Reddit reviews SHIMANO Road Shift Cable and Housing Set (Black)
We found 4 Reddit comments about SHIMANO Road Shift Cable and Housing Set (Black). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Works with Shimano or SRAMStainless Steel PTFE coated cables4mm SIS-SP41 housingIncludes end caps and ferrules
This (brakes) plus this (shifts) comes out under $20.
I find it hard to imagine them any cheaper. A complete set of the black-coated inners costs pretty close to that at most LBSs.
I've had the bike for a few weeks now and use it almost entirely for commuting. Here's what I've added since I got the bike:
The stock brakes weren't doing enough to stop me so I swapped them out for some Tektro CR720s. I dropped the yoke as far as I could to give myself as much leverage as possible. Braking is much better now and more reliable than the original set ever was.
I added a rack and trunk bag that's big enough to hold my food and clothes for the day. The only modification I had to make here was filing away some metal from rack mounting leg. It was colliding with frame near the dropout and not allowing the leg to sit close enough to the braze on.
Some of the original cable housings that came with the bike had some gouges in them so Nashbar sent me a new replacement cable set. I swapped out all the brake/shift cables and replaced the bar tape with some SRAM cork tape. The original cables from Nashbar were also a bit too long and were causing excessive friction.
I added some SKS fenders per the recommendations of users on this sub. They were a little finicky to install but I got them on in the end. This particular frame doesn't have bolt holes in either of the two rear bridges so I had to resort to the classic zip tie approach.
As far as the bike goes, it's been performing flawlessly so far. It weighs close to 30 lbs now so it's not the lightest thing in the world. However, the steel frame and the large tires really help smooth out the road quite a bit. The saddle is still the most uncomfortable part of the bike, but I'm hoping to swap it out sometime in the near future. Shifting is still very smooth and the 4 trim positions on the 105 front derailleur is a great feature.
If you're considering getting a bike from Nashbar, I'd definitely recommend them. Their customer service was fantastic and everything they shipped usually got to me door in 2-3 days (even the bike!).
Buy tools as needed, no need to stock up with everything right away. Most park tools I buy on Amazon and get them within two days. Tools I would get right away though would be
As for cabling
Universal Brake Cables on Amazon, just make sure you cut of the correct end.
Here is a shift cable set.
As for cutting the cables and housing, do NOT use standard wire cutters. You need a parrot style nosed set of cutters, like this Pedros set. I bought a cheap set of cutters on eBay that work great. When I cut housing I use a little sand paper to flush up the ends.
The 4th hand is not really needed, I get by fine without it.
Okay, so with $200, assuming I was doing the work:
Wrap handlebars - $11.53 (sweet dark red, cause the red on there looks awesome already)
Cheap 700c wheels from co-op - $20? (Talk with them about the gearing to see if the range is the same, or if you want tighter range or whatever, they probably have a few sets there with somewhat different gear ranges on the rear)
Saddle from co-op - $5-10
Tubes/tires - $45 (tires, tubes)
Derailleur cables - $7 (Shimano, here)
Brake cables - $10.39 (Shimano, here)
Brake levers - $22.53 (Tektro RL340)
Brakes - $62 - (Tektro 539 rear, front)
5-speed chain - 7.98 (here)
Then I'd try to get pedals and a cheap but aluminum quill stem, handlebars, and seatpost from the co-op. Depending on where you are, you may be able to get all for $20 or less. Functional new parts suggestions: (not guaranteed to fit. These have all sorts of different diameters over the years/models, so you need to know what you have/need. Handlebars, Seatpost, stem.)