Dura ace 9000 cable life?

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oreoboreo
Posts: 510
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Aloha, Oregon/ Poipu, Kauai Hawaii

by oreoboreo

I just had a rear Dura Ace 9000 cable snap the last 10 miles of the ride today. How many miles are people getting with the shift cable set ( my rear broke) ? I had 3500 miles which seems really low for cables. I looked and found some information however is there a better cable to use with the 9000 since I do not have the upgraded 9001.

Thanks all

Scott
Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.

2011 Scott Addict R1 DA 7900 Matt black
2012 Scott CR1 Pro Ultegra 6700
2015 Specialized SWorks Tarmac Da 9000
2016 Specialized SWorks Tarmac DA 9100

Darceking
Posts: 226
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:48 am

by Darceking

I have 9001 and I just replaced my cables after 6000kms. They were starting to fray. Though on the new bike I am building, I am putting Jagwire cables on it.

by Weenie


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highdraw

by highdraw

oreo,
Just buy some Jagwire Ripcord coated inner cables as back up and replacement. The issue with DA9000/9001 and Ultegra 6800 has been discussed a lot. Some believe the cable fraying/breakage issue is specific to the new shifter design..it does have a very tight radius near the cable head....and others believe it is the metallurgy of the inner cable used to promote lower effort shifting. Just use the premium Jagwire inner cables. Also FWIW Shimano outer casing on new DA/Ultegra is SP-41 which has been around for years.
HTH

oreoboreo
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Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Aloha, Oregon/ Poipu, Kauai Hawaii

by oreoboreo

Thanks both of you, I read the reason for the failure WW has tons of information here. It seems the Jagwire may be a better product for the design flaw that Shimano has given us on a couple of the 9000 items.
Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.

2011 Scott Addict R1 DA 7900 Matt black
2012 Scott CR1 Pro Ultegra 6700
2015 Specialized SWorks Tarmac Da 9000
2016 Specialized SWorks Tarmac DA 9100

cfr
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:21 am

by cfr

YMMV, but I've heard of a handful of cases where Shimano warrantied the 9000 shifters for 9001 because of "repeated cable failures", maybe try your luck with the local bike shop and see what they say. :noidea:

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I've also heard that the changes in 9001 levers vs 9000 don't really address the cable issue? Confirmation anyone? In any case, I'm primarily a Campy guy but my buddy's DuraAce 9000 eats cables for breakfast. That routing of almost 90 degrees doesn't seem to help things. Last time he brought it to me for an adjustment to his shifting. Played around with the derailleur adjustment for a bit and it kept getting worse. I thought that was stranage. My bad, cuz after experiencing this enough times now I should have known that the first thing to check when someone comes in and says their rear shifting is off on 9000, is the cable at the shifter. Sure enough, the thing was frayed so bad it was a pain in the ass to get out, and make sure all the little broken wire ends etc were clear. I guess I didn't immediately check it because it hadn't that long since the last one did the same thing so I didn't think that was the issue at first.
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oreoboreo
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by oreoboreo

Calnago, I am starting to like my 7900 better and better on my Scott. The problem is the 9000 is soooo smooth :)
Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.

2011 Scott Addict R1 DA 7900 Matt black
2012 Scott CR1 Pro Ultegra 6700
2015 Specialized SWorks Tarmac Da 9000
2016 Specialized SWorks Tarmac DA 9100

highdraw

by highdraw

Cal, since the cable fraying issue affects 6800, 9000 and 9001, I would say its the shifter drum which is the same for all. Basically 9001 uses the identical cable environment to 6800 which came out after 9000 which had a different cable cover which appears to have no influence on the issue. Shimano of course denies any cable issue.

dunbar42
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by dunbar42

I had the same fraying problem when I ran 9000 cables on 5700 so I don't think it has anything to do with the newer shifters. Fortunately I caught it before the cable snapped. IME the polymer coated cables are about 80-90% responsible for the lighter shift action on Shimano 11sp. Going from the polymer coated cables to PTFE inners on 5700 literally doubles the amount of force required to downshift the RD. I just upgraded to 5800 and my plan is to replace the RD polymer coated cable + SP41 housing every 6 months (~4-5k miles) and do the FD cable/housing annually. I can replace them myself so it's more of hassle than a big expense. The polymer coated cables are so much smoother than any other cables that I think it's worth it.

I just want to point out that ALL cables wear at the shifter cable guide. It's just that the polymer coated cables appear to be made out of a much finer gauge of wire so they are more susceptible to fraying, and eventually snapping, if you let them go too far.

goodboyr
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Location: Canada

by goodboyr

OTOH, I've maintained and worked on several 6800 and 9000 system bikes, and the RD cables have been fine at two year changeout frequencies. No signs of fraying, etc. I presume that there is a combination of factors at work here and not just a particular design issue. In any case, as per the above, a cable check and changeout is not a big deal.....and if it is, then you can always chose Di2.

Bigger Gear
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by Bigger Gear

On 7900/6700 I have had much better cable life with Yokozuna Reaction. Using the SP41 cables on 7900 I found they were prone to fraying in the shifter housing after about 4000 km.

Does not address 9000/9001 specifically but if it were me I would try some Yokozuna cables and housing. The set on my winter bike with 6700 has seen about 12000 km and the rear shifting is still buttery smooth.

oreoboreo
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by oreoboreo

I just got a call from my LBS and they noted that there was a feral that ran at the 90* bend where most have fraying issues. In my case they noted that it had 2 of them and it looked like it was some of the issue, he called it sawing on the cable. On the other hand he also noted that shimano quotes that cables should be changed once a year...lol He also noted that he sure has seen a few with the same issues.
Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.

2011 Scott Addict R1 DA 7900 Matt black
2012 Scott CR1 Pro Ultegra 6700
2015 Specialized SWorks Tarmac Da 9000
2016 Specialized SWorks Tarmac DA 9100

dunbar42
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by dunbar42

goodboyr wrote:OTOH, I've maintained and worked on several 6800 and 9000 system bikes, and the RD cables have been fine at two year changeout frequencies. No signs of fraying, etc.


6800 has been available for just over a year. My fraying was pretty significant at 4500 miles but it didn't affect shifting at all. I do shift the RD a lot so I think that's the other variable. I would guess polymer cable life falls somewhere in the 4-8k mile range depending on how much they shift. For some people 8k miles is 2-3 years of riding. Especially if they stop riding in the winer and/or spread their miles across more than one bike. So yeah, if they changed the cables out every year or two they would be fine. I ride 8-10k miles a year on my one good bike so I'm going to go through cables more quickly.

goodboyr
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Location: Canada

by goodboyr

Yup. I should have quoted km's not time. As for winter useage, up here in the great white north, most people have trainer bikes or they don't ride half the year.

Spinlikemad
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Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:22 am

by Spinlikemad

I am consistently getting 4,000 km (about 2400 miles) out of my 9000 cables. At this point they are frayed enough within the shifter to adversely affect shifting. On the plus side they are easy to replace. On the negative side they are expensive!

by Weenie


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