chadtrent

I'm getting ready to do my winter maintenance on my bikes. Changing cables and chain/cassette. Normally I just change the cables and reuse the housings. Some people have told me that's fine, and some people have told me that you should change the housings too. Do I need to change the housings assuming they are not damaged or anything? About 3000 miles on this bike.

dsbrantjr

I always change both inner (die-drawn stainless) cables and the (lined) housings. The cables wear into the housings (one of the causes of cable "stretch"), dirt and wear products accumulate, and there is no guarantee that the new cables will run smoothly in the old housings. I also use lined housings and eventually the lining will wear through; replacing the housings provides a new, unworn lining.

subgrade

I'd sooner change the housings than the cables, as long the cables aren't frayed. But it's better to to change both.

base2 

At 3k miles it's hard to see how the housings could be bad.

I wouldn't bother replacing housing unless you already had plans to re-wrap the bar tape or wanted to take the opportunity to upgrade the plain coiled brake housing to something supremely awesome like compressionless kevlar reinforced brake housing like Jagwire KEB-SL or the unlined shift housing to Jagwire L3.

If you don't want to purchase new housing, you can stretch your budget a bit by reverseing the old housing installation so the wear spots inside the housing move to new places. It's probably unnecessary though.

I don't bother with zinc plated cables. Inevitably they age, corrode, & clog things up prematurely. Stainless really is worth the extra ~$5 per bike.

Retro Grouch 

I use slick galvanized cables and solder the ends so they don't fray. If you want to cheap out on housings, I'd at least replace the short u-bend adjacent to the rear derailleur.

ridelikeaturtle

New housings are really nice, but not always necessary. If you want to ensure your shifting and braking is really good, to me the housing is just as important (if not more). But if your braking and shifting is already fine and you just want new cables (because the old ones are frayed or are too short), you can normally just get away with new cables.

Sometimes you can get a whole kit (from Campy or Shimano) that includes the housings and all the end caps and ferrules and cables and it's not far off the cost of cables alone.

sdmc530

I do it every other time...just how I roll. I can see why you would do both at once, price is cheap enough and its not a huge hassle. But I don't like to replace the bar tape just to do the outers so about every other time for me.

good luck.

pdlamb

Good call.

I have a hard time threading new cables through brifters into old housings, so I normally do both when the cable needs to be replaced. By then bar tape is ripe for retirement as well.

2old

I vote for (and usually do) both.

Wilfred Laurier

As said above by subgrade , the housings are actually more important than the inner cable. The housing is the part that wears and gets gunked up. A cable can be wiped clean and the housing wouldn't know the difference, but the housing wears and is difficult to clean. I would change only the housing, except it is often difficult to re-feed the used cable (frayed ends, bits deformed from pinch bolts). A new cable with a soldered end makes reinstallation so easy that it's worth the extra $4 per cable, IMO.

Except for some modern shift levers that seem designed to tear the heads off cables, there is usually less reason to replace the inner cable.

ups

Both.

cyccommute 

With only 3000 miles, I'd say neither. That's not a lot of time or mileage on the cables. However, when I do change an inner cable, I'll reuse the housing for several more cables. If it isn't cracked or otherwise deformed, I don't generally replace them. Use good stainless or teflon coated inner cable and lined housing. Both will last a very long time.

AnkleWork

+1
You can easily inspect the inner cables for condition, housings not so much. But really, if there's no problem then replacing anything seems wasteful.

JoeTBM 

Because of the nature of the work we do, we only change the housings when truly needed. We do inspect housings for any sharp bends, rusting, brittleness, cracks, etc. We also blow out the housings with compressed air before installing a new cable. As long is the cables move freely and the devices work properly they stay. Inner cables that come out frayed require better scrutiny of the housings. Our shop operates on a shoestring budget so every penny counts, I know some here will disagree but it works for us. Even a removed brake cable from a rear brake, if in good condition, may end up being reused for a front recabling.

sch

For stainless shifter cables 95% of the 'wear' is where the cable makes a sharp wrap in the brifter. If you replace the R
shifter cable at 3k miles you will be doing about 95% of any needed cable preventive maintenance. If the replacement cable
can be easily threaded through the housing without disassembly of the handlebar housing/bar tape then that is all I would
do. A cable like the Campy with a tightly wound tapered tip would make this easy. The blunt tips on Shimano would need more care
to prevent fraying of the cable end. Galvanized cables IME need replacement much more frequently than stainless as they
are at risk of rusting in addition to being weaker.

Drew Eckhardt 

Leave the brakes and front shift cable/housing alone. Brake cables don't fatigue because they have pivoting attachments and are pulled in straight lines not wrapped around shift drums and tight 90 degree guides. Unlined brake housings don't wear. People shift the front derailleur much less often so the front cable plus housing last a multiple of rear life.

Right shift cable replacement may be urgent or you may have six years left. It depends on what controls you use and how much you shift with the failure mode being fatigue from bending in the shifter. I replace mine every 2000 miles so it doesn't break in 2200-2600. Some people have 20,000 problem free miles. Some people can only manage 1500 miles. If you're attentive, when maintaining your bike you can shift into the small cog, lift the hood, and look for broken strands. Replace the cable when strands break or you notice sluggish shifts to small cogs. If you're not paying attention and let the cable break, it can be a royal PITA to get out. Some people buy a new shifter when broken strands jam up its innards. Don't wait as long for the next replacement, noting that changes in riding habits can impact cable life. I shift more when I'm out of shape and get 1000 miles less out of rear shift cables.

Replace it every 3000 miles if you don't pay attention. Most people get at least 3000 miles.

I replace my housing at the same time as my cable approaches its life limit because the housing can reach its wear limit in less time than it takes to wear out two cables. When I'm happy with my bar tape I just unwrap it halfway and reuse it, applying new electrical tape on the stem end. Housing failure mode is sluggish shifts to smaller cogs so timely replacement is far less critical than shift cable. The cable wears a groove in the handlebar housing which pinches the cable. You can have the same failure mode or dirt in the rear loop.

You might be someone who gets 20,000 miles out of shift cables with their current setup and could go 40,000 before your housing needs attention. If you can get 6000 miles out of a cable before breaking it and are replacing them at a 3000 mile interval you can probably get away with doing the housing on one in four cables. Decide whether you prefer replacing it prematurely or at an unplanned time and act accordingly.

Buy individual cables and quality bulk housing online, e.g. factory lubricated Shimano SP41 at $17 for 10 meters. More cogs closer together, extra bends from under tape routing, and internal cabling made modern bikes much more susceptible to housing friction.

Shift into large ring x small cog, put some tension on the bottom run, and measure the chain using a 12" ruler. If the same part of two pins is more than 11 1/16" apart it needs replacement. This could take 1500 miles or 4500 miles. Also replace the chain when shifts onto the big ring get slow due to increased flexibility from side plate wear - Campagnolo chains usually wear out that way first. It's probably due, and with 1/8" of elongation your cassette will be wiped out too. I replace Campagnolo chains every 4500 miles due to decreased shift quality with 1/32" or less elongation.

The rule of thumb is 1/16" in 12", although the extra few thousandths elongation applying that limit at 11" isn't perceptible and it's easier to see because you're not past the last of the fractional inch marks on a standard foot long ruler. Don't use a chain checker because most include roller wear which does not impact pitch and the rate at which your cassette wears.

Leave the cassette alone if you didn't have over 1/16" of elongation. You should get 3-5 chains per cassette depending on how much you favor specific gears provided you don't run titanium cogs and haven't let the chain elongate too much. Replace it when a new chain skips. I get 5-6 chains per cassette (> 25,000 miles).

Your mileage will vary.

This is what happens to cables after enough shifts which can take 1,500 miles or 15,000 depending on rider habits and shifter design. Unfortunately, keeping road bike hoods small enough to wrap your hand around forces tighter bends than mechanical engineering standards allow for wire rope. Contemporary mechanism designs and slick die drawn cables also radically reduced life from what we got historically.

Drew Eckhardt 

Lined housing life is usually about double cable life running integrated brake/shift levers with under tape shift housing routing and hoods level with bar tops.

Lined housing life is similar to cable life with flying housing Shimano shifters or 1997 and older Campagnolo pointy hood levers.

Don't reuse cables because they're a royal PITA to remove when the cable breaks. Using proper cable cutters when you install them the first time, crimping a cap on, and squeezing the cap 90 degrees opposite the crimp to remove keeps the end together so reuse is easy - you just don't want to.

If you're using 75% of your measured cable life replace housings at the same time as cables so you don't waste time reassembling things more often because the replacement schedules don't line up.

Unlined housing lasts until sun cracks the plastic outer layer in 10+ years apart from the rear loop which can gunk up in 5000 miles.

u235

Yes, I'd change them but that's me.

coure2011

I will also say the same

frankenmike 

Depends. Good practice is to change both, but I find it unnecessary sometimes. Comes down to a judgement call on a case by case basis for my bikes. Bottom line is that everything functions properly.

zacster

I guess the question is the type of riding you are doing. For a road bike you don't need to change that often, not even close. For a dirt bike in the mud maybe. My cables last a long time but I don't take my bike in the rain, never mind mud.

dedhed

I normally go 2-3 inners before I change outers on my STI bike. Because my 68 Raleigh has double ended cables, neither gets changed until broken.
Lots of variables that fall under "change my cables" on any given bike.