How to install SRAM RED shifter cable...the easy way ???

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

User avatar
arcspin
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:00 am
Location: SWEDEN
Contact:

by arcspin

Hi all,
How the hell are you supposed to do when to change and install new shifter cables on the SRAM RED.
After reading the manual that states that you should feed the cable through the shifter and cable housing and stop using a pick to guide the cable.

What the hell is a pick anyway, the pictures in the manual doesn't show any pick ???


I have luckily installed the shifter cable for the read gear but that was out of pure luck that the cable went through the shifter.


Trying to do the same with the front shifter and I'm stuck poking the cable like a sex maniac into the hole in the left shifter.


So can anyone please give me some advice on how to feed the cable the easy way into the shifter....


Cheers,
/arcspin
a climbers delight...SCOTT ADDICT Ltd
http://arcspin.wordpress.com/my-bike/

Camp Mallorca
http://www.campmallorca.se

User avatar
coloclimber
Moderator
Posts: 2875
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:11 pm
Location: People's Republic of Boulder

by coloclimber

Its awful. Even the SRAM technical video on their website doesnt help much with this one.

These tips might help:
-I usually take the lever off the bars so I can see it thread better and move the lever and cable independently.
-peel back the hoods or take them off.
-slightly shift the lever to get a better angle running the cable in thought the guide
-use new soldered tipped cables so you can really jam them in without worrying about fraying them
-slightly bend the cable at an angle that matches the bend of the routing
-dont worry about which hole the cable ends up coming out of, its easy enough to re-route the cable to go in front of or behind the bars on the REd levers
-drink and pray
-repeat the last tip over and over

Last night I re-routing a FD shifter cable through a Red lever and fished it through the Cervelo BB. What a sense of accomplishment when I finally got it!
-Deacon Doctor Colorado Slim

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
arcspin
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:00 am
Location: SWEDEN
Contact:

by arcspin

I agree that it is awful!
My god, what were they thinking when they came up with this set up ???

Thank you for your advise. I finally got the wire through the shifter using your two best advice.
"-slightly shift the lever..."
I wiggled the shifter at the same time I tried to push the cable through and that did it.
and
"-drink and pray"
I got my self a little beer buzz following that advice....*sweet*


Anyways, SRAM need to address this subject otherwise people will go insane trying to chance shifter cables.


Cheers,

:beerchug:
a climbers delight...SCOTT ADDICT Ltd
http://arcspin.wordpress.com/my-bike/

Camp Mallorca
http://www.campmallorca.se

yakk
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 11:44 pm

by yakk

I had to do this procedure twice in the past week, so I feel your pain. Glad you found a solution.

FWIW, my method: I rolled back the hood and the tape to expose the shifter body, and once I had inserted the cable enough to see it sticking up near the bar tape, I simply used a pick to push it straight down into the channel while pushing on the feed, and it found the hole into the cable housing without too much fuss. I didn't have to loosen or remove the shifter from the handlebar.

yakk
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 11:44 pm

by yakk

[quote="coloclimber"]Its awful. Even the SRAM technical video on their website doesnt help much with this one.

These tips might help:
-I usually take the lever off the bars so I can see it thread better and move the lever and cable independently.
-peel back the hoods or take them off.
-slightly shift the lever to get a better angle running the cable in thought the guide
-use new soldered tipped cables so you can really jam them in without worrying about fraying them
-slightly bend the cable at an angle that matches the bend of the routing
-dont worry about which hole the cable ends up coming out of, its easy enough to re-route the cable to go in front of or behind the bars on the REd levers
-drink and pray
-repeat the last tip over and over

Last night I re-routing a FD shifter cable through a Red lever and fished it through the Cervelo BB. What a sense of accomplishment when I finally got it![/quote]

I also have internally routed cables. I found that when I originally installed them (while neither of them had any tension on them) they ended up crossing inside the downtube. I ended up using a magnet to hold the FD cable away from the other one while sliding it out the port near the BB. I covered the magnet with a cloth and slid it along the downtube as I slid the cable in. Worked like a charm! It helps to do one at a time and tension it so it stays out of the way when you slide the second one through.

User avatar
coloclimber
Moderator
Posts: 2875
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:11 pm
Location: People's Republic of Boulder

by coloclimber

Awesome idea with the magnet. I ended up using the inner sleeve liner from some i-links down through the top hole near the FD. It easily found the hole under the BB. I then pulled the cable up through the liner and then could remove the liner.
-Deacon Doctor Colorado Slim

yakk
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 11:44 pm

by yakk

coloclimber wrote:Awesome idea with the magnet. I ended up using the inner sleeve liner from some i-links down through the top hole near the FD. It easily found the hole under the BB. I then pulled the cable up through the liner and then could remove the liner.


That's a good option, too. The sleeves that came in my frame are for the the top tube and the chainstay so they aren't long enough.

stansman
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:07 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

by stansman

Are Red shifters harder to thread the cables through than Force? I've never had an issue with my force shifters, but I'm thinking of getting Red soon.

User avatar
STARNUT
Posts: 3385
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2005 6:43 am
Location: Hilly, Hot, and Windy

by STARNUT

I always put a slight bend/kink at the end of teh cable to get it to wrap correctly in the shifter mech.


Starnut
"Don't pedal harder, pedal faster!"
Q-FACTOR IS A RED HERRING

BB30.COM

Singletrackmind
Posts: 221
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:03 am

by Singletrackmind

stansman wrote:Are Red shifters harder to thread the cables through than Force? I've never had an issue with my force shifters, but I'm thinking of getting Red soon.
Mine go through with just a little wiggling. I click the shifter one time to line the holes up better though. I have even been able to thread the Shimano XTR coated shifter cables through them, which are supposedly 0.1mm thicker, but they do seem to have a little more drag.

User avatar
arcspin
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:00 am
Location: SWEDEN
Contact:

by arcspin

Hi all,
I too have installed the XTR shifter cables.
Do really 0.1 mm make any differens ?
(The recommended thickness according to SRAM is 1,1 mm for shifter and 1.5 mm for brakes)


Bye for now,
//arcspin
a climbers delight...SCOTT ADDICT Ltd
http://arcspin.wordpress.com/my-bike/

Camp Mallorca
http://www.campmallorca.se

User avatar
mythical
Posts: 1515
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:49 am
Location: Europe
Contact:

by mythical

arcspin wrote:My god, what were they thinking when they came up with this set up ???

Try Powercordz... :lol:

I found the best way to prep a new cable for install in a Red shifter is to cut the shift cable at a shallow angle, it works so well that the cable usually goes through immediately or at least on the 2nd "wiggle". :D

Whoowhat
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 2:55 am

by Whoowhat

Man I ran into this problem today. What a pain in the butt. I went to the bike shop to pick up new cables because trying to string cut cables through the Red controls was not working. I ended up buying some nice teflon-coated cables and they went through the SRAM controls smooth as butter AND, they are super smooth shifting too. The downside? They cost $10 a piece. But hey, it was worth the $20 not to have to sit in the garage cussing and praying that those dang cables would go through.

User avatar
Rick
Posts: 2034
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

I'd like to help;
But my SRAM Force shifters came with the cable pre-threaded! :mrgreen:

So I don't even know what a problem it is.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
743power
Shop Wrench
Posts: 744
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:15 am
Location: Colorado

by 743power

I have never had a problem with this. Just have a careful touch and slightly move the shift paddle to change the path of the hole is needed. I can probably do all 4 cable in sram in less time than 2 7900 brake cables.
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."

Post Reply