Rusted cables

mattyjonsmith

Ok, just pulled my wifes mountain bike out of the shed and have been giving it a tune up as it's been out of action for quite a while. Everything seems fine. Brakes and gears are all working perfectly. I've cleaned and relubed it where appropriate but there is rust on all the exposed brake and gear cables. should I change all of these cables as a matter of course or leave them alone as they are working perfectly? Probably a stupid question; I just don't fancy changing them all if it's not toally neccessary! Cheers for any advice.

Oh, and before anybody asks I do love my wife so want to do whatever is safest for her and not have the brakes fail on a down hill!!

speshyalex

i would say change the brake cables,better to be safe than sorry. but propably leave the gears alone if they're working perfect...

mattyjonsmith

You know what that is perfect sense!! Thankyou for your quick and wise advice!! Keeps her safe and doesn't give me a huge job. Cheers mate!

butcher of bakersfield

I don't think I've ever had a brake cable snap and I've ridden some sheds. They may stick a lot though.. You'll often find that most of the rust is on the surface and can be cleaned off. For good measure, strip the sheaths off (make sure the cable's not frayed or you'll spend hours getting it back in!) give it a good clean, and grease back up. They'll run a lot smoother afterwards.

Then again, for the price of a couple of cables...

desweller

butcher of bakersfield wrote:

I don't think I've ever had a brake cable snap and I've ridden some sheds.

I have. Not an experience to be repeated.

Get 'em changed!