veloz

Shimano 105 & Ult, 10&11 speed sometimes fray at the bend inside the brifter. Mainly the rear but that’s probably because it’s used the most. Takes 10 minutes to swap a cable if it’s not frayed. Can take nearly an hour if you’re tweezering out tiny shreds from inside the brifter. I replace yearly on my main bike. You’ll feel it when one starts to shred. Replace immediately to keep the job easy.

WhyFi

As others have alluded, this is most problematic with the Shimano groups that route under the bar tape. The very first generation, about a dozen years ago, seemed to be the worst, but it still happens.

Higher resistance when shifting or a reluctance to shift to a smaller cog are red flags.

Sy Reene

Just get what most shops will call the "Deluxe Tune Up" package, once/year from your trusted LBS

GhostRider62

Shimano: every 3,000 miles

SRAM: at the yearly teardown or before an important event like Paris Brest Paris.

easyupbug 

Far to many bikes for that Sy Reene, and I find paying very close attention to the drivetrain has many benefits.

Koyote

This. When you notice it on a ride, just put the bike in a convenient gear and ride it home as a single-speed. Continuing to shift will further shred the cable and make the repair more challenging.

GhostRider62

The $325 one? Where they install mediocre bearings and basic cables and shine it up for you? No thanks. I can put top of the line crap in for 1/3 of that and be done in less time than the driving to/from the shop twice.

Sy Reene

no, that would be the pro version usually. The 'deluxe' is typically somewhere between $150-200. Parts are usually extra, so should feel free to specify which brand of whatnot you want.
Regardless, are you offering to go to the OP's house to do this work for him pro bono?

GhostRider62

If it it was not implicit, learn to do really basic maintenance yourself. It will be faster, cheaper, and much better than having a HS kid monkey around with your machine.

I have never found a shop to stock NTN LLB bearings or similar. They only stock garbage bearings.

63rickert

If shifter cables need to be replaced frequently/continuously the shifter design is defective. Everyone knows who is making the defective shifters. Why is that manufacturer still in business? Why would anyone buy their products? Instead the chief offender has massive loyalty.

400,000 career miles. Never broke a shifter cable. A few replaced here and there for various reasons, never because they were wearing out. One set of cables on the Cinelli did last the 100,000 mile life of that bike. The wife’s primary bike has had two repaints while using same cables. Just no reason to be changing them.

Desert Ryder

In all my years I've ridden, with different style bikes, I have never broken a shifter cable.
I do maintain adjustments and have used friction style shifters except for one mountain bike,
This is the only cable that will need to be replaced on a used bike I picked up.

cxwrench

Because they're called 'Shimano'. 400,000 miles, yeah? You've never had a job? It sounds like you don't use integrated shifters and you're just ranting about your own experience. If you'd seen the huge number of broken/frayed cables I've seen and replaced your opinion might be a little different. Cables also frayed and broke in Campy Ergo shifters for years and years, thousands of riders have been poked in the thumb by a frayed cable next to the thumb button. Unfortunately it's the price we pay for cool integrated levers. Because this happens with such regularity there is definitely reason to change cables as preventative maintenance.

WhyFi

You're right - an annual $3 shifter cable, for a groupset that otherwise performs exceptionally well, is just a bridge too far. I'll start researching alternatives. Thank you for the insight and perspective.

biker222

You can open the grey access plate on shifter side after peeling back the hood from bar and usually see signs of fraying.
If I see no fraying or feel any smooth shifting issue I'll keep using cable. I been getting close to 3yrs (10-12k).
Rear shifter goes first.

Koyote

Just thought I'd come back to add this: with electronic shifting systems (any brand), a battery (or battery charge) lasts a looong time, is easily checked/verified, and the two systems with which I am familiar (SRAM and Shimano) have backup/failsafe systems. A mid-ride dead battery would require negligence to the point of abject stupidity.

sweeks

Do I detect a note, a hint, a whiff... of sarcasm?

Chuck M 

According to my logs, I've got about 2500 miles on my 105 STIs. I decided it best to take the advice in this thread and I ordered new cables and housings this morning. Seems like a small price to pay to avoid riding home in a gear I don't want to be in.

63rickert

When I was doing 12,000 miles a year work did take a bit of a back seat. But was still working forty hours. Why the ad hominem? Some of us like to ride bikes even when not paid for it. Some of us were riding decades before “cool” integrated shifters existed.

You are replacing cables weekly and you want to insist this is a good design.

When I used Ergo for twelve years never had to replace a cable. Used same shifters and cables on three different bikes. Gave those shifters and cables away and so far as I know they are in use another ten years later. Current owner does have a lot of bikes and rides them rather gently.

Both bikes ridden so far today have no shifters and don’t even coast. Is that cool? I have no idea what would qualify as cool. It works or it doesn’t. Parts that can’t be trusted past one week basically don’t work.

MoAlpha

Once a season on my 6800 and 5800 shifters. Never-ish on my old 7800 ones.

Koyote

I wish all of the folks offering data points would also list their shifters, as you have. I don't think I ever broke a cable on downtube shifters, but integrated brake/shifter levers - especially with cables under the bar tape - are a different beast.

Calsun

Shifter cables should never break but there are the cheap type and the "expensive" type ($5 more per cable) with the latter being thicker and having more metal strands. Standard Campagnolo cables were thicker than average and rarely broke. It is important to be sure that the cable housing does not have any sharp edges and to file them down if present. The housing has a metal core and when cut to length there can be sharp edges that can quickly abrade the wire cable.

MoAlpha

So long ago, but I’m pretty sure I’ve broken cables on downtube shifters after years of gross neglect. I certainly remember replacing them. Wire hates tight radii.

WhyFi

My most recent episode was a couple of weeks ago, when it stopped shifting to the smallest cog. Being lunkheaded, my first thought was to adjust the limit screw, which allowed it to shift normally. About 20 miles in to the next ride, it stopped shifting to the three smallest cogs and I realized what was happening. This was at ~10k miles on 8000 series levers. 5700 and 6800 was worse.

WhyFi

Recent Shimano, with under-the-tape routing, typically start to fray at the first bend of the cable, within the lever body and well before it reaches any housing.

WhyFi

From me? Nooooo.