Originally Posted by
andrewclaus
And you don't have to remove or even loosen the cable for the above. Shift into the tightest cable position (usually low in rear, high in front) while pedaling, stop pedaling, then shift into the loosest position. This should give enough slack to remove one piece of housing from a slotted frame stop, if your bike is so equipped.
Visual version on a mountain bike but the concept is the same. Shift into the lowest gear on the back (highest cable tension)
Library - 3391 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
And the highest gear on the front
IMG_1153 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
Upshift on the back and downshift on the front without pedaling.
Library - 3392 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
Now you can pull the cable out of the stops
Library - 3394 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
Although not shown, you can even pull the ferrules off to inspect the end of the housing.
Library - 3395 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
You can also pull the cable housing away from the shifter and push inner cable out of the end of the shifter to inspect it. You can’t Inspect the ends of the housing under the tape, however.
Library - 3396 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
This method can also be used to grease cables if they get sticky. Just put a bit of grease between your thumb and forefinger then slide it up and down the cable. When you are done lubricating and inspecting, just remember to shift everything back to where it was.