UKC

I had to shorten a new gear cable when fitting to the bike and managed to mash the cable ends into a frayed mess using pliers and a pair of wire cutters. How do you get an clean unfrayed cut ? Thanks.

In reply to ianghogg:

Buy some Park Tool cable cutters!

In reply to ianghogg:

Either buy some decent cable cutters, take it to a shop or heat the bit you want to cut with a cigarette lighter and use your pliers.

In reply to ianghogg:
A quality cable cutter. http://www.parktool.com/product/professional-cable-and-housing-cutter-cn-10

Pliers or wire cutters are generally not strong enough.

edited - beaten to it.

In reply to ianghogg:
I use these:

Knipex KPX9561190 Wire Rope Cutter 95 61 190

As recommended by a Pro DH team mechanic I know.

German quality hand tool: about £35 on eBay, so twice the price of the Park Tool. You pays your money...

In reply to ianghogg:

I use the Park cutters linked above - they can still need a couple of goes to get a clean cut.

A small file can be useful on brake cables, which tend to be coiled outers.
Gear cables are usually braided and tend to cut better in the first place.

In both cases, a nail, or other pointy thing, is useful for opening out the inner sheath to get the inner cable in.

In reply to ianghogg:

I use mole grips on wire cutters at the cutting end to give added power, works for me

In reply to ianghogg:

The Park cutters are the right tool but not cheap. If year are on a serious budget, I found that some ebay 8" bolt cutters that I had knocking around worked well.

In reply to ianghogg:

I use a cheapo set of midget bolt cutters, something like this:
http://www.pvrdirect.co.uk/silverline-ct20-mini-bolt-cutterslength-200mm-ja...

They give a clean cut, but here are a couple of tips I've worked out over the years:

• When cutting gear outer, shove the end of an old inner in before you cut, it stops it collapsing flat and gives a better result, the little bit left inside can be pushed out by threading an inner wire in from the other end.
• When cutting spiral wound brake outer don't try and cut it straight, cut at a slight angle across the band and then file flat.
• Instead of using cable end ferules on inner wires, which squish the ends of the cables flat, put a short length of heat shrink tubing where you are going to cut and shrink it down, then cut through the tubing and the wire together, the wire cuts neatly and the heat shrink stops it unwinding.

In reply to ianghogg:

And I use these; so far, so good for occasional use:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bbb-fast-cut-cable-cutters-btl16/rp-prod...

In reply to ianghogg:

If you happen to have a dremel, I've found using the cutting wheel works quite well.

In reply to ianghogg:

I use a pair of sub-£10 cable cutters from Screwfix - like these ones http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-cable-cutter-8-210mm/2916c though mine aren't "Forge Steel" branded (I think I might have acquired them before Screwfix started using that brand name for their re-badged stuff). I can't speak for the Forge Steel kit but the cutters I have do the job well enough for me - which specifically means: not used intensively, just for occasional cable replacement.

In reply to Martin W:


This ^^^^
Unless you're a pro using them 20 times a day in a workshop 35 quid is just silly.

Wally

In reply to EddInaBox:

Some useful advice there the type of heatshrink with heat activated glue in it may work well too.

In reply to ianghogg:

A sharp cold chisel and a hammer was old school method but better is a good quality cable cutter.

In reply to ianghogg:
My variation on the solution that seems to keep cropping up, ie applying more force...

I grip the cable in the cutty bit of a pair of pliers, wrest them against the floor and then whack it with a hammer.

In reply to AndyC:



I've got the same - been using them for the families bikes for a few years now, have been absolutely fine. £16 well spent!

In reply to ianghogg:

Bikehut cable cutters for me from Halfords. Work fine for the once in a blue moon that I need them

In reply to ianghogg:

As above - get the right tool and you'll wonder why you struggled with pliers for so long. I can recommend these but I'm sure others are equally good:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/pedros-cable-cutters/rp-prod13796

In reply to Martin W:

Another vote for the scewfix ones - been using them for years.

In reply to ianghogg:

Bit late, but might help someone.

1) Use hacksaw /sharp knife to cut around external plastic sheath + remove
2) Continue to use hacksaw to 'score' about 30% into metal wire casing of brake cable (all the way round, you don't need to try and cut through them)
3) Take each individual metal wire in the casing and bend outwards. If you have scored correctly they will just snap off!
4) Cut through internal sheath with wire cutters.

Done! Its a much quicker process than I've made it sound. Obviously not as good as some park tool cutters, but free and significantly easier than trying to hacksaw/cut through the cables without the correct tools!