maybe once a year max. The outers are full length from shifter to derailleur so not really possible to re-lube after fitting?
I just change them when they snap or suspect they’re frayed, maybe once a year max.
I can't remember when I last changed a cable - many years. I do have in line cable oilers tho on runs where unhooking the cable to grease it is difficult. If its an interrupted run with slotted lugs I unhook it to gain a load of slack and grease the cable by sliding the outer up and down.
done like this cables will last an almost infinite time plus you always have perfect shifting
I just change them when they snap
I've snapped a cable twice I think in over 25 years of riding.
TJ you grease cables? I use the lightest oil I can find.
If I can yes - only were you can unhook the outer and slide it along the inner on an interrupted cable run or when fitting new. Always been my practice. Cables only move a small ampount and grease will last longer.
It's my experience that thicker oils and grease gum up over time so it needs re-doing more often.
Sounds like my gear changes are not as delicate as I delicate and as I thought if I'm going through cables that frequently - although a years riding is anywhere between 2,000 and 6,000 miles though...
Definitely worth it for me. They've come into their own now I have separate road and gravel wheelsets and swapping between them needs half a turn or so first time out afterwards, but even so I reckon they're a no-brainer.
Edit: I'm referring to adjusters - had no idea lubers were a thing. Never lube my cables. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. I thought it just attracted dirt and gummed them up, and it was a hangover from before stainless cables with smoothed outer surfaces.
Cable oilers do seem a thing of the past but SJS still sell some
maybe i am a thing of the past as well but I love them
No one plutolining cables? (Sorry)
I put a cable oiler on a dropper post cable, as it's full-length and usually a pain to remove and relube. But not on gears, I suppose it'll depend on the routing (internal / external / full length etc).