Tried the cheap cable housing route and it cost me twice

I bought a $15 cable housing kit off Amazon for a complete rebuild on my commuter bike last month. The stuff started fraying after two weeks and I had to redo the whole job with Shimano housing. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

3 comments

3 Comments

samflores19h ago

Did you also get that stuff that feels like it was made from recycled fishing line? I bought a "value pack" from some no-name brand and my brake cable literally snapped on a test ride in the driveway. The housing was so stiff it fought me the whole way, then the ferrules just cracked when I tried to seat them. I ended up spending an extra $40 on Jagwire stuff after that mess, plus the weekend I wasted. Lesson learned I guess, sometimes you just gotta pay for the good stuff even if it hurts your wallet.

harper91418h ago

Used to think cheap cable housing was fine too, but one snapped on me mid-ride and that changed my mind real quick.

cole_flores4411h ago

Gotta agree with @samflores on the Jagwire stuff. That exact cheap housing situation happened to me a few years back, the ferrule just popped off when I was braking hard down a hill. Scared the hell out of me. Now I just grab the basic Shimano or Jagwire sets, they're like $15 for a full housing job and last forever. Plus the cut ends don't fray like the cheap stuff does. Its one of those parts where spending a few bucks extra saves you from walking home or worse.