Ol Danl

I was recently at a short tour of a historical area, ready to go, squeezed my brake levers, and the rear (right) cable snapped behind the little barrel. It was mostly flat, and low speed, so I went on with just the front brake. I've never had a cable break on me even as a child in the 60's. So I've bought these cables from Chinese vendors on ebay a couple of times. You get a lot of 10 for just a few dollars. But I reasoned that even the name brand cable wires are made in China, and there are supposedly a multitude of people riding bikes in China, so why would these on ebay be of poor quality? When the thing broke, I tried to get the little barrel out of the lever (Velo Orange city bike), but it got away from me and rolled under a car. Looked at the cable, but couldn't tell if it pulled out of the barrel or just snapped. Didn't look frayed. I did replace the aluminum ferrule in the lever, that looked to have a rough edge --but how would a rough edge in aluminum cause a stainless cable to fail? Anyway, this is my only brake cable failure ever, and these cables are in most all of my upright bar bikes, so I'll probably keep using them. Does anyone have any repeated failures with them, and maybe think I shouldn't be using them?

smd4

Why would you continue to use cables in a critical safety application that you now know for a fact are prone to failure??

It’s been said over and over, yet some people never hear it: You get what you pay for.

Ol Danl

I’ve been using these for, like, 12-15 years with no previous problems. Has anybody ever had a Shimano or Jagwire branded cable wire break?

mpetry912 

"best cheep"

/markp

smd4

It never ceases to amaze me when people spend thousands of dollars on a bike but cheap out on things like cables…

SurferRosa

I buy shift cables that way. They're under $2/each. Never had one break.

No.

Erzulis Boat 

Brake cables are kind of like hot dogs. You eat/use them, but you don't really want to know how they are made.

From a mechanical standpoint, the cable union with the barrel is "strong", but even when optimized just might have you awake at night if you actually understand how it's done. Do some research on the process, or like I have, make your own (motorcycle clutch) with the proper tools.

I always get nice cables/housing.

cyccommute 

I have never personally had a brake cable break on any of around 40 bikes of various flavors I’ve owned. As a long time volunteer at my local co-op who sees bicycles that are total wrecks, I’ve never seen a broken brake cable of any kind especially at the lever.

SJX426 

Without pics of the failed part and configuration prior to failure, it is all speculation as to the root cause.
I would suggest it is an outlier failure.
My guess is the weak part of the assembly would be the end piece used on the lever end.
Are you sure it is stainless?

John E

Over about 120K miles and 60 years, I have had two brake cables, both fronts, turn into break cables when I applied them -- scary stuff. I currently have newish Shimano cables on the Bianchi and the Schwinn (mountain bike). It's probably not that bad an idea to replace them periodically as preventive maintenance.

I don't have the same safety concerns regarding shift cables, but I have also broken a fair number of those over the years, including recently on the Schwinn, and a few years ago on the Bianchi. I used to break a lot more shift cables on my first (cheapo) Bianchi's Huret-Allvitt gear change system.

Andy_K 

I once had a shift cable break near the head in a Shimano Tiagra shifter. I had used that cable for a few thousand miles before it happened. If I recall correctly, the cable itself had split, not disconnected from the head. I'd guess this was a Jagwire cable because that's what I use most of the time. I have another Shimano STI lever that has a cable broken off in it that I can't get out. I bought that one in that condition, so I have no idea of the history. I'd think shift cables that wrap around a cylinder would be more prone to this sort of thing than brake cables.

abdon 

Meh. I use cheap cables, never had an issue. The casing on the other hand is not something you want to skimp on, good quality lined casing ensures much better shifting and longevity.

bikingshearer 

Another "no" on this one.

squirtdad

I stick with Jagwire and Shimano. I also buy high quality tires for my car and bike

I have never gotten the idea that cheap is good in mission critical applications

I have also never gotten the idea that just because cheap item is made in china and quality item is made in china (or substitute any location) they are the same. Illogical

Rick_D

Used Jagwire kits for a couple of recent rebuilds--brake and shift both--and while the housing quality seems very good the cables are so-so, fraying easily once the not-needed end is clipped. Frustrating. This isn't a comment on strength, not yet anyway, but I'd prefer better quality than they seem to be.

Braided brake cables have been the best for me over the years, but I don't see them readily available. IDK if index shifters still require those index-specific no-stretch versions used when the systems first appeared, but that's a different topic.

Trakhak

Not Shimano or Jagwire, but I've had two brake cables that pulled out of the nub or whatever it's called. One about 10 years ago, the other in the '70s, probably.

1simplexnut

yes - Shimano

SJX426 

The best for the best
P1030592 on Flickr

Moe Zhoost

I've had exactly what you describe happen once in decades of riding. It was a Jagwire cable that broke close to the barrel. Because of the pivoting motion of the lever, this area of the cable flexes when the lever is actuated and this could lead to metal fatigue/breakage. I reckon that my cable was ~ 3 years old, but was used on a daily commuter bike.

Probably a good idea to inspect during routine maintenance.