Have been having problems with my 1×9 shifting unreliably. Mech looks fine so I suspect the cable, esp where it routes through a plastic guide under the BB. I am thinking about running a continuous outer so are there some tips?

Do it.

So do I drill out the existing frame guides so that I can thread the outer through?

Yes. Can be a pain to do and is irreversable so try just zip-tieing it to the frame for a while first to see how you like it.

Never had any issues with interrupted outers myself, but then again that could be luck 😉

I do have full outers on my Nicolai, purely ‘cos that’s what the bosses/guides are made for.

As for tips, Shimano SP41/XTR outer and XTR inner cables all the way. Make sure you use the XTR ends on the outers too

Yep, get the dremmel out. Interupted cables are for dry countries or maintainence hero’s.

do it – and fit some Middleburn cable oilers

If you drill the stops to 4mm, then clean them up with a needle file, then you could still revert to using split outer as the end caps are 6mm. As above, SP41 outer, and sealed Shimano end caps are probably your best option.

“If you drill the stops to 4mm, then clean them up with a needle file, then you could still revert to using split outer as the end caps are 6mm.”

Top tip that. I’m going to start using zipties to check it all out first, and then if all is well, do this. I’ve bought an XTR cable.

Thanks all.

I assume you have checked the jockey wheels for wear?

“I assume you have checked the jockey wheels for wear?”

Yes is good point generally. The XT derailleur is ~15 rides old, as is the hanger, XT cassette, unramped chainring and SLX chain. The derailleur seems to be hanging straight.

Shifting quality has got intermittent in different gears despite fitting new cable inner at the same time as the rest, so I’m suspecting the sections of cable outer.

Faffy things gears.

what coatsey said – that’s what I’ve always done and it works a treat.

Or just zip tie them in place.

Yes is good point generally. The XT derailleur is ~15 rides old, as is the hanger, XT cassette, unramped chainring and SLX chain

have you stripped the chain of transport grease?

I’d use a couple of metres of whatever my LBS had in stock of cable outer. In fact, I did this 4 years ago and haven’t had a single problem since. It seems smooth enough and my thumbs haven’t fallen off.

are you sure its not the shifters or mech – If you have replaced the inners and outers and they still do not shift properly then I doubt its that. If you have fitted them but gradually get worse in muddy conditions then sure try full outers? For the record I run full outers on my orange and interrupted on my HT and there has been no difference. I just keep them all clean – perhaps I have to change the small bit of outer near the rear mech a bit more often but that’s rare.

stAn-Bad Brains MBC – Member
do it – and fit some Middleburn cable oilers

Definatly a good thing to do

As for tips, Shimano SP41/XTR outer and XTR inner cables all the way. Make sure you use the XTR ends on the outers too

+1

Pimpmaster Jazz – Member
As for tips, Shimano SP41/XTR outer and XTR inner cables all the way. Make sure you use the XTR ends on the outers too

+1

+1. Silky smooth.

Don’t bother drilling out the cable stops in case you want to sell the frame in the future. just cable tie them on close.

I always found old style hardtail BB routing (1 outer from shifter to downtube, 1 outer from chainstay to mech) to be fine especially with a front routed mech like shimano shadow or sram, it’s top tube routed I have trouble with. (or is this some FSer with BB routing and lots of short sections of outer?)
You only said you replaced the inner, I always replace the outer at the same time aswell, a nice clean inner will soon get gunked up by old outers.

But yeah full length outer can help, specially with FSers

Don’t remove the “transport” grease from your chain, I was advised to do this in the past but sheldon set me right (see factory lube)

Good quality cables + middleburn cable oilers (3 for the rear)
I only have to change cables once a year with these and shifting is smooth as… a lifesaver and cost a pittance

No idea where the ‘transport grease’ idea came from, SRAM used to have a section on there site about the special chain lube they use.

Any idea if it’s possible to change front mech partial outer bottom routing to full outer top routing? I’d need a cable stop on the down tube I guess, is there a ‘strap on’ (?) one available?

Don’t remove the “transport” grease from your chain, I was advised to do this in the past but sheldon set me right

Read it again.

XTR Cables???

Just use the std ones from a bike shop with matching ends.

Zip ties are fine and you will probably get a better routing. You can use a slightly larger plastic pipe/tube under the chain stay protector as a guide.

Been running continuous cables front & rear for about 5/6 years now just better

Three Fish are you referring to

The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions.

I took that to mean if the bike is ridden in hermtically sealed conditions it will last for several hundred miles but not quite so many miles in real world (mtb) conditions not “remove the grease if you ride in mud” because he also follows it with

It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube

re chains: factory lube seems ace to me, but too much on the outer bits of the chain

I dampen (not soak) a rag with some sort of degreaser and run the chain through it to remove outer lube but leave it inside the links

OK. I decided to run a full XTR outer but instead of following the frame’s natural routing under the BB shell, via the underside of the top tube, by zip-tying it to the brake cable, and then running down the drive-side chain-stay to the rear mech.

My frame’s drop-out area has some convenient places to put a ziptie to keep the cable still. The main advantage is that the overall cable run is as short as it can be, the zip-ties are innocuous and I don’t need to mod the frame.

So far it seems to work well. Thanks for the tips all.