How To Change A Mountain Bike Gear Cable | MTB Maintenance Skills

[@benbassett1124]

If you wipe the cable at the derailleur end before you pull it through, you won’t drag any dirt though the cable housing.

[@_Diggery]

To avoid spray from the end of the outer you can pop a freezer bag over and secure it with an elastic band. This will ensure no lube spray or mist can go near the disc or even on the floor.

[@mattd5136]

IMO, if your inner cables are rooted, the outers aren't far behind. Don't muck about, just replace the lot. External cable routing is easy, but the protip of the century for internal cables is: an old tandem shift cable. #askgmbntech At 3 meters long it's long enough to run though both the old housing and the new. Feed it through the new outers then run it through the old. Pull the whole shebang by the inner tail - feeding the old cable out and guiding the new in at the same time. Turns a 2 hour job into 5 or 6 minutes. Remove the old outer. Clean the tandem shift cable well (DON'T drag old dirt/grease/muck into the new outer!) and pull it back though. Bung the proper inner in, tune and cuppatea time.

Nice video! I would just add, in order to not damaging the inner part of the housing, that it is convenient to cut the cable just by the end of the housing before extracting it. Doing it like that, you avoid that the final part of the cable scrapes the housing internals, as it is normally damaged by the top end or the derrailleur clamp.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

You can see Doddy‘s experience in every step. I find nothing to add. Modern gears work so good that I just hop on the bike do the indexing while riding.

[@gmbntech]

Thanks for the support, Christian! That can often be a great way to adjust gears as you can get a real feel for how they're working.

[@siwalder1618]

Doddy, absolutely love the show mate, thanks. I've got a product shout out. It's called the "Tyre Glider". Borderline life changing tyre lever 👍🏻mine just turned up and it works an absolute treat. Wanted to shout them out as I think its a fairly small operation.

[@xavierhulbert5849]

If you run these steps and you’re still running into shifting issues (i.e. skipping/slipping gears), it’s likely there is an issue with your derailleur hanger. It is likely bent slightly and can be adjusted, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so yourself unless you have the tool for the job. Other issues could be the chain length, chain alignment, or even the derailleur itself.

[@corentinoger]

If you intend to keep the outer cable and the inner is dirty, I'd suggest cleaning the end before pulling it through to preserve the outer, or even, as someone mentioned, cut the bent end of the cable.

[@MTB_Rider_96]

I just changed my shift cable last week and it made a huge difference.

[@Kammaol]

I've used the $5 Reverb Barb Connector tool to connect old with the new and was able to pull through fairly quickly!

[@philh3041]

Perfect timing, I need to do this! cheers 👍🏻

[@gmbntech]

Cheers Phil! Good luck! 👍

[@GalliumEnergy]

Thank you for these videos! I had to change an old, really frayed shifter cable on the hardtail I got my brother for Christmas. This would have been super helpful for that and now next time I have to do it, I can turn back to this video!

[@thesmf1210]

i do 8 quarter turns on the barrel (2 full turns), then indexing i go from 10th - 1st which is normally fine, then 1st-10th which normally results in some barrel adjustment (winding it back in), job done, i also use that same jagwire lex-sl outer housing, good stuff

[@Pienimusta]

There's also great video on this from 2018 by Doddy, with Sram gears. Very similar, but went perhaps even more into detail.

[@Brodiesfunction]

Oh so is this just another recycled video

[@TheButlerNZ]

I use a can of brake cleaner to flush my outers. This removes the oil/grease and with that, any dirt. If you just flush it with spray grease you can leave behind old thick grease and dirt mix, and have a new cable sticking from scratch. THEN I spray the outer using a spray grease, not a spray lube (that may only be oil) (personally I use Wurth HS2000 but there are plenty of similar (and often cheaper) things.. A can of chain lube can often be the right type. Spray the inner instead of feeding a dry cable through. This ensures the cable is lubed everywhere along it's length. Does your cable outer rattle on a part of the frame that would look ugly using a zip tie to stop it... Try your local lawnmower shop for a piece of fuel pipe. They often have clear or even fluro transparent green/orange etc. (Or you can get some online)... Put a bit of silicon rubber fuel line over the outer (in 5-10mm lengths and slide it to the place it is needed.. If you get it right, the fuel pipe is snug on the outer and may need a little detergent/water to help it on its way. Don't forget your local bike shop for some anodised end caps to accent your ride.

[@ZRMTB]

Awesome video! Nice job

[@Maik1968]

Thanks for this great tutorial, best explanations! Have a great day and keep on going 👍🌞💪🍀

[@gmbntech]

Thank you, Maik! It's great to have awesome feedback like this. Have a good one! 👍

[@Happy_Shopper]

Also if you don't have a set of master link pliers you can wrap an old shifter cable around the master link and pull in opposite directions to undo it. Yeah it's a bit difficult but that hasn't stopped me

[@niravraval941]

Hi doddy, can you please make video on how to replace dropper post cable. Thanks

[@cmugy]

#askgmbntech how often should you change the cable. I ride more on road and gravel and have about 2000 miles in 2 years

[@jonedmonds283]

Great Video, Thanks

[@captaincords5133]

I swapped the gear cable on my Specialized Epic Evo yesterday, it was in 3 gears at once. No way was it sliding out due to the internal routing. It took 2 hours, swing arm out, shock off, bottom bracket out, everything, the cable guide tubes inside the fame only go so far. After I had finished, I found it was the alloy Shimano end caps for the outer cable which had become really tight on the inner cable.

[@thesmf1210]

ouch, but at least you sorted it and learned something now that will help in future

[@thomasrehlin8289]

Great video, but if you need to change housing? Is there a video that shows that?

[@woduk]

If you like being hands on put some sram butter on the mech in the shifter, nice n smooth action then

[@OneTrueCat]

It's called a ferrule, that cap. Not trying to be pedantic or anything, it's just easier to shop for things if you have the right terminology.

[@KermitOfWar]

Thanks professor.

[@OneTrueCat]

@@KermitOfWar 👍

[@Skippy-id9yt]

I used brake clean to clean inside of cable , doubt that'll be too bad for the rotor , (evaporates pretty fast )

[@Liqweed1337]

i would not put oil into the cables because wires come pre-lubricated and additional oil can increase friction especially in cold conditions.

[@FranciscoJimenez-hn8hq]

me gusta el video es una pena que no se ingles saludos desde españa

[@VictorElGreco]

I do my own indexing (OKish, not great but livable) but the resistance seems too great at the trigger shifter. What could I be doing wrong? Any idea?

[@cameroncilano4988]

Can you rebuild a fox dhx2 shock

[@johnlesoudeur3653]

Shimano sell a good but expensive grease specifically for cables.

[@notapplicable6274]

Great video again Doddy😎 How did Blake’s filthy cassette pass thru post lol? I mean, as it applies to your transmission maintenance videos. Or am I overthinking transmission cleanliness?

[@godu1111]

Great video. I watched it all and decided I`m going to give someone 20 bucks to do it for me :)

[@hench_wrench_repairs]

I think that shift cable got sticky because if you look at where he's unbolting the cable you can see the damaged cable from shimano's weird angle

[@LDewey24]

What type of spray lube is acceptable??

[@Mainlythingswithwheels]

what cable cutters are you using??

[@chrissahagun4803]

I’m a bit late to commenting on this, still learning quite a bit about how to work on bikes. I was wondering if my bike currently only shifts a couple of gears before it doesn’t even shift anymore would this fix my issues? I love the bike and I’d really like to learn how to do it on my own. Hope you get a chance to reply. Thanks for the video!

[@gmbntech]

This may fix your issues Chris, but it would be a good idea to make sure your rear derailleur limit screws are set up properly first: Shimano here: gmbn.tech/ShimanoMech Sram here: gmbn.tech/SRAMmech

[@chrissahagun4803]

@@gmbntech thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I’ll try that out

[@KermitOfWar]

This fella likes his lubricants...🤣 For the endcaps, you guys can also use hot glue.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Remember the time when you could solder the ends together?

[@chrissutton3440]

I'm gonna have a go at changing my gear cables as my cables have frayed, but I don't feel comfortable about taking my gear changing apart as its a microshift for a carrera valour disc any advice???

[@kona0197]

Of course it's gonna be perfect every time. It's Shimano XTR. Try your steps with low end, like Shimano Alivio. It's not so easy.

[@That_Stealth_Guy]

I haven't had any problems when replacing cables and other basic tune up items friends and family's bikes that use lower end parts like Alivio or Tourney. The basic maintenance practices that Doddy is showing here are nearly universal.

[@kona0197]

@@That_Stealth_Guy True, but he nailed the indexing perfectly the first time. That's because you can do that with high end components like Shimano XTR and XT along with SRAM Eagle and XO. The low end stuff has to be constantly adjusted to make the shifts butter smooth.

[@jonnyboi2536]

I need to do this as my shifter broke, still gonna take it to the bike shop cos indexing gears is one thing I hate

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Hey Doddy, an interesting bit might be setting up gears on a gravel bike. When I had to do this on my road bike, I noticed how much mechanical groupsets are behind what we are used on the MTB side and how fiddly it is when you don‘t have barrel adjusters on your shift levers.

[@rabbixedwards1886]

😶 if I'm not mistaken I counted nine gears on the back, if there's three on the front; twenty-seven different gear combinations....🤔 If I'm not misremembering as a teenager the most we had was 18?

[@massimolalli8586]

How much does the bike weigh?

[@zakfarrelly3681]

Adding lube inside the outer cable. Can this be something such as silicone spray?

[@komoonkh]

Yes. I use wd40 or something. Works great.

[@avelynkicksbutt]

silicone spray lube is probably best it doesn't damage anything else and it doesn't get affected by temperatures

[@tomvonderharr865]

"Shift into your highest gear" ***Rapid Rise has entered the chat***

[@syntrax-og]

#AskGMBNTech Are stainless steal cables worth the extra price?

[@benbassett1124]

Yes!

[@bobothericefarmer1878]

Sheeeeeesh

[@kylejacktucker]

I changed gears and my lever just gave in and the cable stopped moving

[@jordanwarrick6216]

my bike docent have that screw at the front near the gear clickers what do I do

[@_fabansky_]

Maybe you need to remove a cap from your shifter, it's hard to say without picture.

[@shanecoles9346]

Why can't i reclamp my cable utsvwayy to short

[@cindycindy4536]

No issues with assembly for me kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L but I could see where some might benefit from using an experienced bike assembler/mechanic. I'm an older rider starting back after a 10 year break. This bike exceeds my capabilities and has been easy to get comfortable riding. I'm mostly on easy trails with almost no street riding and have not been disappointed with the performance of the bike. My fitness level is far below what I previously rode with and because of that the mileage is going on the bike slowly. While I'm losing weight slowly, the bike seems to tolerate my 220 pounds just fine. The bike has been used by several family members ranging from 5'5" - 5'9".

[@aaz_m_t_b]

Second

[@gmbntech]

🥈👍

[@31.8mm]

As a bike mech somehow i feel to leave alone the barrel adjuster for the owner, if really needed i only allow myself no more than 5%..

[@scottlstone]

First

[@gmbntech]

🥇👊

[@rodolfbarroba9629]

earlt

[@rodolfbarroba9629]

second i guess

[@rodolfbarroba9629]

early

[@baristabrian]

MY XTR looks NOTHING like that ... NO Plug. WTF? But, hey, thanks anyway.