REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

powercordz problems

1637 Views 14 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Batas, Jun 30, 2009

yampydog

Discussion Starter · Jun 29, 2009

I recently fitted a set of powercordz inner cables on my Large S works hardtail.

weight savings with Shimano Yumeya outers were impressive:

front derailleur set,fitted
Std shimano SP41 inners/outers/ferrules/rubber seals = 27grams
Yumeya SP81 outers/powercordz + ferrules/rubber seals = 16grms

Rear derailleur set, fitted
Std shimano SP41 inners/outers/ferrules/rubber seals = 44 grms
Yumeya SP81 outers/powercordz + ferrules/rubber seals = 25 grms

The front gear change is fine, I guess that it performs such a basic function, but the rear gear operation is not good. The problem seems to be with shifting to the bigger gears on an 11-34 cassette, which is inconsistent & hesitant, there seems to be too much friction even though I used the recommended lube.
This bears out the feedback from "Hardtailforever" & "Batas".
The upshot is that I have kept the front changer on powercordz but replaced the rear with std 1.2 mm stainless steel cable.
At least I can cut down the rear powercordz & re-use it on the front when needed so all is not lost.
I am always dissapointed when products don't live up to the hype and although the customer service at Powercordz were keen to help, they had no solutions or explanantions that could solve the problem.

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

protocol_droid

· #2 · Jun 30, 2009

If you're using the 1.4mm powercordz, you should buy the nokon inner liner (larger diameter) and that should work fine. Otherwise, you'd need the new white 1.2mm powercordz to work with standard inner liners.

Perhaps someone else will chime in with something else.

BlownCivic

· #3 · Jun 30, 2009

Powercordz have a special liner for the 1.5mm cable to fit Nokon or Alligator housings. It'll probably work with the Yumeya housing as well. But from the sounds of things, the OP is not using a liner at all. Could the ID of the Yumeya housing be that small?

I run the old 1.5mm Powercrodz with Alligator housing and the special Powercordz liner, and I've had trouble free shifting for the last 12 months. I haven't even looked at the cables at all.

yampydog

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 30, 2009

I used the new 1.2mm powercordz (white) which is sold as compatable with SRAM and Shimano.
The shifting with steel cable & Yumeya is perfect, and the steel cable and the Powercordz both checked out at exactly 1.2mm with my digital vernier.

Personally, for me, I don't like the look of Alligator cable housings, so I wouldn't use them. There is no way you could fit an additional liner into the Yumeya outer.

LuizSalles

· #5 · Jun 30, 2009

I have nokons cable housings with Sram X.O OEM steel cables.

I bought the 1.2mm power cordz.

Let´s see how it´s work together....

Batas

· #6 · Jun 30, 2009

As I see it, or there is a special super fantastic awesome lube, or the 1.2mm powercordz will never work properly with rear der. The friction between plastic/plastic is too high. The gearing is very imprecise. I also cutted the rear cable and used it on the front der. It works better here because the shift tolerances are higher...

If someone could shed some light... Because almost 40€ in cables that don't work... :s

Batas

· #7 · Jun 30, 2009

BlownCivic said:
Powercordz have a special liner for the 1.5mm cable to fit Nokon or Alligator housings. It'll probably work with the Yumeya housing as well. But from the sounds of things, the OP is not using a liner at all. Could the ID of the Yumeya housing be that small?

I run the old 1.5mm Powercrodz with Alligator housing and the special Powercordz liner, and I've had trouble free shifting for the last 12 months. I haven't even looked at the cables at all.

The yumeya are quite good! They are just like regular shift housings size wise, but they are lighter, way lighter. The ID is just the right size for the 1.2mm cables.

Your solution in simply not possible.

nino

· #8 · Jun 30, 2009

Batas said:
As I see it, or there is a special super fantastic awesome lube, or the 1.2mm powercordz will never work properly with rear der. The friction between plastic/plastic is too high. The gearing is very imprecise. I also cutted the rear cable and used it on the front der. It works better here because the shift tolerances are higher...

If someone could shed some light... Because almost 40€ in cables that don't work... :s

Sounds like a good buy

expensive
not sealed
lots of drag

But you saved a couple of grams which is all that counts, right?

jmartpr

· #9 · Jun 30, 2009

I have two bikes with I-links...a road bike with 1.4 mm PC (Look 585) and my MTB with 1.2 mm PowerCordz (Scott Spark). Both have been working flawless in the shifting department so far. The bikes with full housing up to the derailleurs present a challenge as you have to be sure the installation is perfect with such a long housing run that can lead to more friction and damage to the cable.

The key to having a good PC setup is taking your time with installation (correct lenght/curves, if your using liner that it covers the cable completly, etc.) I have seen my share of PC failures...mostly premature and 99.9% of the time is that the cable is damaged during installation, it rubs against something (this could be the I-link housing because of lack of liner) or the routing of the whole cable is no-good. I know it's a PITA as IODupont can do so much over the phone or e-mail (same as us) but they do last and work pretty good if you take time during the installation/setup.

See less See more

celestequattro

· #10 · Jun 30, 2009

jmartpr

Do you use any lube on the rear mech on your Spark, and if so what?

Thanks

BlownCivic

· #11 · Jun 30, 2009

I am running full length liner on both my Yeti ASR and my Pedal Force rigid commuter and both the bikes have never had any lube on the PowerCordz cables. The rear shifts perfectly, now that I have the correct liner for the cables and Alligator housings.

Batas

· #12 · Jun 30, 2009

nino said:
Sounds like a good buy

expensive
not sealed
lots of drag

But you saved a couple of grams which is all that counts, right?

C'mon Nino, you more than someone else should know better before saying something like that... But whatever.

No, not a good buy, same as iLink... Not a good buy either... And yes, I have a set, I had them installed.

Expensive: Yes, but I had to try them... Just the geek part inside me, and they are 80% lighter...

Not sealed: I was talking about the cables, not the housings. Why do I need sealed housings on my scale frame that uses full housings...? Cant see a better housing for my scale frame right now. And I would love that someone proves me wrong, because I always like cheaper nice alternatives.

Lots of drags: Correct. Powercodz cables are very bad, and thats why I'm saying it. That's the purpose of this forum, help each other out. When I buy something that doesn't work I say it out loud, no matter what.

See less See more

Batas

· #13 · Jun 30, 2009

The words that cought my attention were "correct liner"...

But are you using the older 1,5mm cables? Because it says that the 1,2mm cables are compatible with shimano, jagwire shift housings, no special inner liner needed...

nino

· #14 · Jun 30, 2009 (Edited)

Batas said:
C'mon Nino, you more than someone else should know better before saying something like that...

No,
the problems you had with the i-links was a simple set-up problem, the problem you describe here seems to be a compatibility issue. So you will have to use steel wires and have a heavier system in the end

Batas

· #15 · Jun 30, 2009

Did you test the new powercordz 1.2mm with iLinks?

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.