About to fit a new set of BB7 MTN Calipers with Avid speed dial levers.

For my bikes running cantilever & V brakes I use Wilkinsons finest cables.

Before I shell out the princely sum of £3.80 for a pair I thought I ought to check if I should be using special cables.

No mention of cables in the set up instructions etc.

nope, boggo standard shimano cables and work great

Colourful BMX jobbies.

Just avoid the old-skool racing fashion of using gear cables, which I am told ran freerer through the casing.

Thinner will definitely stretch more, and it may be too much.

I would start with the levers on minimum extra dialled leverage and dial it in when the pads have bedded down and you are familiar with the effect. Front and rear should need different dial points to prevent premature lock-up/teeth removal.

PaulD

kiwijohn – Member

Colourful BMX jobbies.

Good call KJ

Not sure I could face going into our LBMXS and asking for loads of colourful cable – my jeans just aren’t tight enough ….. 😥

Cheers Paul.

Wilkos here I come 🙂

Gore Rideons for me 🙂

some time ago someone (that reads as useful as the search engine!)
posted a pic of a “home made” system using aluminium tube that looked very tidy

You mean the Avid FMJ?
http://www.dotbike.com/p/595?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=FGL

That looks a bit bonkers and perhaps over engineered!

Might see how I get on with Wilkos best

antigee – Member
some time ago someone (that reads as useful as the search engine!)
posted a pic of a “home made” system using aluminium tube that looked very tidy

That would “Velobike” on mtbr (can’t recall his STW username).

have to say the wilcos one have a tendency to rust if they get wet.

Saying that I used them between Uni and getting a job as they are much cheaper.

I use BB7s on my all weather, year-round commuting bike, and had problems with sticky brakes as the cable performance degraded over time.
I upgraded to the Gore Ride-ons and fitted them as full length outers, and found this improved the brake action considerably. I originally thought they were a ridiculous price, but have changed my mind after actually using them.

i use clarks compressionless cables.. got mine from crc dirt cheap in a rather natty silver braided finish.

Full length Shimano outers here.

I filled them with teflon lube just for poshness. I would also (if I had kept the bike) have experimented with using some V-Brake concertinas at the calliper end, where the cable enters the housing, as I think muck was getting pulled in at that point. Mine certainly felt a bit sticky after the winter.

I heard a recommendation for Jagwire Ripcords from someone who sets up cable discs better than anyone – they have gear cable style wire alignment with a kevlar wrap or something along those lines, so are almost compressionless.

just be aware that if you are using compressionless outers, you need VERY good cable cutters otherwise you simply compress the ‘compressionless’ outer which will make it almost impossible to get the inner through and will lead to lots of friction in the system

I moved to using pre-stretched teflon coated cables/jagwires with standard outers, and simply chucking the outers away when they started to get funny, and cleaning the cable. Dab of grease in the end of the outers tends to make them last long enough to be affordable. Easy enough to cut everything with a rotary tool, clamping the cable (or outer) with pliers and cutting the waste end side.

I spent £15 on some prestretched teflon coated ones and they seem really good.

I don’t think there would be any need for anything better as I can quite easily go over my handle bars if I pull it to hard.

Bog standard Clarkes and Middleburn oilers! work a treat on the tandem

Don’t use BB7’s but whenever I fit cables I always dress the outers with an angle grinder, then clean out & chamfer the soft inner part. Gets even cheap cables running nice & smooth.

I use full length Goodridge cable outer (CRC stock it), and LBS inners, (which’ll be Shimano, Jagwire or Clarke).

It’s very stiff, so you might need to route it creatively – all of my installations go the ‘wrong’ sides of the headtube to ensure I get as gentle an angle on the cable as I can get.

Oh, if you’re running a rear cable disc, just run a full length outer, zip tied to the frame. You can get your bike blathered in mud and heavily increase the lifetime of the outer.

Teflon coated inners cost £3 max. Buy outer cable bulk on ebay. £5.55 for 6.6m in loads of colours.

I used a length of alloy tubing down the seat stay of mine. Seemed ok until I bent it.