Gear Cable Replacement
 by Tim Brennan

Normally gear cables should last for many years with out breaking, yet occasionally they do snap. Before you get to work, it is a good idea to look for a reason why the cable has snapped. You may have a worn brake cable hose that is wearing out the cable inside.

A gear cable is not the same as a brake cable - the cylinder on the end is a bit smaller. When purchasing a cable, remember to also get a crimp to stop the end fraying and a tube of grease for lubrication.

To remove the broken cable usually means undoing the brake lever, but don't panic its not that difficult. So long as you don't drop any washers, you should be ok. You will find that the other piece of the old cable is attached to the gear changing arm (known as a derailleur). Where the cable is gripped you will see a nut, which will release the cable with just a few anti-clockwise turns.

Fitting the new cable is the fun part! Well, I think so anyway. First, feed the cable into the gear lever such that the notch on the end fits where the old one was. Then lubricate the cable by smearing grease along the whole length. I told you it was fun didn't I!

Keep feeding the cable through the hose(s) and all the anchor points along the frame. When you get to the derailleur feed through the nut, which you will tighten in a moment. Before you do that you first need to get the length of the cable correct.

Turn the lever so that it matches the position of the derailleur. If your replacing a front gear cable this will be on the smallest sized gear, position 1 on the lever, if it’s the rear it also be on the smallest gear, position 5,6,7… on the lever, depending on your bike. Now, pull the cable fairly tight and tighten the nut to anchor in position.

Congratulations! You have got the hardest part over and done with. Next you will need make some easy adjustments to the gears. This is covered in the article on adjusting your gears.