Changing shifters without recabling. Doable?
greg66_tri_v2.0
Posts: 7,172
That's the question. For Campy.
I've changed shifters and cables before, and I've changed just cables. But Can I do the shifters without recabling. From what I recall, I'd have to loosen each cable at the mech/caliper, pull it through at the shifter end, rethread it through the new shifter and work it through the outers which would be in place.
Backstory: I'm doing swap from frame A to frame B. Bars came off frame A with tape, levers, cables attached. Just pulled everything through.
I've got new shifters in the post. Somewhere. And a bad case of impatience. So I'm thinking of rebuilding with the old shifters in place, then when the new ones arrive, simply swapping them over. But I've got a bad feeling that I'll need to re-cable at that point.
Views?
I've changed shifters and cables before, and I've changed just cables. But Can I do the shifters without recabling. From what I recall, I'd have to loosen each cable at the mech/caliper, pull it through at the shifter end, rethread it through the new shifter and work it through the outers which would be in place.
Backstory: I'm doing swap from frame A to frame B. Bars came off frame A with tape, levers, cables attached. Just pulled everything through.
I've got new shifters in the post. Somewhere. And a bad case of impatience. So I'm thinking of rebuilding with the old shifters in place, then when the new ones arrive, simply swapping them over. But I've got a bad feeling that I'll need to re-cable at that point.
Views?
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Comments
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There is absolutely no reason you need to replace the cables if they are in good condition and working smoothly.0
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My question is more directed to whether the part of the Ergo that holds the "head" of the cable allows the cable to be inserted from the side (like a v-brake), or whether there is no side access, such that the entire length of the cable has to be threaded through the Ergo.0
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I've done a number of times with Ergos. As long the end of the cable isn't frayed you should be fine.
If it is frayed you'll struggle to get it through the outers, getting it through the ergos is the easy bit
But if I understand your last post properly...you'll have to totally take the cable out of the outers and ergos....there's no quick way of doing it. So that'll mean having to redo your bar tape too..0 -
redddraggon wrote:I've done a number of times with Ergos. As long the end of the cable isn't frayed you should be fine.
If it is frayed you'll struggle to get it through the outers, getting it through the ergos is the easy bit
But if I understand your last post properly...you'll have to totally take the cable out of the outers and ergos....there's no quick way of doing it. So that'll mean having to redo your bar tape too..
Cheers. The bar tape is ripped up from a slide on a frosty morning, so it's on the list of things to do.
A couple of ends are frayed. A bit. Might see how I get on binding the ends with PTFE tape...0 -
Greg66 wrote:redddraggon wrote:I've done a number of times with Ergos. As long the end of the cable isn't frayed you should be fine.
If it is frayed you'll struggle to get it through the outers, getting it through the ergos is the easy bit
But if I understand your last post properly...you'll have to totally take the cable out of the outers and ergos....there's no quick way of doing it. So that'll mean having to redo your bar tape too..
Cheers. The bar tape is ripped up from a slide on a frosty morning, so it's on the list of things to do.
A couple of ends are frayed. A bit. Might see how I get on binding the ends with PTFE tape...
It seems to me that the cable fraying is usually cause by the flattening of the cable when fitting the end cable crimps. I now use "shrink" tubing with a heat gun which works well and doesn't damage the cable.0 -
For anyone interested in the answer:
- yes, you can change Campy ergos without recabling.
- according to Campy's instructions, you can remove the ergos from the bracket on the bars without changing the bar tape. This was a bit beyond me, and I had to change the tape anyway.
- in order to change the ergos, you have to release all four cables at their clamps and pull them out through the ergos. You can leave the outers in place
- once the new ergos are fitted to the bars, you have to thread your old cables into the ergos and through the existing outers back to their clamping points.
- frayed cable ends are a real PITA at this point. As noted above!
- if you have internal cable routing, threading a cable that's been curved through use through a frame and out a little hole is not very easy.
As I had ripped bar tape, outers transferred from another frame, and frayed cable ends (two of which had < 1cm post clamp), I went for the re-cabling/retaping option.
Were I doing a straight ergo swap on a properly cabled bike, within any appreciable lengths of internal cable routing, I would be inclined to splash out £10-15 on a new set of cables, and use the existing outers.0
