Bullet-proof Kevlar® mesh renders our compressionless Flak Jacket cable housing lighter, more flexible and impervious to thrashing. Ultralow-friction Teflon® coated cables make for smooth, effortless control. And the Shield-Lock liner slip over the Shield-Lock ferrules to seal the entire system from mud, grit and grime.
Submitted by
CBL
a Racer
from Redmond WA Date Reviewed: July 26, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
Poor cable housing construction
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT cables
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Paragon
Bottom Line:
These metal braiding is not bonded to the housing. On housing installed with a bend in it the metal wires kept creeping out of the housing and pressed against the shifter cable making shifting difficult. I trimmed up the wires a couple of times in 3 months before ditching this product for Shimano XT cable housing....much better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
IF52
a Cross Country Rider
from Northeast Ohio Date Reviewed: October 6, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Tsali North Carolina
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
They are just a nice basic cable and housing set
Weaknesses:
The strands wound into the outer jacket are a pain to cut cleanly, but the clean up with scissors so no worries
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Dia Compe, Jagwire
Bike Setup:
9 bikes, too many to list
Bottom Line:
I've had no problems with these cables and housings other than the aforementioned issue with cutting the outer jacket cleanly. I think you pay a little more for these than for Shimano cable/housing sets, which impacts the value rating since these perform no better. They look pretty cool I guess.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
fisher_rider05
a Cross Country Rider
from Welaka, Fl, USA Date Reviewed: September 15, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Santos
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint.com
Strengths:
smooth shifting, keeps mud and dirt off cables, looks nice
Weaknesses:
doesn't last, pain to install
Similar Products Used:
avid straight jacket, stock cable/housing set
Bike Setup:
Custom Gary Fisher Hardtail, sram x7 drivetrain
Bottom Line:
This cable set made a nice gift but it was a pain too install because it was impossible to make a clean cut in the housing. Now the housing has given up and lost its compression and starts to make sharp creases when shifting. It was fun while it lasted but I wouldn't buy another set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike N.
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, UT Date Reviewed: September 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Mo' Pi' Trail
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
R.E.I.
Strengths:
Unknown
Weaknesses:
Parts don't fit, instructions incomplete.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Jagwire standard cables, housings
Bike Setup:
G.F. Sugar 292
Bottom Line:
Purchased for maximum power to BB7 rear brake. Instructions inadequate and incomplete. Instructions refer to parts by name, but do not list or describe those parts. Silly tubes seemingly designed to catch and hold dust, etc. SRAM ferrules too big for frame's cable stops; prefer not to drill my frame for silly ferrules. Read reviews on MTBR: uh oh! Put instruction sheet and ferrules back into package, and returned to REI for exchange for good old jagwire cable. Mountain biking: as addictive as cocaine, but more expensive!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dbruning
a Cross Country Rider
from Richfield, MN, USA Date Reviewed: July 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
The Flow
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Matches Avid's Full Metal Jacket Brake systems.
Weaknesses:
After 2 and a half rides, cable housing shifted as in other post. This messed up my shifting and left me with a useless bike for the holiday on a mtb specific trip (thank goodness for the SS backup!) Problem as described in other accounts!
Similar Products Used:
stock cable housing (no problems after many installs and years (yes years, Avid!) of use.
Bike Setup:
Diamondback V-Link 3.o full suspension. Fox 90RL fork, Fox "custom" built rear shock by SHOCKSPITAL. XT/LX der, FSA crank, FSA carbon seat post, handle bar, thomson stem
Bottom Line:
Was hoping for the best and got the worst. I will replace with stock cable housing and return to REI under 100% guarantee satisfaction.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
joel
a Weekend Warrior
from uk Date Reviewed: April 29, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
cable completely sealed off from the elements, very stiff outer
Weaknesses:
very stiff outer.
Bike Setup:
whyte 46
Bottom Line:
As stated these cables are Thick! You need sharp cutters before attempting to fit them. Once cut, I bent the outer by about 90 degrees between my fingers, this caused the wires running down the cable to poke out of the end. I then filled these back, and when I straightened the outer they disappeared back in to the sheath. I have had no problems with these cables and can only think people are leaving them too long, as when they flex the inner is trying to push out of the end, cutting them a bit shorter will allow them to flex and slide in to the ferrules. I had enough cable and outer in my kit to do the whole bike with some left over
The only problem I have encountered on my bike is that I have a hinged drop-out on the rear, and the outer is so thick/strong it will not "kink" as the bike would like it to. I would also recommend some sticky pad protection where the cables may rub as the outer is very thick and could damage paint work
I would definitely buy these cables again given the choice
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Daniyar
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ Date Reviewed: March 18, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Strengths:
Smooth
Weaknesses:
Hard to cut, plastic sleeve started cracking after only 6 months, and most importantly, metal wire in this so called compressionless housing started poking through the ferrules that were supplied with these cables.
Bottom Line:
This is by far the worst cable I have even used, and has to be the worst product made by SRAM. At the very least they should have supplied steel ferrules so that they wouldn't brake under pressure from the housing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
doug baker
a Weekend Warrior
from UK Date Reviewed: December 30, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Kiroughtree
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
None!
Weaknesses:
As other reviewers have found,Cable outer pulls itself apart. Cheap red "sealing system" that doesn't work.
Similar Products Used:
Gore - Bring em back!
Bottom Line:
Must be some kind of inconsistency in manufacturing because these seem to work for some people, but Avid need to sort this out. Just wasted 23 hard earned english pounds, as these cable outers just pull themselves apart within a ride. Have been fitting cables for 15 years... like everyone else here i know how its done - this is definitely a fault with the product.
Really badly conceived and constructed product, shouldn't be for sale.
Don't even deserve 1 flaming turd.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Bass
a Cross Country Rider
from Albury NSW Australia Date Reviewed: October 30, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Chain Reactions
Strengths:
It looks cool.
Weaknesses:
Just like all the other bad reviews the inner wires came out of the ferules and the result was inconsistent shifting. I used a brand new park tool cable cutter.
Similar Products Used:
I replaced the cables with Shimano XTR and the shifting is perfect
Bike Setup:
Giant Anthem 0 (2007) with Sram XO
Bottom Line:
I read the reviews after purchasing the product and would not have done so. Sram should take the flak jacket off the market.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Rochester, NY USA Date Reviewed: July 19, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Hunter's Creek, Ellicottville etc
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$36.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Excellent ferrules and outer shield system.(though I wish red wasn't the only color..clear or black, and sell the ferrules and shields seperately! please!)
Weaknesses:
As other reviews described, the inner shield wires migrate out of the inner tube and jam into ferrules. Also had a piece of the inner teflon sleeve migrate into the rear derailler shifter pod housing!! I too thought this was a fluke and reinstalled sections after carefully trimming and opening the inner sleeve etc, I use Shimano pro cable cutters...but after 3 times I've had it. Too many ruined rides from bad shifts at the worst times! Enough! I switched to using some housing that came with XT pod shifters with the Avid ferrules and red tube system and this combo has been trouble free. I don't hose the bike down, I let mud dry then brush off or use damp rag. Have ridden in rain and still the tubes are clear. The Turner's cables run on top of the top frame tube so are exposed to everything (but still a better place than on the front of the downtube!)
Similar Products Used:
XT, Gore back in the day
Bike Setup:
04 Turner Burner, Mavic Crossmax ST's, hayes discs, XT pretty much everything else, Marzocchi Marathon S-eta fork, SS eggbeaters
Bottom Line:
I installed several cable sets to date, this is the first one to have these stupid issues of repeatedly migrating inner wires. The outer 'woven' wires are fine, it's the non-bonded 22 ga. wires which surround the teflon cable tube that are the problem! The Gore were the best even with the crazy 'creaking' noise they made...somebody re-issue them or fix the Flak inner jackets! I'm a reasonable guy but this is the definition of a 'defective' product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Spugnardi
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Forks, ND Date Reviewed: July 1, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Maah Daah Hey
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$17.00
Purchased At:
Online retailer
Strengths:
As easy to install as any cable set with the added advantage of keeping out normal grit and grime.
Bottom Line:
A great cable set for both brakes and shifters. I've been using them problem free for over a year and have no complaints.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rogier
a Cross Country Rider
from Amsterdam-The Netherlands Date Reviewed: May 19, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Roc d'Azur
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
internet
Strengths:
Black
Weaknesses:
Durability, protection against dirt, merely everything I guess...
Similar Products Used:
Gore Ride-On, Mudlovers
Bike Setup:
Ridley XT Skareb MaguraHS33
Bottom Line:
Well, this was a once-and-never-again experience!!! What a crappy cable system! Only the mounting was OK, but then my worries about the cheap plastic BRIGHT RED cable covers became true: they absolutely do NOT keep the dirt out of the cable system (and after Gore-experience I know this is possible...)
Moreover, every two weeks you have to adjust your gears (if you're lucky), because the cable housing starts changing dimensions due to some of the steel wires that start sticking out of the cable housing looking like an umbrella that did not survive a storm. I first thought I did not cut the cables properly or that I did not put the end cap on the cable housings, but the problem keeps occurring after installing new cable housings for three times already! (I use a Park Tool cable cutter which never gave me trouble with installing any other cable set!)
I'm heavily disappointed and now consider buying either XTR or SRAM cable set (unfortunately, Gore has stopped producing the übergreat Ride-On series!). Boys and girls, save yourselves some misery and DO NOT BUY THIS CABLE SET!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Daily Commuter
a Cross Country Rider
from Lost in Oklahoma Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
"The Secret Sulfur Trail" - Don't Ask !
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA, Ebay, LBS, etc...
Strengths:
Solid design, hard to wear out.
Weaknesses:
Unskilled riders who do NOT
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Jagwire, QBP generics
Bike Setup:
Several, most custom/hand made, SS MTB with avid mech disks, Surly 1x1 DAILY commuter.
Bottom Line:
If you use the right tools and FILE THE HOUSING END AFTER YOU CUT IT, and SMOOTH OUT THE INNER OPENING BEFORE YOU STICK A CABLE INTO IT, it works fine. NO ISSUES. Cables are very attractive and bomb-proof. My objetion to almost all of these bad reviews is the lack solid, correct install proceedures. YES XTR/DURACE cables are EASIER to cut and install but keep in mind you are trying to cut KEVLAR (Bullet proof vests anyone), you just can't "melt the ends or trimthem with out some fraying, period. I USE THESE CABLES ON ALMOST ALL MY BIKES AND I RIDE EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH NO ISSUES !
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RF
a Weekend Warrior
from NJ Date Reviewed: March 30, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
19.00
Strengths:
Seem to work good (for a while) look nice
Weaknesses:
inner cables split causing binding.
Similar Products Used:
generic cable housing with teflon lining (better)
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to my review (a few down, my name is Ryan)
I thought these cables were awesome, untill the winter came and I took my bike apart for a good cleaning. I even bought another set of flak's for my new bike. Then I found out the ends were 'fraying' and I couldn't even re-install the housings. This seems like it is a common problem. SRAM why don't you fix these? they would be an awesome cable set if they didn't come apart.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ - Monmouth Date Reviewed: January 1, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
web
Strengths:
Exposed cable sleeve, nice amount of ferrings
Weaknesses:
Jacket wires WILL NOT stay in place, they creep out and cause endless trouble
Similar Products Used:
XTR housings
Bottom Line:
I used these cables for almost a year and loved em! Never had a problem. After a year of very regular use I started to notice a little trouble shifting. No problem, you should change your cables at least once a year anyway. I liked em so decided to buy them again. The second time, after only a few rides I noticed the inner lining wires start to poke out all over the place. I used the caps that came with the cable and installed them to same way as my first pair. Over the next few weeks I had to replace a few sections of the cable and was pretty much cursing the cables every ride. I finally gave up and purchased XTR cables. I don't know what happened between my first set and my last, but I cant trust these cables enough to suggest them again.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: October 19, 2006
Favorite Trail:
CT - Kenosha to Breck
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$26.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
The brake cables work fine.
Weaknesses:
The gear cables are terrible. The cable housing sections that have sharp bends -- that is, from the shifter to the frame, and to the rear derailleur -- self destruct. The wires in the housing work loose and start poking out the ends, causing binding and no end of frustration. I thought it was a fluke that I had problems with these, but a buddy of mine had the exact same problem. Now that I have read the other reviews I find I am not alone. Sigh...
Bottom Line:
Why pay a premium for a product that will drive you crazy? Save yourself lots of frustation; don't buy the gear shifter cables.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Terry
a Weekend Warrior
from Durham Date Reviewed: October 5, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Chain Reaction Cycles
Strengths:
Good for about 2 months.
Weaknesses:
Very dissappointing. Thought it was just me, but these did not last long at all and gave me lots of problems with keeping my gears indexed. Hopeless in the UK muddy winter conditions.
Ride-On Gore-Tex were the bees knees, but these seem to have been discontinued much to my dispair, so I will switch to Shimano XTR.
Similar Products Used:
Rode-On Gore-Tex Clarks (rubbish also)
Bottom Line:
Custom build Kona hard-tail. Custom build Giant VT 2004.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gez mason
a Cross Country Rider
from england Date Reviewed: September 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
chocolate pudding
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
crc
Strengths:
look very impressive. feel very smooth when first fitted.
Weaknesses:
metal inners are faulty causing quick failure.
Similar Products Used:
nothing this bad.
Bike Setup:
spes enduro expert.
Bottom Line:
I must be a real mug because when my first set failed i put it down to bad cable cutters so i bought a second set after 3 months and park tool cutters and they've failed again.When initially fitted they have the lightest feel of any cable i've tried, however after only a few rides round my trails the ghost shifting started accompanied by stiff action.Apon taking things apart for the second time to my horror about 60mm of the inner wires had come out on two of the rear mech sections and the mud does get in but gets "sealed in"!! Do not buy these cables, they should be banned and as another guy on here suggested Avid should refund all failures.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan Ferraro
a Weekend Warrior
from North Jersey Date Reviewed: July 19, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Product works exactly how it is supposed to. Looks neat.
Weaknesses:
None really, as mentioned before the "coctail stirer tubes" should come in diffrent colors.
Similar Products Used:
Stock cable housings
Bike Setup:
Good stuff, custom built.
Bottom Line:
I read the reviews before purchasing, and decided to buy them anyway. I figured I would give them a try. When I installed them, I decided to put electrical "shrink tubing" where there was any connection or splice, it seems to work perfectly, so far none of the tubes have budged. Also covering with shrink tubing solves the problem with the red tubes, I covered the entire tube so it is now black. You can get shrink tubing in other colors also.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Dearborn, MI, USA Date Reviewed: July 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$22.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint.com
Strengths:
The Kevlar Mesh housing looks really cool, and the "shield lock" prevents dirt from entering the cable housing.
Weaknesses:
THE WORST THING ABOUT THESE CABLES/HOUSINGS IS THE CABLE RUB!!! I use mechanical disk brakes and the cable rub on my head tube going toward my front brake is friggin' terrible! I installed these cables/housings on my new Jamis frame about three months ago and already my poor frame is scared for life; right down to the aluminum. The cable/housing kit is a bit expensive compared to XTR; also it's a little harder to cut compared to other housing. I used a dremel tool to ensure a clean cut, which worked well. The included "cable" seemed rather cheep to me, it frayed really easily, which isn't cool seeing that this cable/housing set costs more than XTR cable/housing.
Similar Products Used:
XTR Cables and Housing
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar XC Frame, Manitou Elite Black Forks, Fox Float R Rear Shock, Mavic XC 717 Rims, Shimano XT Disk Hubs (front & rear), Old School Shimano XT Crank, Shimano XT ES71 Splined Bottom Bracket, Speedplay Frog Pedals, Shimano XT Front Dérailleur, Shimano XT Rear Dérailleur, Shimano XT 9 Speed Shifters (front & rear), Shimano XT 9 Speed Cassette, Shimano XTR/Dura-Ace 9 Speed Chain, Avid BB5 Disk Brakes (front & rear), Old School Avid 1.0 Brake Levers, Cane Creek Headset, WTB Laser V Saddle, Avid Flack Jacket Housing/Cable (shift & brake)
Bottom Line:
BUY THE XTR CABLES & HOUSING!!! Don't waste your time with these guys. They do look cool, and they do prevent trail grime from penetrating into your housing, but the XTR cables/housing are much, MUCH nicer! Plus, if you value your fame, or should I say if you value the paint on your frame, use housing with a less abrasive coating. The included cables are cheep and fray easily, and this setup is a bit more expensive than the XTRs. One good thing about this set, if I remember correctly, is that the housing included is slightly longer than that of the XTRs... at least that's what the sales rep at Price Point told me, which bumps it up to a value rating of 2 chilis.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Erik Zimmerman
a Cross Country Rider
from SLC, UT Date Reviewed: July 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:
the crest
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Good looks, sealed system
Weaknesses:
high price, poor quality
Similar Products Used:
shop stock housing
Bike Setup:
03 Enduro, PIKE, RP3 all else pretty unexciting
Bottom Line:
After reading the reviews, I thought I'd give them a shot and hope for the best. The first week or 2 they were great, "silly-slick" as the box said. The the drama began. The wire supports began to push out at every end in any section of housing that had any degree of bend in it. It pushed out into my shifter internals, out through my rear derailleur gasket, everywhere. I'd take it apart, clip it down and hope for the best, only to be denied any shifting capability whatsoever in about a week. I've installed many cable systems, using housing a sixth of the price. I don't want to hear the "you don't know how to wrench argument". Bottom line, stay away from this housing system. Do not fall prey to the allure of the Kevlar bling factor!!!! Only one flaming turd for you, Flak Jacket!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a
from Western Massachusetts Date Reviewed: June 28, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
bluesky
Strengths:
They do just what they are supposed to, keep dirt out of your cables, and do not compress your cables.
Weaknesses:
None so far. Not a weakness but it would be cool if the (cocktail stir) came in different colors.
Similar Products Used:
shimano
Bike Setup:
Schwinn sram X.9 shifters + derailleur, vanilla rlc forks, vanilla r rear shock, FSA v-drive megaExo cranks, XT hubs BB7s front, and back
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is these are great cables that are a huge improvement over stock cables.
A few people have had problems with the housings, but a lot of people havn't. If everyone had a problem I would say the cables were at fault, but since it is a few people with the problem, I tend to think something was not done properly when they were being installed. possibly the cables were not pushed far enough into the furrels.
whatever the case may be.. mine work perfectly, I have had 0 issues with them, would reccomend them, and will get them again when the ones I have wear out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a Racer
from Madison, MS Date Reviewed: June 2, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
Very smooth shifting. Cable protected from elements and sweat.
Weaknesses:
Poor design of cable housing.
Similar Products Used:
Ride-on, Delta Aztec
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS, mostly XT with Formula B4SL disc brakes, SID Race(yuk), Hutchinson Pythons on Speed Dream wheels using Stan's No Tubes.
Bottom Line:
These cables work well right after they are installed but, and its a bid butt, the housing material slides over the wire reinforcement. This caused several problems. First I lost all shifting to a smaller ring on the front due to the wire getting stuck in the lumen where the cable is located. I had to use both hands and both feet to get the wire out of the housing. Not realizing at the time that this would happen on the rear I did not change the housing and went to a race. All through the race my rear shifting slowly got worse until I became reluctant to shift as often as I like and ended up blowing in the last lap and losing two places. After the race I took the rear cable apart and noticed again that the housing was contracting causing the wire to stick out of the ends. It did not get stuck on the rear but I lost shifting. That was enough for me so I replaced the Avid housing with some plain Shimano shifter housing but continue to use the tubing that covers the cable itself. So far this is working but it really is no longer a complete Flak Jacket set up. Ps: If any of you are wondering, I have installed cables many times so I know what I'm doing. I also use a Park housing cutter. Peace.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a
from Oregon Date Reviewed: May 31, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$29.00
Strengths:
Much easier to install than lego style housings. Still silky smoother after two years of extreme mud, water, dust... Never needs adjustment.
Weaknesses:
Costs more initally than unsealed cables and takes 5 more minutes to set up, but both cost and time savings will be rewarded back over time.
Similar Products Used:
Gore, Nokon, Shimano Slick Stainless
Bottom Line:
I have put these on several bikes and have not had one problem. I have never seen them as a problem on any of my friends bike either. They make shifting so much smoother for so much longer than unsealed systems. These cables rock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Deno
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan Date Reviewed: February 26, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Yo Momma's
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Breakaway
Strengths:
Looks great and holds under all conditions.
Weaknesses:
Not the easiest to install.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Homegrown hardtail, Pushed Fox f80, Mavic Crossrides, WTB Velociraptors, XT 8 speed components, Onza Ti pedals, Easton Monkey Lites, Yeti grips, Thomson post, Selle Italia seat.
Bottom Line:
Awesome product...I rate it a buy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jorgex
a Weekend Warrior
from Almada, Portugal Date Reviewed: January 28, 2006
Giant Escaper'92 (hardtail), SRAM rocket with deore(f) and XT(r)
Bottom Line:
Great shifting under all weather conditions unless there's mud in your drivetrain. With this product i forgot how to maintaince my derailleurs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Rocky Point Date Reviewed: December 29, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
fairly easy to install. very cool looking. basically eliminates cable trouble/maintenance.
Weaknesses:
none so far.
Similar Products Used:
stock generic cables/housings.
Bike Setup:
'99 Trek 8000, EC70 flat, thomson stem/post, Fox F80X, Sram XO triggers, Avid S.D. V's, Sette carbon barends, King headset, Bonty FS10 saddle, XTR hollowtech, XTR FD, XT cass, Sram XO RD, Sram PC99 Hollowpin, 'beaters, Bonty Mavericks and Revolt ST2s, LX hubs
Bottom Line:
i am very happy with this product. well worth the money and will buy another set for the next frame.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
LarryB
a Cross Country Rider
from Pennsylvania Date Reviewed: December 16, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Strengths:
None that I can tell
Weaknesses:
Fist I'd liekt o say I know how to install cables. These cable housings have a very disurbing problem where the wires that make up the structure of the housing start to slide out. They slide out of both ends of every section. It happens less so on the straighter sections. I found one wire wrapped all the way around the shifter! Yeah, I let it go for a while but when I took them off for inspection, I never expected what I saw. It's an obvious defect in workmanship and after reading these reviews I can see it's really a faulty product in general. I'm surprised they've gotten away with it this long and I'm surprised it is still on the market. I Can you say "class action"? One of you riders out there must be a lawyer. Start lawyering up!
Similar Products Used:
Generic cables and you know what? They work a hell of a lot better.
Bike Setup:
They're cables and I maintain my bike. Remember, these cables are supposed to reduce maintenence.
Bottom Line:
They blow chunks. Spend your money elsewhere. I'd give them 0 flamin' chilies except that there's no 0 chili option.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan the Man
a
from WA Date Reviewed: November 26, 2005
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
They work and just like several have stated ITS HOW YOU INSTALL THEM THAT MATTERS!!
Weaknesses:
None - and I mean none!!
Similar Products Used:
Every other cheap cable made and full metals.
Bike Setup:
Klein Palomino
Bottom Line:
Listen if anyone beats up stuff its me. I never heard of cable maintaince. I would go through cables like candy and they never worked right - yeah I know I'm supposed to lube 'em but I refuse to do that cause I have better things to do. I still refuse to touch 'em till they die. These things outlasted my last frame - that was four years of never touching them......Also once I let them stretch out a little they never seemed to stretch again.
To all those that had problems with the housing - try them one more time but make sure you let someone who you know that has a brain put them on for you.
Cables are supposed to do one thing and thats work without letting me know they exist. These do that PERIOD.
Five turdos in both catagories!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a
from Florida Date Reviewed: October 16, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Was pretty easy to install
Weaknesses:
Cable housings - like other reviewers have stated the wires in the housing started coming out causing shifting problems - this happened wherever there was a bend in the housing no issues with straight runs
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
K2 razorback, XTR cassette rear and front derailuer, XT shifters, Avid mechanical discs, Truvativ stylo team cranks, easton seatpost and bar
Bottom Line:
no problem with installation, but the housings dont hold up
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
N.B.GAS
a Cross Country Rider
from LAS VEGAS, NV. Date Reviewed: October 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
EMPTY ONES.................
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
THE BIKE BENCH .com
Strengths:
THEY WORK!.....BRAKES and SHIFTERS for 40 BUCKs......
Weaknesses:
YOU MUST BE ABLE TO READ!
Similar Products Used:
GORE TECH......SHIMANO XTR......AZTEC......JAGWIRE....SRAM.
ALL COMPRESSIONLESS HOUSEING and PRE-STRETCED CABLES WORK, WITH ALOT OF MAINTENCE! ..........AVID FLAK-JACKET=LESS MAINTENCE............... READ DIRECTIONS! READ DIRECTIONS! READ DIRECTIONS! IF YOU CANT READ,YOUR FORKED! "STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES"......... ..........I FIRST USED THIS SET UP 3yrs AGO ON MY 97' MONGOOSE. AFTER THE FIRST 2mos, I WENT TO DO THE STANDARD MAINTENCE AND DAMN! NONE NEEDED! 6mos STILL GOOD! A YEAR LATER I CHANGE THE CABLES! I WAS GOING THROUGH WRENCH WITHDRAWEL..........GIVE EM A TRY..SEE FOR YOURSELF....... .........TIME RIDE FOREST RIDE.............PEACE..........
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
23MJM
a Cross Country Rider
from No Cal Date Reviewed: October 8, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Tight twisty singletrack
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
It works, nice looking, good job of sealing the cable form stuff
Weaknesses:
None really, takes a little extra to install, but not a biggie
Similar Products Used:
Gore, Shimano, and Generic stuff
Bike Setup:
Bullit, Super-t pro, Race face, Shimano, Sram, Mavic, and all sorts of other stuff!!!
Bottom Line:
Hey they are cables a wire that slides through a tube!!! Not Rocket science, all though some seem to think it is. The Bullit has full length rear der. housing and I have been using these for a year or so and no real problems. After the cable and housing settled in haven't had to adjust at all. They look pretty cool too. I just wonder how many of the problems others seem to have is operator error??????
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from CA Date Reviewed: August 21, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
REI / Supergo
Strengths:
Provides a first level defense against mud / water intrusion into cables. That's it.
Weaknesses:
Housings are complete junk. The longitudinal wires repeatedly extrude out, and ruin shifting repeatability. Causes ghost shifting, never ending index adjustments, etc.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano and Quality cables.
Bike Setup:
5 spot with air shocks and Bullet with heavy ish.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy these things, they are super low quality and don't do the job. Supposed to reduce maintenance requirements, in my experience, required much more maintenance than any other cable/housing. Serious ripoff at $35 or so retail.
The idea seemed great, I bought in and put these $35 cables on both my bikes at the beginning of the season. After one or two rides bike #1 started having shifting issues, after endlesly re-tuning index adjustmets for weeks and trying a brand new deraileur, it finally dawned on me to take apart and inspect the housings/ferules. I would never have guessed to find a problem with brand new housings. What I found was that the wires(which provide the compression resistance, really important for indexed shifting to work right) in the housing were sticking out of the plastic ~ 6mm. After trimming and re-chamfering the ends of the housing, re-assembling and adjusting I got a few more rides of decent shifting before the same problem cropped up again. Have it with both bikes. I'm and engineer and have been wrenching on my own bikes for 10 years, and have never, ever, seen such low quality housings. Shimano housings do this to a tiny degree also over time, but it's not nearly as big of a problem.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David Kunz
a Cross Country Rider
from Monrovia, MD Date Reviewed: July 10, 2005
Favorite Trail:
blue
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat
Strengths:
Shifts smooth when new. Still working on front (has a front seal at the DR, but not at the rear DR). But, who know for how much longer.
Weaknesses:
Doesn't keep moisture out. Doesn't keep crud out at the rear DR.
Similar Products Used:
Gore RideOn, Shimano sealing system, Generic and Shimano cables and teflon cables.
Bike Setup:
Cannondale -- Jekyll and Gemini
Bottom Line:
No seal at rear DR. The 1st time that I got in real mud, they clogged and stopped working. After deep water crossings, I could see that there was water in the plastic covers. I really wish that the RideOn cables were still being made. They lasted for years! This lasted less than a month. Even the shimano seals work better then this!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Francoeur
a
from Superior, WI USA Date Reviewed: June 16, 2005
Favorite Trail:
CAMBA trails Hayward, WI
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Seals out the crud. Looks awesome, shifts smooth.
Weaknesses:
Install a little awkward, but nothing too tough. Pay attention to details.
Similar Products Used:
Jagwire, Gore
Bike Setup:
'04 Epic FSR w/ full XT, Oury Lock On Grips w/ Clamps, Easton EC70 Carbon Seatpost, Selle Italia SLR Saddle TI Rails, Easton EC90 flat bars.
Bottom Line:
A great cable system, shifts like budda', looks great. May be intimidating to some to install, but with the proper tools, not a problem. Follow instructions, file any sharp edges, do not lube. Best to hang red sleeve to get straightened out, in sun helps. Clothespin or larger binder clip provides enough weight on bottom. Then get out and enjoy!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a
from Fort Collins, CO Date Reviewed: May 15, 2005
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
REI and JensonUSA
Strengths:
Easy to install, good action, longevity
Weaknesses:
Too short for longer cable routes
Similar Products Used:
Shimano (the generic kind and XTR)
Bike Setup:
KHS FR2000, Hayes, gripshift, Z1
Bottom Line:
I'm baffled by the negative reviews, but many of them seem to be from people who had a hard time installing the cables. Apparantly the little red hoses and extended end caps are confusing to some. Then again, if you have the tools yet still need a flippin' mechanic to install your cables for you, then perhaps you aren't qualified to review the installation difficulty in the first place.
The Avids work very well, and last a long time. They are easy to install (provided your attention span is at least 5 to 7 minutes). The only beef I have is one the cable routes on my bike is longer than the housing length supplied. Too bad they don't make them a bit longer because I really like them otherwise. Maybe I should call Avid but I'm too lazy to do that.
3 chilis on value because I'm bitter about not getting enough housing for my twenty dollars. 5 overall for an otherwise outstanding product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sky
a Cross Country Rider
from Rochester NY Date Reviewed: May 4, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
employee purchase
Strengths:
work, sort of....
Weaknesses:
Shifted worse than standard cables, required a rollamajig to work at all for the rear derailler. Seems the "seals" just retain dirt. Very lousy cable system. Gore cables are much much better, heck, standard cables are better. something aobut these just didn't work. LOTS of friction. oh, and the red plastic dust covers were ugly.
Similar Products Used:
Gore, standard cables, Jagwire cables (stock on specialized, very nice actually)
Dont' buy em, drop the extra money on Gore cables, or just put regular non-sealed cables on, they last just as long.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andthereyouare
a Cross Country Rider
from Delaware Date Reviewed: April 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Fair Hill, MD
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
www.JensonUSA.com
Strengths:
Looks awesome, smooth braking and shifting. There no more cruddy water that gets in the lines.
Weaknesses:
I have a Klien Attitude Race frame. So needless to say I had to route the little orange sleeve ("Coffee stirrer" as put by someone) through the frame. It's hard enough running a plain cable but to get that orange sleeve to fit. Never will I ever to this again.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Telephone cable, 16 gauge speaker wire.
Bike Setup:
One sick Klien Attitude Race only stock thing on it is the frame paint.
Bottom Line:
These cables seem to be working very well. But it time all tends to wear down. I would assume that these will last longer since I spent 4 hours routing the orange sleeve through my frame. I'd recommend these to anyone that doesn't have internal wire needed to be ran.
I'm so NOT installing these again. I'll pay someone first.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
david
a
from pinhole Date Reviewed: April 8, 2005
Favorite Trail:
crack
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Fully sealed with coffee stir straws, very smooth shifting.
Weaknesses:
Havent found it yet.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano & other generic brands.
Bike Setup:
Versus Blitz, versuscycles.com
Bottom Line:
Seem to work better than standard cable housing, very smooth shifting up. Cant xpect perfection but these come closer then standard cable housings do.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JRod Imus-Prime
a Weekend Warrior
from Clemson, SC, USA Date Reviewed: March 6, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Issaqueena lake
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
umm, online
Strengths:
really smooth, and the cable housing looks really tricked out. I had some trouble with my stock cables and after getting these I've had no more issues. The shifting feels super silky now.
Weaknesses:
umm probably a bit more expensive than other cables, but well worth it.
Similar Products Used:
whatever came with my bike
Bike Setup:
KHS Full Suspension.
Bottom Line:
It was well worth the 20 dollars I spent on them. If your cables are worn out, go for it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Gainesville, FL Date Reviewed: February 19, 2005
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
Smooth. Last longer than others.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
shimano
Bike Setup:
Yeti Kokopelli, XT-XTR.
Bottom Line:
Looks like they must have improved these cables since most the bad reviews are from 2002 or earlier. Maybe the old reviews should be discarde if there have been quality control improvements with this product. They are easy to install if you have a pair of cable cutters. Here in FL we have alot of mud and these have been working good for 2 years.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego Date Reviewed: August 19, 2004
Favorite Trail:
BLT-Noble loop
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint, usually
Strengths:
Very durable housing, high quality ferrules, functional semi-sealed system, low drag, reliable
Weaknesses:
New generation version is a little stiff for some applications.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XTR housings, Gore Ride-On, Avid Straight Jacket, generic housings
Bottom Line:
I think it's easy to set up right, just don't use grease on the cables instead of liquid lube. I use a Dremel to get perfectly square cuts on the housing, flare the internal teflon liner with an awl or x-acto knife and have several bikes with many miles and years on them, using Flaks. When buddies will pop for the extra few bucks, I use them on builds, and the system works great.
The semi-sealed effect of the sleeved ferrules and the red cable liner is great in dusty, gritty and wet rides.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Derrek
a Weekend Warrior
from Fryeburg, ME Date Reviewed: June 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Shangra La, Rattlesnake
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Employee purchase
Strengths:
good sealing for the full length of the cable.
Weaknesses:
the complexity of installation could prove too much for the mechanically declined.
Similar Products Used:
gore ride-on, all the different flavors of shimano
Bike Setup:
Santacruz superlight, king hubs and headset, XTR (still the 8 speed), and avid mechnical disc brakes
Bottom Line:
When you take the time to install them correctly they work well. My cable set were stainless steel, so no issues with teflon coating. The red tubing can cause drag, but after a bit in the sun I was able to straighten the housing and tubing just fine. They have held up under the sand and mud of new england riding so far. They would get five chilis for overall rating except for the complexity of installation for the average home mechanic
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas Tx Date Reviewed: April 29, 2004
Favorite Trail:
City Park Austin
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Tough outer skin, comprehensive cable kit includes a lot of extras
Weaknesses:
stiff cables, unable to keep clean, bad cable body design.
Similar Products Used:
gore
Bike Setup:
bullit set up thick
Bottom Line:
After a few months, the wires that make up the cable housing core, started poking out the cable housing ends. The action was very sticky, and the insides had a dry powdery dust after a few months. Nah.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tony De Brooklyn
a Weekend Warrior
from NYC Date Reviewed: December 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Forest Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Online, E-bay or something...
Strengths:
Works smoothly under all conditions, nothing gets in once installed properly.
Weaknesses:
Had the red housing crack on me once, could have been caused by me spilling or spraying stuff on it, was replaced by AVID quickly after a call.
Similar Products Used:
Gore Ride-on and Shimano cables.
Bike Setup:
1)Trek Y-Bike, work of art, burgundy carbon fiber front triangle, chrome rear. 2)Trek 3000 ZX, hooked up to the utmost. 3)Rocky Mountain Extreme Race, done up with all the fixins...
Bottom Line:
Great cable system, really dont know why people have given them such poor ratings. I've been using this system for close to 3 years, on all my bikes, and the only time I've ever had a problem was when the red lining cracked on one, which was quickly replaced by AVID. Being that I got bored, I decided to use some Gore Ride-Ons for my shifters and keep the AVID's on to my brakes. After a years worth of abuse on this set, my brakes are still going strong teflon, red housing and all, the Gore Ride-On's are still going strong too although the Gore Tex is shredded around the cables themselves. The AVIDS look way better than the Ride-On's, and they perform pretty equally, although I did detect a slight sluggishness from the Gore's on the shifting that wasnt present on the AVID's.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rafi Julius
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel Date Reviewed: November 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
none! simple cheep shimano brake cabels work much better
Weaknesses:
made my avid ultimates work like the cheepest brakes out there.
Similar Products Used:
regular, xtr.
Bottom Line:
the cabels are o.k - like any teflon coated brake cable. its the housing that's horrible and makes the brakes feal flopy.and yes - instaled them as prescribed! swiched the housing to regular shimano (whith the avid cabel) and its good again. just buy regular cabels, grease and clean them regulary.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ryen
a Cross Country Rider
from kirkland Date Reviewed: September 29, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
rei
Strengths:
easy to install, strong
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
shimano xt
Bike Setup:
rockhopper with minor upgrades
Bottom Line:
these cables are great, no stretch, very responsive. i am not sure why people are complaining about installation, just follow the directions and it should only take 1/2 hour total. make sure to file out the housing to prevent rubbing. and do not use any lube, even the package tells you that.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve Fairclough
a Weekend Warrior
from Oakville Date Reviewed: April 29, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Kelso
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Sealed system, looks cool and very easy to install
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Jagwire cables
Bike Setup:
GT XCR I-drive, XT drive with Sram chain. Mars fork, XT/Avid brakes, Fire XC tires
Bottom Line:
Like one of the other posters mentioned, I think it is best to install this system dry. I used no lube at all.
Immediately after switching, both my braking and shifting were incredibly smooth. I have since had numerous rides in very heavy mud/snow/ice through rivers, with no discernible drop-off in performance.
Critical factors when installing are: - - Ensure a clean cut-off - Clean inner hole with small needle-file to remove burrs - No lube required
I did notice many comments in regard to the coating coming off. My shifter cables are not coated. I suspect that this may have resolved the issue.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
nagual genero
a Cross Country Rider
from el paso Date Reviewed: March 12, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
internet
Strengths:
Affords a way to have sealed system.
Weaknesses:
Cable housing eventually broke into two distinct pieces at Flex point where rear pivot of full suspension caused the most flexing.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Truth, XTR/XT, Disk Brakes
Bottom Line:
I've been pretty satisfied. I haven't had problems until recently and I've got 8,000 miles on my bike using the same shifting stuff except for recently replacing the cracked section of shielding with a piece of XTR housing and I've changed out the cables once.
When I got mine I didn't want the garrish red tubing exposed. I got some black rubber tubing and cut short pieces of the red tubing into the ends. The black tubing was much fatter but the red could barely be forced into about 1 inch at each end. (The black rubber tubing was actually tubing they use for gas lines in model airplanes.) The end result is I had a completely enclosed system but within the rubber tubing a lot more room for the cable. Everything has worked perfect up till now.
I didn't want to spring for another $40 so I recently purchased an Aztec set-up. I will continue to use my black tubes with the new stuff.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
javan
a Weekend Warrior
from anchorage, alaska Date Reviewed: March 3, 2003
Favorite Trail:
hillside
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
local shop
Strengths:
looks nice
Weaknesses:
ferrules...
Similar Products Used:
gritty stuff
Bike Setup:
schwinn
Bottom Line:
The only problem i had with the setup is the ferrules wouldn't fit in my lower cable stops. i wasn't about to drill out the holes bigger, so I discarded the red tubes (and defeated the purpose of the kit) and used other ferrules. On a good note, it appears Avid improved the kit for 2003 by including stainless steel cables in place of the useless teflon-coated ones. I give it three chilis because if it'll fit on your bike right, and with the SS cables, i think it would be a good system. too bad i won't know.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Duarte, California Date Reviewed: October 10, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint.com
Strengths:
Look cool, work good.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Gore Ride-on, Shimano XTR
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS w/ XTR
Bottom Line:
Okay, the guys that said these are too hard to set up must be morons. The only thing that makes setting these up any different from a normal set of cables is that you need to put on the red liners between the cable hangers (those are what keep the system "sealed). Maybe an extra 30 seconds of work if you're slow.
I have the Gore Ride-on system on my other bike and they may be a BIT more smooth than these, but they're also twice as expensive.
For the $20 these cost me, it's a good value. Better than a normal system 'cause mud and gunk don't foul the cables. Contrary to what some of these other guys are saying, if you install the red liners correctly, you're not getting any mud or dust in there.
Also, they look really cool.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Sandia Park, NM Date Reviewed: September 16, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
The kevlar housing is good and seems to hold up well.
Weaknesses:
Teflon coating wears off quickly, red liners get dirt inside and destroy shifting or braking quality. This is not a sealed system.
Similar Products Used:
Standard cables, Gore cables
Bottom Line:
Sorry but these cables blow. I'm a good mechanic and installed these properly. The bottom line is the red liners trap dust, water, grime and destroy your shifting or braking. The teflon cables quickly loose the coating. The housing is nice but not worth the cost of a set of these. Do yourself a favor, if you want a good sealed system get Gore.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Poulsen
a Weekend Warrior
from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Date Reviewed: August 6, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anywhere I can ride
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Looks great. The Kevlar sleeves are excellent, very stiff and smooth.
Weaknesses:
Works great for a while until the teflon coated cables start to loose their coating(inside a sealed system!). Almost imposible to clean your cables. Come on folks, we are talking mountain biking here. If you ride at all in the rain, dust or mud, that stuff does get into Everything. You do need to clean your cables. With this system, you can't.
Similar Products Used:
Normal sleeves and stainless steel cable
Bike Setup:
doesn't matter.
Bottom Line:
The idea is a good one(perhaps on paper). Feeling on slick wiring does not last very long. I eventually removed the red sleeves and ran them like that for a while. Then I got rid of the teflon coated cables for some stainless steel ones and have been running those in the kevlar housing. That feels great! I will keep the kevlar housings on because they work nice. The ferule ends are a nice touch also. I beleive the system was a good idea(heck, I bought a set didn't I?), but falls short after some time. The kevlar housing is very nice(I'll keep using it). If you do have the set up and are unhappy, switch your cables to S.S. and loose the red plastic sleeves. You will find the that nice slippery feeling again. AND you will be able to keep your cables clean.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
carlos
a Cross Country Rider
from texas Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002
Favorite Trail:
fewer everyday.
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$19.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
-smooth as glass -no drag -seals out the crud -looks nice
Weaknesses:
-must be installed by someone who knows how to install them properly. (novice mechs need not apply)
-the teflon coated cables.
Similar Products Used:
everything. shimano, avid, gore, IRD,.......
Bike Setup:
Litespeed Obed with a Vicious Cycles fork and king wheels.
Bottom Line:
well, i'm still using the Avids. great stuff.
i'm not really sure what the big deal is and why some many have so many problems. i'm willing to bet it's gonna come down to install or orl worn out parts, improper install of parts and bad parts set up (int he case of a new bike).
how many of you guys are reaming the hole after a cut? you used the proper cable cutters for this job? are you lubing the cables (you should NEVER, lube a sealed system, especiazlly if the cables are teflon coated)? how smoothly are you running the housing from stop to stop? from shifters and lever to the first set of stops?
honestly, you need to find a mech who knows how to install these. just because some one works at a shop, doesn't mean they know squat. i've worked at shops where they hire kids and people looking for extra cash. and not just experience with bikes but with installation of cables. think about it, how often do you think a mech installs new cables and housing? it's really rare. most people only change out the cable and not the housing so housing install experience is hard to come by. most new bikes already have the cables and housing cut to length.
anyway, that's unfortunate. the system works great......ADN even better when you toss that gimmicky telfon cable and use some stainless shimano cable. the teflon coating sherds and rips and causes a bit of drag at all the bends in the housing.
than, check this, you take the teflon caoted cable back tot he shop and exchange them for plain steel. teflon around here is $6.99 per cable (now THAT's a rip off)...plain is about $1.25.
sdaly, some insist on doing it themselves. the experienced mechs are there to help you with questions. all you have to do is ask. most want and have tons of info to give but no one to giuve it to. or a small number of people who care to ask.
also, most experienced mechs will not dispense advice like "get these grips, they are hard on the inside so the rubber holds on the the bar, and soft on the outside so it's comfortable on your hand" or "XTR is lighter than XT" or "this is a sweet good *name of part*". real mechs don't use the words "sweet" or "chi chi".
i'm out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from CT Date Reviewed: May 27, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
*WHEN SET UP PROPERLY*, they worked just fine for quite a long time. They also look pretty badass...
Weaknesses:
When I got a little gunk in there, they started to make some noise. Still fairly smooth, but getting worse. Oh yeah, and on my last ride, I just cracked that red tube thing, all the way around. So much for sealed... The wires pushed out of the housing at the bends, so when I took 'em off, there were all sorts of wires hangin' out. Could have something to do with me using the der. cables as brake cables (oops).
Similar Products Used:
Stock, Shimano, trying Gore next
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Kaitai, with all XT kit 'cept the LX crankset, Avid AR50 Brakes and SD3.0L levers... lemme put it this way, the only stock parts are the frame, the seatpost QR, and the wheels (which are getting swapped out REAL soon).
Bottom Line:
I bought these a while ago, before I heard any of the bad things about them. Looked nice to me, so I tried 'em. I followed all the directions, took a dremel tool to my cable guides to keep stuff from pinching, and cut everything very carefully with a Park Cable Cutter. I don't care what people say, use all the stuff they give you. The whole point of the system is to keep EVERYTHING sealed. If you ditch the red tubing, then grit gets in and the teflon is gone. Mine had very little friction for quite a long time, and I've ridden in my fair share of mud and crud, even if I don't get to go riding all that often (damn school and Varsity sports!) When you're fitting them, take the red tubing, and stretch it straight. If it isn't straight, when you put it on, you'll get drag from that, and maybe even rub through the teflon. Straighten it, cut it so that it will go from one of the ferrules to the other without popping off the little ferrule extensions, and make sure that those ferrules aren't getting pinched! Mine ended up moving back and forth a little bit, but the cable never touched it.
The cables worked pretty damn well, but they were starting to get a little harder to move and a little noisy, so it was time. And then I somehow managed to crack that red tubing, all the way around, so they're no longer sealed.
I'm gonna try Gore Ride-On cables next, and see if they're better.
Its a good idea, but Avid's got some problems to work out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sam
a
from Madison, WI Date Reviewed: May 10, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
PP
Strengths:
???Stength???
Weaknesses:
Xtreeemly difficult to set up - ditto to all the problems had below.
Similar Products Used:
LX-XTR
Bike Setup:
Two wheels and Avid T1's
Bottom Line:
Not worth the hassle, ergo not worth the money. Could be that I don't know how to get it right but it's cable for @%#* sake!
Looks great but have'nt yet met a babe who ogled my Kevlar...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Evan
a Racer
from Ft. Lauderdale Date Reviewed: May 9, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Cool kevlar weave look.
Weaknesses:
Everything else
Similar Products Used:
Hore-Tex, Shimano
Bike Setup:
Fuel 100 custom
Bottom Line:
POS. Piece of schnit. All the bad reviews below are true and not much I could add to them. XTR kit is far superior in everthing from installation to precision to longevity. My housing has actually CRACKED at a not so severe bend in the line. I bought the hype when they first came out but learned the hard way that they really do suck. I have been running the Shimano XT discs so the brake side I get to enjoy no cable drag or maintenance. When is someone going to figure out a hydraulic shifter????????????????
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia Date Reviewed: April 17, 2002
Favorite Trail:
lysterfield
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$39.00
Purchased At:
CBO
Strengths:
Looks Cool, can be smooth if you spend heaps of time setting them up
Weaknesses:
-No smoother than XTR cableset - kevlar jacketing is the best gimmick to come from a marketing department yet - outer casing way too stiff, any bend radius less than 6inchs yields Extreme cable drag - That red 'shielding' tubing is ultra useless - Shielding Ferrules cause drag - Bloody expensive
Similar Products Used:
SIS, SIS-SL, SLR, XTR most shimamo
Bike Setup:
one tricked out craftworks
Bottom Line:
The first time I ran them (cutting them teh same length as my old xtr cables)... what a nightmare, the cable wouldnt even retract back after I applied the brakes...
These brake cables CAN work reasonably well if you do a few things to them.
First thing you have to do is ditch that red shielding rubbish, the point of that is beyond me, it just causes crazt drag. I also ditched the avid ferrules & cleaned out my old XTR alloy ones (with the little o-rings) and used them instead. If you dont have these, any old ferrule will likely work better than the supplied flak jacket ones. You really need to keep these cables as straight as possible else you get a LOT of drag. When you have to make a bend, make it a large radius, for your rear brake, run the cable around the other side of stem, make it a nice easy, constant radius curve. A squirt of light oil (0w-20)in the casing helps things too.
So I did all this, and yeh they're pretty smooth, practiclaly XTR smooth, so I'm pretty happy.
BUT what a hassle! I mean damn, all that just to run brake cables?? Took me like 2 hours of fine tuning. They cost HEAPS, hard to use, no instructions.... I find it very hard to recommend these. I only used them because I waited 4 weeks for them to arrive from CBO (damn customs) Plus they're made in Taiwan, the quality of the teflon on the cables looks doubtful.
So in conclusion, if you like gimmicks (like me) and don't mind the fine tuning, maybe try them.... but that said
Just buy a complete XTR cableset next time and you will never look back. Made in Japan, greased, smooth, long life flexible, GOOD.
Cheers!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jacques B.
a Cross Country Rider
from ottawa, Ontario Date Reviewed: January 28, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
zippo
Weaknesses:
they don't work.
Similar Products Used:
cheap brake cables and housings
Bike Setup:
GT I-drive
Bottom Line:
I bought 2 sets of flak jackets...for my brakes and derailleurs. We had a relatively dry season, and by the fall, I had to get off my bike, and use both hands to depress my rear derailleur trigger shifter to actually change gears. All 4 cables are now seized. A bike mechanic reviewed the setup and says they were installed properly. Ironically, the cheap cables and housings that came with the bike worked just fine for a season and a half. So I went out and spent $100.00 dollars (Cdn) for a product that simply doesn't work. Avid should stop selling these immediately.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig Bromley
a Downhiller
from England Date Reviewed: December 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Avalanch
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Looks cool, great idea in principal for keeping crud out
Weaknesses:
Every last concievable bit of it
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Intense UZZI DH & SLX, X-Lite Wompa II, XT group set etc
Bottom Line:
I'm sorry but these are absolute pants, I bought them for my intense because they looked like the perfect solution to keeping the crud out. I chose the route that bent the housing the least to try to keep the shifting smooth, just not posible. Right from the word go they would suffer really badly from cable drag going up and down the gears. There was just nothing I could do, they were stiff as hell and damn expensive. I literally threw the whole lot straight in the bin after trying to make it work for two days. God knows how bad they would have performed once they had been used for a bit. These are so badly designed that Avid ought to be ashamed of itself. Look the simple solution is to buy cheap Shimano cables and housing (preferably the pre-greased kit versions) and replace them every 6 months, or jet the housing out with GT85 and regrease. Perfect shifting again. Avid shame on you!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Johnny L
a Cross Country Rider
from Leigh, Lancs, UK Date Reviewed: October 31, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Rivington........
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$15.00
Purchased At:
Chain Reaction Cycles
Strengths:
Pretty.....
Weaknesses:
Everything else that matters
Similar Products Used:
XT, XTR cable sets
Bike Setup:
Merlin Malt2, Full XT, Avid Speed Dial 7's, SID 100's & USE XCR post
Bottom Line:
Outer cable too stiff, this will seriously wear off your paintwork. I bought the brake set and it was a nightmare, was no sign of smooth braking from the word go. I've fitted dozens of sets of shimano cables and they're reliable and consistant in performance and ease of installation. I got no instructions on "How To Install" like some guys on here seem to have. If there's a knack to get this product working well, let us know what it is Avid. Avid standard cable systems are fine, why did they have to go and produce garbage like this......
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
HardmaN
a Cross Country Rider
from Ohio Date Reviewed: September 22, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Look cool
Weaknesses:
Don't work
Bike Setup:
Trek 6500, many mods
Bottom Line:
Much like a black hole or Monica Lewinski, these things just plain suck. I bought the brake and shift cables. On the positive side, the carbon fiber housing and black teflon-coated cables look cool. I took great care to keep these babies clean during installation, just like the instructions said, and I expected smoothasbutter shifting and braking. They worked well for about a week, and then the performance just went to hell. The rear derailleur shifting seemed to suffer the worst, and when that happens an enjoyable ride can become an exercise in patience. Bottom line: I've pitched the cables and gone back to plain Jane steel cables. I kept the housings, but they'll probably be pitched soon, too. If you plan on getting any dirt or mud on your bike, stay away from these cables.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
carlos
a Cross Country Rider
from texas Date Reviewed: September 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$15.00
Purchased At:
the shop i work at.....
Strengths:
-seals out grime, water, crud, mud,..... -drag free shifting
Weaknesses:
-installation does require a bit more time and experience with the Avid system as opposed to Gore or non-sealed systems.
Similar Products Used:
Gore, Shimano stock XTR housing/cables, and standard SIS.
Bike Setup:
Litespeed w/ Colnago rigid fork (no, i'm not a commuter).
Bottom Line:
they require a bit more experience and knowledge of how to "properly" install cables. in the 5 years i've used these cables (remember when they had the steel braid?) and installed them on other people's bikes, i've NEVER had a problem.
people doing it themselves, that's another thing altogether.
quality product that doesn't drag or feel as "grease-drag-y" as the Gore.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chuck
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh,Pa. Date Reviewed: August 11, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat
Strengths:
Sounds like a good idea
Weaknesses:
Every part of them.
Similar Products Used:
Gore cables, Aztec
Bike Setup:
Not important
Bottom Line:
This is my second pair, and they've gotten worse. My first pair is on my older bike, and have been okay at best - I've had some problems with the housings restricting the cables. But, I've just spent an hour and a half trying to run ONE deraileur cable, and I've broken every ferrule - the plastic sleeve that runs between the housings is too small - I can't get it over the ferrules without pushing so hard that it kinks, and if I try to dis-assemble to trim,it pulls the ferrule apart! I may not be "Gravy" the mechanic's mechanic, but I've strung hundreds of cables, and never, I mean never, have I been so frustrated. This is quality control at it's absolute worst. The bottom line - this system is not worth the effort. If mud is a real problem, go with Gore - I've used several sets, and while they are tedious to install, they have always WORKED very well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
AhiManic
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles Date Reviewed: July 24, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Red Box to JPL
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Good looks, sealed system, nice ferrules.
Weaknesses:
Poor instructions, very stiff housing, ferrule sleeves too thick.
Seem to be more trouble than they're worth. Poor instructions didn't help in installation that is slightly more complicated than normal cables. More illustrations would help. The housings are needlessly stiff and don't conform well to the frame. I don't see the advantage of having kevlar strands in the housing, the way it's designed doesn't help in preventing housing compression. They don't seem to be any smoother than regular teflon cables either. What really erked me was the fact that the little sleeves that extend from the ferrules are too thick to fit through cable stops on the frame. The instruction suggests that the frame's cable stop to be drilled out to enlarge the hole. Now why do I want to drill my $2000 frame to accomodate a $20 set of cables??? Go figure. I ended up filing the little sleeves down to fit in the hole but it was a cumbersome process. The cables will pinch if the ferrule sleeves don't fit adequately loose in the cable stops.
I don't see the real advantage of having this sealed system unless you constantly ride in wet and muddy conditions.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle Date Reviewed: July 24, 2001
I really didn't have a problem installing at all. Just enough housing to do the bike but not much more. I used a regular cable cutter and just measured before cutting then poked pen in the hole to make sure it was clear. The housing are a bit stiffer than normal housings but workable. the shifting has been fine to date and so has the braking.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from El Segundo, Ca. USA Date Reviewed: April 5, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$29.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Looks cool
Weaknesses:
Very notchy shifting
Similar Products Used:
XTR
Bike Setup:
Specialized FSR DH, Boxxer, Raceface, Hayes, Etc.
Bottom Line:
Still trying to get these cables to work adequately. They look great but so far I don't think they are worth the hassel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gohan Fujita
a Cross Country Rider
from Tumon, Guam Date Reviewed: March 2, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Channel 10
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$27.00
Purchased At:
Hornet Sporting Goods Store
Strengths:
Self-contained; Keeps the grim and dirt away from the cable; helps cables last longer; the cable housing is strong and looks Hi-tech, and with the 'red' shield makes the whole cable system look cool.
Weaknesses:
Care must be taken installing this system; not meant for the novice mtbiker to install.
Similar Products Used:
Generic type cable housing and cables
Bike Setup:
GT 2000 idrive XCR-1000: Shimano drivetrain;M646 pedals;XT front & rear derailluers; XTR shift pods; XT crankset; and XT bb. Tioga XC tires; mounted on CODA disc wheelset. Hayes Hydro disc brakes. LP carbon xc handle bar. ODI lockig grips. AZONIC saddle. Easton E50 seatpost. Cateye cycle computer. Rock Shox Psylo 01' xc fork. Formula skewers.
Bottom Line:
Although I'm not new to maintaining a mtbike, assembling my first mtbike was my first experience. Avid instructions for installing the Flak Jacket product can be intimidating, especially when they mention all the small details one needs to remember in order to make the installation as painless as can be. I chose not use the teflon cables that came with the kit, and opted to stick with the teflon cables that came with my XTR shifters. If you follow Avid instructions when it comes to cutting your cable housing to length. You will eliminate all the problems I've read in the other reviews on this product. Installing this system takes a lot of TLC, but if done correctly. No problems! I haven't had any problems with shifting at all.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Graham
a Weekend Warrior
from Edinburgh, Scotland Date Reviewed: December 20, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Dales, Glasgow
Strengths:
They operate the brakes
Weaknesses:
Cable supplied was too short for my bike, Cannondale Ravan. Cable ran stiffly even when first installed. Cable clogs after minimal usage.
Similar Products Used:
Std shimano cables.
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Raven 1000
Bottom Line:
I thought I was buying the best for my pride and joy. But they are much worse and much more expensive than the standard shimano cables.
Cables clogged after only 3 months use. These cables are rubbish.
Stay with the Shimano stainless steel XTR cables and keep'em lubed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
heff
a Weekend Warrior
from Rochester NY Date Reviewed: December 2, 2000
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
Look sharp, work well, much better feeling than the old cables.
Weaknesses:
none, so far. Well, the red sheild kinked up a bit, but that's not a design flaw, it's an operator flaw.......
Similar Products Used:
lots of everything, some of which don't even exist anymore.
Bike Setup:
'00 Dakar Expert, 9.0sl drivetrain, X-Vert Super, and Avid disks
Bottom Line:
Hm......reading through all the reviews below, I don't quite understand all the complaints. I've been riding mine non-stop all season, and have had absolutely no difficulties. Mud, rain, and now snow, they've performed great. Yeah, the red shield got a bit kinked after an apparently passionate lovemaking session between my bike and my friend's Pipeline in the back of my truck, but it hasn't affected performance any, and if it did, I have plenty more of it. And the teflon coating......I've always wondered, if NOTHING sticks to Teflon, how do they get it to stick to the metal?? Ahhhhh......too much thought for a Saturday morning.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle Date Reviewed: November 30, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
They look cool
Weaknesses:
Overall design
Similar Products Used:
standard cables
Bike Setup:
Sugar
Bottom Line:
Shame on Avid for making such a poor product. These things should be recalled and everyone should get their money back. Even after the initial setup they were never that smooth and have grown worse over time.Dont buy them even if you can get them cheap they are not woth it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
G C
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotland Date Reviewed: November 30, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Glasgow
Strengths:
Work well at first
Weaknesses:
Not sufficient cable provided to suit my bike. Had to leave a section around the derailleur going through old cable jacket. Stiffer action that Shimano cable. Dont seal very well, have become rough after only 3 months not so heavy use. A bit fiddly to install on my bike.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano xtr
Bike Setup:
cannondale raven 1000
Bottom Line:
I paid more for these cables expecting a top of the range product, but the previous shimano cables worked better and lasted longer than these alledgedly sealed ones.
Dont bother. A lot of money for a poor product. I have avid brakes so expected better than this from their cables.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston,Ma Date Reviewed: November 12, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Foxboro
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
They dont work
Similar Products Used:
Gore, regular cables
Bottom Line:
Avid makes great brakes which is why I am surprised that these things are so bad...They worked okay for a couple of weeks but that was about it...They were never smooth to begin with and now they are making a noise when I shift.And I know that they have to be installed properly so I had my local bike shop install them...Time to move on I guess.Dont waste your money on these things they are absolute junk and deserve to be entered into the Hall of Shame...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Ann Arbor, Mi Date Reviewed: September 9, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Poto
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Aesthetics
Weaknesses:
Doesnt deliver
Similar Products Used:
stock cables Gore
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mountain Instinct 1999
Bottom Line:
Seems to me that if your bike needs to be modified to get these things to work properly it should be mentioned in its packaging... I really do not feel like I should be Dremeling my ferulles...but I guess that what it takes!! Do not bother buying these things...there is no performace advantage and there are better products out there...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
markus
a Weekend Warrior
from vt Date Reviewed: August 22, 2000
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
SpeedGoat.com
Strengths:
Smooth at first.
Weaknesses:
Did not last long, worse than standard cables.
Similar Products Used:
Gore, Generic, Shimano
Bike Setup:
Rocky MTN
Bottom Line:
Do not buy these cables. Went with XTR, much better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
smokinjoe
a Racer
from BFE, ark. usa Date Reviewed: July 16, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Good idea.
Weaknesses:
Inferiority
Similar Products Used:
shimano, delta/aztec
Bike Setup:
OCLV HC
Bottom Line:
Shimano XTR housings have these guys beat hands down. Your buying a psuedo sceince product. I went by the book on installation. Used a dremel tool, no frayed edges, no ovalization, proper length of housings, enlarged my ferrules w/ the dremel. They work, eh, o.k. After one ride the rear brake was like glue. After close examination, the black sleeves that are fabricated to fit inside the housings connectors, where actualy the culprit in causing excess friction on the cable. I clipped the very ends of these sleeves (the end that fits into the housing's ferrule) and they are smooth again. I will have to tape them to the housings as they tend to slide off the ferrule now since there is no piece to hold it to the ferrule, thus not giving a complete seal. The shifter is working great after about 6 2hr rides. Well see how it continues and how my improvisation to their product wks. XTR housings w/ coated cables are really the best all around. If you dont have the heart to dremel on your bike's ferrules (if they need it) dont buy them! I cut the H out of mine, just so Avids housing connectors would fit. If there is ANY, i say, ANY pressure on their connectors whilst in the bike's ferrules ,,forget it. What exactly is the kevlar suppose to do again? Heh.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cjm
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX, Harris Date Reviewed: June 26, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Singletrack (Wet or Dry)
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Design (completely enclosed cable). Materials (all of them). Appearance.
Weaknesses:
Depends on a good installation.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano.
Bike Setup:
1998 Shimano XTR on 1997 Cannondale CAD2 Frame.
Bottom Line:
The installation requires a Dremel tool and a lot of cabling know-how. Just like any other cable product, there can be no frayed housing, tight curves, ovalized housing, yadda yadda yadda ... and these cables aren't cheap. The end result is well worth the effort. There is initial stretching, but that is normal. The travel is smooth enough to allow me one-finger V-braking (while solidly grabbing handlebar) and ease in thumb-shifting my bottom-pull front derrailleur. The bike feels a lot more user friendly. I will be very carefull when using high-pressure car wash hoses on this bike not to mess up a good thing. Also, because these cable are shielded, I can tape them to the frame right at the middle so there are absolutely no rattles.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bud
a Cross-Country Rider
from SFBay Area, CA Date Reviewed: January 11, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Good seals
Weaknesses:
Coating on inner wire wears away after only afew hours of use resulting in very high shifting effort. Cable stretches, making ghost shifting a big problem. These things are junk. Save your money and buy a set of Gore cables for the same price.
Similar Products Used:
Gore
Bike Setup:
Litespeed Hiwassee
Bottom Line:
Forget it. Buy the Gore cables and get something that will last a few years.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Barry
a Cross-Country Rider
from North Vancouver Date Reviewed: December 29, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
manufacturer support and replacement
Weaknesses:
original inner cables
Similar Products Used:
shimano, generic cables
Bike Setup:
Norco Java, Manitou XSR
Bottom Line:
Avid came through with a new set of inner cables that had a better coating so it looks like they've corrected the problem of coating durability. I'll bump up the review to 4 chilis for response from Avid. We'll see if the new inner cables stand up longer than the first ones.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Barry
a Cross-Country Rider
from North Vancouver, BC Date Reviewed: December 27, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
nice looking package with nifty Avid Ferrule, good shifter set,
Weaknesses:
really short life on inner cable teflon coating
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, generic cables
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar Team with Manitor SXR and Avid SD20 brakes and SD2.0 levers
Bottom Line:
They were incredibly slick and smooth for the first 5-6 hours after install and then during one particularly muddy and wet ride the rear brake was not releasing. Got it home cleaned up the bike and found the rear brake cable was smissing the black teflon coating in many areas, especially through the noodle and around the ferrules. The front was the same, lots of friction, hard to pull. Pulled the inner cables out of another set of Flak Jacket cables that were set to go on my other bike and installed them in the housings and they were fine, very slick and no brake drag. The first set of inner cables didn't have the same type of shiny black finish that the second set had. I've sent fax and email inquiries to Avid and have had no response on the cable lifetime issue. Not impressive when you consider these cables are $100+ CDN for brake/shift set. If the second set of inner cables don't last any longer I'll go back to generic cable which are a fraction of the cost and can last a year or so with a drop or two of oil, even in Vancouver mud bath trails. I give em a 5 for looks and the clever idea and so far a 0-1 for service lifetime and response to the problem I had for an average of 2 chilis.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mr_rangr
a Cross-Country Rider
from Pasadena, CA Date Reviewed: July 30, 1999
Favorite Trail:
El Prieto
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Keep the cable dirt free.
Weaknesses:
Cumbersome installation.
Similar Products Used:
Standard Shimano cables
Bike Setup:
Airborne Lucky Strike with Avid 2.0/AR50.
Bottom Line:
This really is overkill for areas without much mud. Next time I'll just get a good set of standard brake & shifter cables.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Rahbany
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder, CO Date Reviewed: May 3, 1999
Gimmick. Next time I'm going to get some gasket-sealed ferruls and be done with the cumbersome installation.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
K
a weekend warrior
from Kansas Date Reviewed: March 4, 1999
Bottom Line:
These cables are quite nice. I used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to trim the housing, and found the installation to be quite easy. I could see how the braided housing might be a problem if the wrong tools are used for installation. The red tubing might be goofy looking on some bikes, but it looks pretty nice on mine. The tubes/ferule system does a great job of keeping gunk out of the cable system, and the teflon coating on the cables is much tougher than the average teflon coated cable. You really have to make a concerted attempt at scratching the coating off of the cable. I haven't noticed much stretching after the initial break-in period; about the same as the Gore cables I had installed on my last bike. Overall, I rate these cables quite high. One added bonus is the braided housing looks killer; understated yet high tech looking. Much better than the plain 'ol black housing I'm used to. As far as cable systems go, I give the a nice fat 5 chili rating. I can't see anything as simple as cables getting much better than this.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Pomphret
a cross-country rider
from Warrington, UK. Date Reviewed: February 11, 1999
Bottom Line:
I've got the brake version of these cables. I found installation not too easy but once you've got the hang of getting the end-caps on no worries !! Before fitting my rear brake cable would block up after only one ride in the local mud. Now, I have no problem at all. The red shield is a bit of a eyesore but if it means I can keep the same standard of braking then I'll suffer that problem.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
steve
a racer
from Shepherdstown, WV Date Reviewed: January 15, 1999
Bottom Line:
Got these cables last summer. Thought they were the bomb with the stainless housing and red accents. However, the housing is starting to develop a ripple effect where the braids are coming undone. The red liner is falling apart. I am not happy about this. I've worked at a shop for the past three years, and this is very intolerable. Maybe this is just a development flaw, but hopefully they have corrected the problem on an otherwise groovy setup.
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Submitted by
f jordheim
a racer
from mpls minn. Date Reviewed: December 16, 1998
Bottom Line:
I have been a pro bike mech. for many years and a parts freak for even longer. Avid cables and gore cables are both very good but for different reasons. Avids design is more user friendly and i feel a bit more logical in its approach to friction free shifting. Gore cables work well but as soon as the coating on the cable begins to wear, look out, you get more friction than if there was no coating to begin with. I have both and like both but the winner has to be the avids. As to color is all personal.
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Submitted by
Scott Duckworth
a cross-country rider
from Acworth, GA Date Reviewed: November 6, 1998
Bottom Line:
These are some great cables. I was on vacation up in Tsali this past summer and my shifting had gotten so stiff that I had to use both hands to shift it. No joke. I still had about 5 days left up there and I didn't want to just sit around and watch the birds poop, so I went down to the NOC bike shop to get some new cables, saw these, forked over $40 and put them on. I couldn't believe the diference. After 4 months, they are still the same, probablly due to the sealing red liner (they really work and they look great on my bike). I have yet to find a smoother shifting cable, old or new. When I get the money, I'm getting the brake cables too. If you're crazy and want to spend $40 on the best set of cables you will ever own that will outlast $100 of regular cables, get these.
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Submitted by
Dave
a cross-country rider
from Battle Creek,Mi Date Reviewed: October 30, 1998
Bottom Line:
Since I`ve installed these cables I`ve had nothing but trouble with shifting.The cables seem to stretch quite alot and hang up causing missed down shifts.They are not grip shift friendly.They are not nearly as good as Gore cables to me.I will be switching back soon.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JustinTime
a racer
from Orlando Date Reviewed: August 26, 1998
Bottom Line:
they do not keep dirt and mud out of the cables. the design is flawed because it is layered. Gore Tex is one complete enclosed sleeve (despite its other flaws) These damn cables got gunked after 1 mud ride. Fair design but only worth it if you get a killer deal.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MIKE
a racer
from CANADA Date Reviewed: August 9, 1998
Bottom Line:
i BOUGHT THESE CABLES ABOUT A MOUTH AGO AND THESE THING ARE WAY BETTER THAN GORE TEX CABLES AND THEY COST THE SAME. FOR DURABILITY AM NOT YET SURE BUT I WILL TELL YOU HOW IT WORKS OUT. I HAD GORE TEX AND I WILL NEVER BUY THEM AGAIN. I AM GOING TO STICK WITH THE AVIDS FROM NOW ON.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a cross-country rider
from Austin, TX Date Reviewed: February 2, 1998
Bottom Line:
Just got a set of the Avid 'gore-like' shifter cables. Killer setup. My old Gore cables were a pain to mess with, the Avid ones were easier to install and the cable covers they use are very easy to install and promise to keep everything out of the cable. The housing has a metal weave under plastic that makes the housings look as if they are carbon fibre, killer looking on the bike. The cables do not work well with Avid's Rollamajig, but that's no loss because the performance of these cables without the Rollamajig is better than normal cables with it. Shifting is very smooth and precise. These are a very atractive alternative to Gore cables. Shifting performance is probably identical, it's the housing that Avid uses that makes the difference. Unlike normal shift housing which strongly resists bending, the Avid housing bends easily and doesn't spring back instantly, retaining it's shape. The housing does resist compression and expansion however just like normal shifting cable. Overall I'm very happy with mine. I don't know how durable they are as I just go them, but the design is intelligent and looks great.
Overall Rating:
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