Bike Maint - Replacing Cables Before The Big Race

jmoss70

Cross-posting from the Dashboard.  IMCDA is coming up in ~2.5 weeks.  How often do you guys/gals replace your cables on your bike? My current set of cables has ~3,000 miles on it. I can't get into the LBS to get them replaced until next Tuesday. Shifters don't seem to be giving me any problems but I'd guess that 3,000 miles is significant usage.  If I get them replaced next Tuesday this will give me maybe 100 miles to stretch the new cables and break them in. Is this enough time?

Interested in what others do.

Scott Alexander

I replace all cables and chains at the beginning of outdoor riding season, so my personal window would have passed already. Just my $.02.

jmoss70

Same here.  Replaced them on Jan 14th but now have 3K miles on them since.  

Coach Rich

If you do replace them, highly recommend you shift and shift and shift and shift to stretch out the cables, then have the bike retuned before the race, preferrably at the venue. There's a shop out on/near the bike course, near Hayden, where PnI took his bike in '08. They dropped what they were doing and hooked up his bike very quickly. Don't recommend getting it done in the expo.

jmoss70

Is 3,000 miles nearing end of life for a set of well-maintained, lubed and adjusted shifter/brake cables? 

Get a final tune and leave it be?

OR

Replace them all?

These are the questions...

mancona

I replace cables and chains every year no matter what so mine probably see less than 3,000 miles. However I also do it all myself and have been know to race on a bike that I just built the week of the race, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I would do a quick inspection. If you see fraying in the cables, cracks in the housing or the shifting/braking just doesn't feel right anymore replace them. I'd hate to see a mechanical during an IM becasue of under $40 worth of cables (just ask Macca about this one).

If everything looks and feels great then don't worry about it as I am sure many people get many more than 3,000 miles out of them.

My personal drop dead for bike changes before a A race is about one week out as that give me enough time to make sure tires/tubes/shifting/etc are all working like they should be.

Coach Rich

What Matt said. IF you can get a QUALITY tune the week of the race, I would replace them. In my experience, cable stretch begins to affect the tune after about 150 miles but that's a function of shifting vs riding. You just sit on the couch watching TV and shift the crap out of the drivetrain then take it in for a retune.

Spokane_Al

I believe the bike shop that Rich is referring to is www.cyclemetrix.com/ .  It is owned by Jim Kozak and he operates out of his house.  He is an excellent bike mech, quick to respond and will do you right.  If you know you need his services, I suggest you contact him in advance.

Tell him Al Olsen sent you.

Coach Rich

Yep, that's the shop.

Tom Glynn

I take my bikes to the LBS once a year and have them replace cables, brake pads, redo handle bar tape, check chain and anything else the shop finds. It's just easy.

GMAN 19030

I'm interested to see what kind of cable life a Di2 setup gets. Obviously no difference with brakes but the shift cables aren't really cables in the true sense and more wires just carrying an electrical signal.

mancona

@Bob - I think you answered your own question. The DI2 Shift "cables" are wires and are good unless they get damaged which in theory should not happen unless you crash. Those wires should not be a wear item and should not need to be replaced.

The brake cables are the same as any other brake cables and should wear our the same.

GMAN 19030

I like to do my own wrenching and I would not want to cable the Di2 stuff on the Speed Concept. I heard it's quite a chore. Here's hoping they're never damaged.

jmoss70

Took bike into LBS this morning.  The head wrench who I really trust - has worked on my bikes for years and has never steered me wrong.  He said bad idea to change out the cables now.  12 days until IMCDA, ~80 miles more of riding to do.  Not enough to make sure stretch or any other little kinks are worked out before.  Also said that ~3K miles since January when they were replaced last is not a crazy amount ot miles/time.  I remembered that a good 700-800 of those miles are on the CompuTrainer where I'm in Erg Mode and there's little/no shifting involved.  So, he said he'd inspect everything, tune but advised we not replace cables.  

I hope this works out. 

 

mancona

You will be just fine ... many people go years and years without changing cables and get sweat and gatorade in them and they still work fine. The shifting just isn't as smooth.

jmoss70

Yeah.  Keep telling myself that.  Can you sense that it's only 12 days until Ironman for me?  This is my 4th and I've never been so OCD about this stuff before.  Thanks Matt.