Nokon cables

greasedscotsman

Any good or just bike bling?

(not that bling is a bad thing, you understand...)

Monty Dog

I have them on a couple of bikes, fitted about 10 years ago and not had to touch them since, particularly as the full-length liners means the inner is shielded, even on a CX bike that sees all sorts of mank. They're a bit of a fiddle to fit - not a job to do in a rush - but in hindsight I'd have gone through 2-3 sets of regular cables in the same time. Other downside is that the 'beads' can get scuffed in places. Also tried the Alligator I-links once - they were awful, too-soft alloy that corrodes and splits.

vinnymarsden

Cant speak for the Nokons but I have the JagWire equivalent and would go along with Monty Dogs assesment..they are a bit fiddly...time consuming to fit...but worth the effort...not only do they look good, which , let's face it, is one of the reasons we fit any extra bits to our bikes, and they also do work better than standard cables, in my opinion.

ryan_w-2

Jagwire Elite Links here, absolute pleasure to work with and look / perform fantastic.

greasedscotsman

Thanks for all the replies. Didn't know that Jagwire made an equivalent. Have to check it out.

Matthewfalle

If they are anything like the Gore Pro ones then don't bother - not worth the extra over ones from the big Shimano box at the LBS. no improved shifting performance, fiddly to fit, huge initial outlay.

Just buy normal ones and change them every year for a commuter bike, for a sunny good bike you shouldn't need to touch them after the initial bedding inperiod if you keep the bike nice and clean.

mfin

Nokon only provides benefit if the cable routing on your particular bike has tight bends. Don't buy it thinking it looks good because aesthetically it looks sh1t compared to normal cabling. Here, look at it up close:

964cup

I rate it; have full Nokon on my weight-weenie bike (brakes only), and routinely use it for the final run to the rear derailleur and rear brake on all my other (non-vintage, mechanical, rim-brake)* bikes. It's less compressible than regular housing, so in my view you get better shift quality; similarly the rear brake cable is less likely to bind. It's very durable, although it does scuff, and it can rattle and creak but a combination of proper installation and some furniture wax deals with this effectively.

* How ridiculous that we have to qualify in this way, but after all a hydro Di2 bike (or I suppose a hydro fixed/SS) has no conventional cabling at all. And it would look stupid to use Nokon with C-Record...