Degree of difficulty: for experienced screwdrivers
Tool: Side or cable cutter, file or grinding disc, needle or very thin screwdriver, Allen key
Excipients: Insulating tape, grease
TIPS:
- Shift and brake cables differ significantly - they must not be swapped or mixed. Inner shift cables are slimmer, with a significantly smaller head. Outer shift cable housings are reinforced lengthways with wire, which stiffens the housings so that they are compressed as little as possible when shifting. In contrast, outer brake cable housings are helically reinforced with steel, which makes them somewhat more flexible.
- Some shift brake levers allow you to choose between routing both cables at the front of the handlebars or one cable at the front and one at the rear of the handlebars. Which choice is the right one depends primarily on the handlebars used.
- For small frames (possibly from 53 centimetres), it can be advantageous to cross the cables in front of the head tube. The front derailleur cable then runs to the right-hand side of the down tube and the rear derailleur cable to the left. To ensure proper function, cross the cables again below the down tube. This prevents the derailleur cables from kinking between the handlebars and the cable stops on the down tube.
- Special plastic guides are the best way to avoid strong tensile friction on the bottom bracket shell. They are now fitted as standard by most frame manufacturers or at least supplied as standard. These guides are often also included with the shift brake levers.
- Make sure that the stem is in the highest position when installing the cables - otherwise it will no longer be possible to change the handlebar height later without having to install new cables.
All workshop instructions for Bowden cables can be found in the PDF download.
Downloads:
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