{"id":347,"date":"2022-02-05T16:44:17","date_gmt":"2022-02-05T16:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crankduty.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2022-02-05T20:34:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T20:34:32","slug":"brake-vs-shifter-cable-and-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankduty.com\/brake-vs-shifter-cable-and-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"Brake vs. Shifter Cable and Housing \u2013 Do They Mix?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Bicycle brake and shifter (gears) cables look very similar \u2013 and so do the cable housings. This raises two questions: (1) How to tell brake and shifter cables and housings apart? (2) Can you mix&match? I wrote this article to clear the confusion around this topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The short answer is that brake cable&housing are thicker than shifter cable&housing and also of different construction<\/strong>. Brake and shifter cables and housings are not<\/em> cross-compatible<\/strong> except in rare cases; some combinations can even be dangerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next we will take a more detailed look into the two cable types. You will see why you want to use brake cable for brakes and shifter cable for gears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brake and shifter cable are mostly not cross-compatible despite similar looks. They differ in thickness, head shape, cross section and supplied lengths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brake cable is noticeably thicker than shifter cable. The typical thicknesses of brake cable are 1.5 and 1.6 mm, while shifter cable is usually either 1.1 or 1.2 mm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that shifter cable is weaker than brake cable \u2013 but also more flexible, and bends easier to <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brake cables have either a large cylindrical head lug cross-wise to cable (MTB) or<\/em> a mushroom-shaped lug along the cable (road). Shifter cables by contrast have a slighly smaller cylindrical lug that is oriented along the cable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Both brake and shifter cable have a twisted wires in the surface. But shifter cables often have a few “hidden” details in the cross section for shifting performance: (1) a straight-wire core for improved stiffness (2) smooth-ground surface for lower friction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shifter cables come in slightly longer (uncut) lengths than brake cables to cover the longer cable path to the rear derailleur. Typical shifter cable lengths are 2100 mm, 2300 mm or higher for special models (tandem). Brake cables are 1750 mm or 2050 mm as standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No \u2013 a brake cable does not work in the shifter. <\/strong>The brake cable too thick<\/strong> for the shifter cable housing and the head is too big for the shifter. The cable is also to stiff to bend nicely in the tighter curves inside the shift levers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes \u2013 you can<\/em> use shifter cable with many brakes, but the cable will not last long.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The smaller cross section of the shifter cable means that the stress in the cable wires is substantially higher (~2x). This will lead to a cable failure much sooner than with a proper brake cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brake and shifter cable housings are also different, despite nearly identical appearance. They are not cross-compatible<\/strong> for the most part.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBrake vs. Shifter cable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1 Thickness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2 Head shape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3 Cross-section<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4 Length<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
BRAKE VS
SHIFTER CABLE<\/th>BRAKE
cable<\/th>SHIFTER
cable<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>Thickness:<\/strong><\/td> 1.5\/1.6 mm<\/td> 1.1\/1.2 mm<\/td><\/tr> Head shape:<\/strong><\/td> cylinder across (MTB);
mushroom (road)<\/td>cylinder
lengthwise<\/td><\/tr>Lengths:<\/strong><\/td> 1750…2050 mm<\/td> 2100\/2300mm,
longer<\/td><\/tr>Material:<\/strong><\/td> carbon steel,
stainless steel<\/td>carbon steel,
stainless steel<\/td><\/tr>Cross-section:<\/strong><\/td> twisted wire<\/td> twisted\/
straight wire (opt)<\/td><\/tr>Finishing:<\/strong><\/td> plain<\/td> surface-ground
pre-stretched<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCan you use brake cable for shifter?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Can you use shifter cable for brakes?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Brake vs. Shifter housing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n