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Is it worth the money over buying "normal" outers? I'm upgrading all my drivetrain and probably want to get sealed/full length cables to stop the shit getting in and ruining my shifting. Also can the cables be cut to length or does this sort of defeat the purpose of a sealed system?
I'm running SP41 full length outer with XTR cable on my bike and it's much sweeter shifting than anything I've used before and worked out alot cheaper than Gore. The last few rides have been on very wet muddy and gritty trails and it's reassuring to know that there's little chance of it getting in and messing up the shifting.
Surely you have to cut the cable to length or you'd have loads flapping about (unless I've misunderstood what you mean)
I thought they supplied them in pre-defined "sealed" lengths which you just put between the shifter and the derailleur. I'm probably just being thick though.
I think that buying a reel of that SP41 outer and some inners will work out cheaper than the whole kit though so may just do that.
Not quite, they come pre-cut to random lengths but you can cut it down like normal, it's pretty annoying actually since the outer you get is no use for a full-outer bike, but there's enough there to do one full-length run, just that it's cut up.
Good kit though, not sure how long it lasts, longer than any bike build I've had lately though 😉
XTR cables and teflon inners are about the easiest, cheapest and best 'upgrade' to any gears
Teflon coating falls of the XTR cables pretty soon, still they seem to last longer than anything else in my use.
You can effectively make XTR full length cables using SP41 outer(it's fully pre-greased), SIS SP40 Sealed end caps (Wiggle sell them in packs of 6), and XTR inners.I'd guess most shops would carry this stuff, we usually have 10m roll of outer for full-sussers with tortuous cable routing as it works better for longer than the cheaper stuff that's fine for most bikes.
[b]coatesy[/b] thanks for the tip, I've always enjoyed the ease of shifting you get with XTR, and they do last a bloody long time, just the pre cut lengths is so annoying.
As above I bought 3 metres of SP41 outer off a reel and a couple of XTR cables with a pack of aluminium sealed end caps.
The lengths of outer in the XTR kits are too short to run full lengths. It's probably only SP41 outer in those kits anyway.
Sounds like that'll do then. Will non-full length cables with the sealed end bits work as well as a full length or will the mud still get in? Just that using normal length ones in the cable stops looks better 😛
CRC are doing XTR inners for £6. I had some outers lying around so it was a cheap easy upgrade. Well worth it they make a big difference to shifting
I've tried two versions of this; one, running full length INNER sleeve stuff with the standard cut off runs of outer cable; worked very well, nice and smooth and has lasted for a year or so.
The daddy though is full length outer and inner. I don't even think you need XTR cable or anything fancy, just a full length outer with seals at either end. I've been running this for two years on my FS and the gear change is still better than every other bike gear change I've used, even brand new Dura-Ace stuff. It's so good it makes me chuckle when I'm riding (obviously this is a quiet chuckle, and I take care to do it when no-one is watching).
Oh yeah- XTR outer is SP41 as meninja says. Actually now I think about it at least one of my bikes isn't running XTR inners any more as they're a bit too expensive for my taste, £1.50 clarks stainless steel instead and doesn't seem to work any different.