Good Cable Installation = Good Braking And Shifting
Correctly fitted and quality gear shift and brake cables make a world of difference to your bike. The most expensive brakes and derailers will work poorly if there is excessive friction or play in their control cables. Even the cheapest brakes and derailers can usually be made to perform satisfactorily if care is used in installing the cables.
How Cables Work
Cables used on bicycles are in two parts. An inner wire and an outer housing. The inner wire runs down the middle of the housing. Both parts are equally important, neither can work without the other as when the inner cable is pulled there is an equal push on the outer housing.
The quality of both of these components is critical to performance, as wire stretch, friction and outer housing compression will reduce the performance of your equipment. Generally as you pay more for cables you get substantial improvements to performance due to the use of materials that decrease friction, stretch and compression.
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