kv501

Good afternoon,

I have decided to swap my 5600 shifters for the new 5700 model which has internal cable routing. I haven't done this type of change out before, but I am mechanically competent and have finished a lot more complicated jobs.

I do have a few questions though, and I wasn't able to find my specific answers with a search, and some of the info I did find was contradictory. Anyway, here goes and thanks for your time.

I have never re-cabled a bike before, but I am willing to get the tools/materials I need to do it the right way. Can I use the existing cables and housings if they are long enough? Ideally I'd like to take the existing shifters off, shorten the existing cables if need be, reinstall, and adjust shifting and brakes. If this isn't possible, is there a good resource on the web for re-cabling, trimming cable housing, etc?

The shifter I am buying is in very good used shape, and includes the cables which were installed on that bike. If the those cables are too short for some reason, do I have to buy the replacement from Shimano only? The reason I ask is that I don't know if the cable drums (?) have to be the exact same or not.

Also, the Shimano tech docs show a stopper which bolts to the down tube. Is this something that is required? The bike is a 2009 Trek 2.3, and the stoppers on my frame are integral. I am assuming that Shimano shows this in case you don't already have stoppers on your frame?

My last main question is how much much adjustment normally has to be done when swapping brifters. I don't have a problem doing it, but was just curious how close I will be since I am not changing anything else. I have read that the braking can be affected by going from 5600 to 5700 without changing calipers, but I will wait to see before I buy new brakes.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and if there is anything else I need to know/do I am all ears. If anybody has step-by-step directions or a good tutorial for doing this I'd be grateful. As a side note, I usually support local businesses, but the nearest LBS to me is a 2 hour drive one way (very rural) and I'd like to learn this on my own. Again, thanks for your help and I hope I can learn a few things.

Bike Gremlin

Do not buy used STI shifters. Never. Everything else, but this.

I'm looking for new 5703 shifters, got a pair of unscratched, like brand new, but non-functional ones. Got them real cheap 2nd hand this winter - and they will make nice decoration. Do not buy second hand shifters.

kv501

These come from a co-worker/riding buddy.

dsbrantjr

"These come from a co-worker/riding buddy." I would strongly consider following Slaninar's advice lest you wind up with non-functional shifters and an ex-buddy. This is the same principle which keeps me from buying/selling cars from/to friends. These things tend to break just as they change hands.

kv501

These came brand new on an Allez bought 3 weeks ago, and he's switching everything to SRAM (done by an LBS in Milford, IA, which is the far-away bike shop I mentioned first). The bike has less than 200 miles on it, and he sold them to me for 50 bucks in return for helping him build his deck. We go back to preschool, and his wife has babysat our son since he was an infant. $50 isn't going to wreck our friendship; we've wasted more than that in the bar together too many times for me to count when we were younger and dumber.

Anyway, was just looking for some pointers, not a big deal. I'll move on.

IthaDan 

To actually answer the question-

Yes you can reuse cables. When I'm on a budget, I buy one (1) new brake and one new deraileur cable- I migrate the old one from the rear to the front and use the new one for the rear brake/deraileur. I also make sure to cut the cable off cleanly before I slide it out of the housing, the crimp from the deraileurs or brakes can fray, making for a headache and if not mangling the housing, rendering the cable useless. In your case, I'd spring for 4 new [inner] cables, who knows when you'll take all this apart again. Also, new cables have a soldered tip to them- great for punching through weirdnesses/crimps/oblongs left over from cutting housing without having to worry about fraying the cable.

Housings I usually just reuse. Take note, you might need new deraileur housings as the new routing under the bar tape may take a longer path. I like to order up bulk housing (like 25' worth) because I'm always up to something, but again, you might have luck buying two 30" sections. do they sell 5' of bulk housing? Also- ferrules, these are the ends of the housing that slide into the housing stops on the frame or the component. Be sure you buy shift housing (shift is made with a circle of longitudinally aligned wires, while brake housing is a long coil of flatwound metal, MOST OF THE TIME). Be careful when cutting housing, especially brake housing as it doesn't always cut cleanly, so keep an eye out. A trick I've picked up is to use a sacrificial piece of cable and insert it in the housing where you want to cut. This keeps the housing round and will help the actual cable slide easier.

Don't worry about the cable stops in the shimano documentation, this is a carryover from the days when frames had brazeons for downtube shifters and ran mostly bare, housingless cables (thus necessitating the stop). Use what you've already got- follow the existing path of your shift housing.

Start by taking all the bar tape off. Assume this will be trashed, so order up some new tape while you're at it. Use something flexible like electrical tape to hold the housings in place while you wrap the bar tape proper. Do your handlebars have two grooves? Most likely there's one groove for the brake housings, but now you'll need a place for shift housing as well. This isn't a make or break for this install, but it could certainly help. Mock everything up before you cut anything. Test whether you can turn the bars without the cables limiting the range of motion.

Go ahead and order up the housing even if you won't be needing it, you can always return it, and not having something worth like $20 is a big momentum killer when you actually dig in to this job.

Other than the levers, you need to order or source:
• 2 Brake [inner] cables
• 2 Deraileur [inner] cables
• Cable end caps of your choice (i use old spoke nipples or just coil the excess cable up tightly and neatly if I don't have caps on hand)
• 5' of shift housing, or 2 lengths of at least 30" (with at least 4 ferrules of the same diameter)
• Bar wrap/tape of your choice.

oh yeah, and put a light coat of lube (like chain lube, hell, even grease if you want, it's your bike) between your fingers and then slide the cable between the lubed fingers before you make your finally assembly.

kv501

Thanks a million for the response; this is what I was looking for.

My bars only have one cable groove, which I forgot to ask about in my first post. Is it better to route both cables on the front of the bar (one in the groove and one out of it), or to take one front and one back? I saw in the tech doc that there is an inner and outer hole on the shifter to run the cable either way.

IthaDan 

Play around with it, it's really a personal choice. I prefer the both of them on the inside of the flats, but some like the flattened profile both sides gives, and use it like a palm rest. figure a solid couple of hours just mocking everything up and getting ready to actually cut and install.