Brake cable housing cracked

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devonbiker
Posts: 71
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 1:26 pm

by devonbiker

I've just noticed I have a crack in my rear rim brake cable housing, Jagwire Lex SL, where it enters the top tube. I don't think the internal cable has been damaged. Can this be patch repaired or does the entire housing need to be replaced? I am worried about moisture getting in and causing corrosion of the cable. How straightforward is the job?
IMG-0806.JPG

by Weenie


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alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

I'd leave it. Cables and housing wear out over time anyway and need to be replaced.

That bolt looks like it could be tightened a little further.

Maybe the portruding bolt creates a stress point on that housing. Also the housing might be a bit short. When transporting the bike and turning the bars fully it could get quite ugly.

If you loosen the cable at the caliper you can pull the cable housing and tape it. Tape can sometimes keep moisture in so it might make things worse.

Some heatshrink might work better.

devonbiker
Posts: 71
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 1:26 pm

by devonbiker

Would it be safe to superglue the housing together? I can't tell if the housing is constructed with an outer and inner, obviously being a brake cable I don't want to be putting glue on the bare cable itself. It probably cracked when I was servicing the headset and it got pulled and bent a bit.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

The moisture won't reach the actual cable. The cable runs in it's own liner inside.

The coil wire that runs around the cable might be exposed and could start oxidizing.

Jugi
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:10 am

by Jugi


alcatraz wrote:The moisture won't reach the actual cable. The cable runs in it's own liner inside.

The coil wire that runs around the cable might be exposed and could start oxidizing.
To clarify this a bit further: a cable housing is constructed from an outer plastic/polymer shell, a metal coil wire or a metal "sheet" providing resistance to compression and bending, and a plastic inner liner for the cable. When the outer shell is breached, that is more or less just an aesthetic thing. However in the long run, the metal coil in between the plastic shell and the inner liner could start to oxidize and at some point that could introduce some unwanted compression into the housing.

mergeforthekill
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:24 am

by mergeforthekill

You might also want to look into replacing that bolt with one with a flat head as opposed to a rounded head.

by Weenie


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