[unfluid one]

I'm going to attempt to redo my housing lengths for my shifters..
Can't seem to find any instructions on how to do this for extra slow people ,
but do you pretty much thread the cable out of the housing starting from the derailleurs
cut the housing to appropriate lengths, then thread the wire back in and reattach to the derailleur?

 

[Call_me_Clyde]

Correct

If your intention is to shorten the cable, this is the method. Be sure you have a fresh cut on the end of the cable where it attached to the derailleur to ensure that you don't have frayed ends. This will make for a much easier time when feeding the cable back through the housing. be warned that you don't cut too much from the housings, as you don't want any sharp bends that might interfere with the cable being able to move smoothly through the housing. There's a definite balance between shortening the cables, and shortening them to a point where it effects shifting.

Good luck in finding that happy medium.

Bob

 

[logbiter]

I'm going to attempt to redo my housing lengths for my shifters..
Can't seem to find any instructions on how to do this for extra slow people ,
but do you pretty much thread the cable out of the housing starting from the derailleurs
cut the housing to appropriate lengths, then thread the wire back in and reattach to the derailleur?

head over to the parktool site for some good info & pics.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=116

Got a dremel tool w/ cutoff wheel? that's a great way to cut housing.
check out this link
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=124371&highlight=cutting+housing
which leads to N8's excellent threads http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=130064

 

[forkboy]

I'm going to attempt to redo my housing lengths for my shifters..
Can't seem to find any instructions on how to do this for extra slow people ,
but do you pretty much thread the cable out of the housing starting from the derailleurs
cut the housing to appropriate lengths, then thread the wire back in and reattach to the derailleur?

You might as well replace the cables too, while you are at it. No sense in dirtying up new housing with grungy cables.

Don't cut the housing too short. Check out
http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html
for rather verbose but accurate instructions on how to replace your housing and cables.

 

[unfluid one]

You might as well replace the cables too, while you are at it. No sense in dirtying up new housing with grungy cables.

Don't cut the housing too short. Check out
http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html
for rather verbose but accurate instructions on how to replace your housing and cables.

actualy i'm redoing the housing on a brand new bike.. it's been on 3 rides. Part of me thinks I'm being a bit anal: the right shifter cable runs down the right side, same with the left, along the bottom of the top tube. The cable loops down, kinda sticks in between the bottom headset and the fork crown before coming up to the guide on the bottom of the toptube. When I steer, it rubs along the crown, which bothers me, but doesn't seem to damage anything so far.

I'm pretty torn on whether I should do it myself or take it to a relatively trust-worthy LBS.
So a basic question again, the housing is attached to the shifterpod pretty firmly it seems, does it just slide out or is there something I need to loosen?

 

[KevinB]

actualy i'm redoing the housing on a brand new bike.. it's been on 3 rides. Part of me thinks I'm being a bit anal: the right shifter cable runs down the right side, same with the left, along the bottom of the top tube. The cable loops down, kinda sticks in between the bottom headset and the fork crown before coming up to the guide on the bottom of the toptube. When I steer, it rubs along the crown, which bothers me, but doesn't seem to damage anything so far.

Consider routing the right shifter cable along the left side of the bike and the left shifter cable along the right side of the bike. See http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html#crisscross.

I'm pretty torn on whether I should do it myself or take it to a relatively trust-worthy LBS.

Do it yourself. The more maintenance that you do on your own bike, the better able you'll be to fix something that goes wrong on the trail.

So a basic question again, the housing is attached to the shifterpod pretty firmly it seems, does it just slide out or is there something I need to loosen?

Once tension is removed from the cable, it should slide out. You may need to give it a small tug.