UKC

I needed to fettle my roadie last night, as the gears had become sticky. It is a Claude Butler Echelon, and has done a good few miles this year. I always look after bikes, but was surprised when I came to lube the upper inners on this, (a job not often needed I grant you) -
The cables run through barrel adjusters set in the cable-stops in the frame, and does not have characteristic slot I have been used to on previous bikes to loose the cables off and properly lube them?

In the end, I had to cut off the crimped nipple at the derailler end to create enough slack to lube the upper section. I even thought there must be a way of loosing the nipple-end at the shifter (Sora shifter with thumb 'up', Tiagra deraillers), but no, it can only be extracted fully pulling on the nipple as it were.

So, as far as I can see, every few times you want to lube the upper end of the cables, you end up cutting more off the cable and re-adjusting your gears? Stupid. My wife's even cheaper and more cheerful Triban has slots in the cable-stay....

Am I missing something here? I trawled Sheldon Brown, Park Tools etc, but no-one mentions the inability to loose the cables......?

Frustrated Of Stirling

In reply to JohnnyW:

Change the cables and leave a bit more end than you would normally, giving you enough free cable to pull slack through.
Normal question I get at the shop about this now is: 'but I still have to cut the cable as the end has split where it's crimped by the bolt on the derailler', Cables fray like this when the bolt is done up too tight, it doesn't need to be cranked up super tight, just enough that it doesn't slip.

In reply to airbournegrapefruit:

I second this motion, to be honest I dont even lube my cables, i just buy good quality ones and replace them when they show significant oxidisation or start to feel stiff

In reply to airbournegrapefruit:


But to have enough to allow me to slip the outer of the top section far enough, it'd need to be feet rather than inches?


But even a good 'nip' up flattens the inner sufficiently enough to make it a 'mare to get back through the outer.

I accept that having the two adjusters on the cassette derailleur makes re-adjustment straightforward enough, but it's still more faff than the simple slots.

At least I wasn't missing something blindingly obvious....re-lubing means re-setting my gears each and every time on this bike. Doh!