# Lightest shifter cable



## Atmos (Oct 20, 2006)

Which is the lightest shifter cable around other than PC? I'm using DA7800 rear dee, can PC shifter cable work with it? Thank you.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

I belive steel cable is steel cable. Regardless of manufacturer, the weight should be hte same or very close. 

Yes you can use Powercordz with a Dura-Ace rear derailleur. Just make sure you loop the cable around the clamp bolt.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

DA cables are down to what, 1.1mm diameter? Only way any other steel cable is going to weigh less is to run a smaller diameter and that's going to come at the expense of breaking strength.


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

It appears to me that that there's two weight reduction programs in play with light weight bikes; one is a challenge to get the lightest bike no matter what, a sort of bicycle super model anorexia;  and the other is an F1 engineering approach where you take off every gram that isn't related to performance and reliability for bike racing. 

Anything that really plays fast and loose with drivetrain reliability and performance by introducing an unreasonable amount of fiddle factor into the drivetrain should be scrutinized with an intense scrute (to steal a line from the Goon Show) :skep: 

The steel cables are likely one of the lightest/simplest things on a bike, the mud from tire spray will weigh more than swamp (so to speak) the difference between steel and aramid fiber cables.


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## Slobberdoggy (Sep 26, 2005)

Where can I buy the Dura-Ace housing online in roles? The "Dura Ace" sets come in only short pieces. It's nearly the lightest housing right? Will it work with power cordez shifter cable? 

That's all I want to know. I've got powercordz brake and shifter cables sitting idle here and I really want to lace them up someday.


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## Padre (Jan 6, 2004)

Am I errant in believing that Nokon is lighter than standard housing?


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## Slobberdoggy (Sep 26, 2005)

Padre said:


> Am I errant in believing that Nokon is lighter than standard housing?


Here we go again. I always have to search this information up because I forget myself. Should be a sticky or something.

Cables + Housings:

BRAKE:
Tune "plastic"5mm: 18g/m
Tune "plastic" 6mm : 21.5g/m
Gore Ride-on light: 23g/m (without inner liner!)
Nino's Cables: 27g/m (metal outers and inner liner)
Nokon: 35.5g/m (metal outer 29.5g/m + plastic sheath 6.5g/m)
Tune "Aluminum" : 37g/m
Powercordz: 45g/m
Jagwire: 50g/m
Shimano: 53.0g/m
Gore Ride-on: 54g/m
Gore: 57g/m
Shimano XTR : 58.5g/m

SHIFT:
Gleitec U3 : 12.5g/m
Tune "plastic": 18/m
Gore Ride-on light: 23g/m (without inner liner)
Nino's Cables: 27g/m (metal outers and inner liner)
Jagwire: 32.0g/m
Shimano SIS : 34.0g/m
Nokon: 35.5g/m (metal outer 29.5g/m + plastic sheath 6.5g/m)
Transfil "flying snake": 36g/m
Powercordz: 39g/m
Gore Ride-on: 54g/m

INNER CABLES:
Powercordz Shift cable: 4.25g/m
Powercordz Brake Cable: 3.1g/m

XTR Shift Cable : 9g/m
XTR Brake Cable : 13g/m

Sooooooo

Shimano sis shifting is lighter than nokon - barely. Is sis the same as Dura Ace housing? (I feel like we just had this discussion a few months ago)

Housing and cables :nono: It's another area where if I ran the country I would make sure there was an ample supple of continuous Tune and Gleitec :madman:


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Slobberdoggy said:


> Where can I buy the Dura-Ace housing online in roles? The "Dura Ace" sets come in only short pieces. It's nearly the lightest housing right? Will it work with power cordez shifter cable?
> 
> That's all I want to know. I've got powercordz brake and shifter cables sitting idle here and I really want to lace them up someday.


No where.
DA Brake cables will work with PC. It's 5mm. The SIS stuff is 4mm.

Jagwire makes a Universal Housing in 5mm. Basically the same as PC housing.
Not heavy, but not light. I will try to weigh a Meter of it later today.









*$57.60 @ Jenson USA

*Jagwire Ripcord Universal housing
Use for brake or derailleur
Kevlar reinforcement makes housing compressionless
Ideal for mechanical disc brakes
30% lighter than conventional 5mm brake housing
Includes CNC-machined aluminum ferrules

Item Specifications ColorBlackWidth5 mmLength7.62 m

Either use regular cables with some decent housing or Jagwire with PC. Either way your around 10-15g of each other.


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## Juanmoretime (Jul 30, 2004)

Slobberdoggy said:


> Here we go again. I always have to search this information up because I forget myself. Should be a sticky or something.
> 
> Cables + Housings:
> 
> ...


By Nino's cables do you mean alligator I-Links? I just got a set of I-Links since they are now available here in the states. I haven't weighed them yet. I do plan to use Power Cordz with the I-Links.


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## EuroMack (Jan 15, 2007)

Slobberdoggy said:


> Where can I buy the Dura-Ace housing online in roles?


http://www.google.com/products?sour...06-41,SHWR:en&q=sp41+housing&um=1&sa=N&tab=wf

Get a big roll and you can toss it when it gets grimy. I use 1.1mm generic stainless cables (like DA). I find stainless stays slick a little longer than coated cables.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Juanmoretime said:


> By Nino's cables do you mean alligator I-Links? I just got a set of I-Links since they are now available here in the states. I haven't weighed them yet. I do plan to use Power Cordz with the I-Links.


I think he does. Where in the states?


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## pastajet (May 26, 2006)

Yes, please give us the info on the i-Links, as far as I know they can't sell them here due to patent issues, I spoke with Alligator at Interbike and that is what they told me.


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## Slobberdoggy (Sep 26, 2005)

Thanks!


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## Atmos (Oct 20, 2006)

Cheers! said:


> I belive steel cable is steel cable. Regardless of manufacturer, the weight should be hte same or very close.
> 
> Yes you can use Powercordz with a Dura-Ace rear derailleur. Just make sure you loop the cable around the clamp bolt.


Cool~ thanks for the info
But other than PC, which is the one that comes close to it?
Jagwire? DA? I-links?


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

pastajet said:


> Yes, please give us the info on the i-Links, as far as I know they can't sell them here due to patent issues, I spoke with Alligator at Interbike and that is what they told me.


Price Point has them.


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## Juanmoretime (Jul 30, 2004)

DIRT BOY said:


> Price Point has them.


I actually purchased mine from here:

http://stores.ebay.com/Professional-Cycling-Discount

They are not posted in the webstore yet.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

so are we talking about housing? or are we talking about cable? I'm confused.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Cheers! said:


> so are we talking about housing? or are we talking about cable? I'm confused.


Housing.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Juanmoretime said:


> I actually purchased mine from here:
> 
> http://stores.ebay.com/Professional-Cycling-Discount
> 
> They are not posted in the webstore yet.


Of course .

You have a MTB now or just bored of the other boards?


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

I believe you can use powercordz in Shimano SP41 housing right?


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## Juanmoretime (Jul 30, 2004)

DIRT BOY said:


> Of course .
> 
> You have a MTB now or just bored of the other boards?


I have an MTB. The weather here has been totally crap and I've only been able to get outside to ride three times this year so no rides on the wheels yet.:madman:


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*actual listing....*

just a slight correction to the listing above:
the Alligator I-Links are actually the lightest available housings: 27,1g per meter including inner liner.

also note the real weight of the Nokon carbon shift housing: 34,1g/m

Cables + Housings:

BRAKE:
Tune "plastic"5mm: 18g/m
Tune "plastic" 6mm : 21.5g/m
Gore Ride-on light: 23g/m (without inner liner!)
*Alligator I-link: 27,1g/m (metal outers and inner liner)*
Nokon: 35.5g/m (metal outer 29.5g/m + plastic sheath 6.5g/m)
Tune "Aluminum" : 37g/m
Powercordz: 45g/m
Jagwire: 50g/m
Shimano: 53.0g/m
Gore Ride-on: 54g/m
Gore: 57g/m
Shimano XTR : 58.5g/m

SHIFT:
Gleitec U3 : 12.5g/m
Tune "plastic": 18/m
Gore Ride-on light: 23g/m (without inner liner)
*Alligator I-link: 27,1g/m (metal outers and inner liner)*
Jagwire: 32.0g/m
Shimano SIS : 34.0g/m
Nokon Carbon: 34,1g/m ( 25,4g carbon outers + 8,7g inner liner)
Nokon: 35.5g/m (metal outer 29.5g/m + plastic sheath 6.5g/m)
Transfil "flying snake": 36g/m
Powercordz: 39g/m
Gore Ride-on: 54g/m

INNER CABLES:
Powercordz Shift cable: 3,1g/m
Powercordz Brake Cable: 4,25g/m

XTR Shift Cable : 9g/m
XTR Brake Cable : 13g/m


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## pastajet (May 26, 2006)

In addition...

INNER CABLES:
Powercordz Shift cable: 4.25g/m
Powercordz Brake Cable: 3.1g/m

should be more like

INNER CABLES:
Powercordz Shift cable: 2g/m
Powercordz Brake Cable: 3.1g/m

I will get an exact weight for the shifter cables when I get home....

Peace.


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## Padre (Jan 6, 2004)

I'm slightly confused on this. It seems the Alligator stuff is lightest shift housing I have access to here in the states. It also appears there is virtually no difference in the cables themselves, that weight is gained or lost mostly in the housing.

In my efforts to build the world's largest lightweight full-suspension bike, I'm trying to be a bit more painstaking here...


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

Alligator i-links are the lightest housings.

Shifter cables are shifter cables if they are steel. The only way to save weight from the cable itself is to run powercordz.

I though the original poster was only interested in the cables and then people started to post about housings as well.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

You could save a lot of weight by not having a shifter cable on your bike.


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## Atmos (Oct 20, 2006)

Cheers! said:


> Alligator i-links are the lightest housings.
> 
> Shifter cables are shifter cables if they are steel. The only way to save weight from the cable itself is to run powercordz.
> 
> I though the original poster was only interested in the cables and then people started to post about housings as well.


Yes, i'm only interested in the cable, i do not know where does all the housings pop out  So, its confirmed that i could use the PC shifter cables for my DA7800 meaning i should get the road ones instead of the MTB ones, am i right? And will the type of shifter affect the compatibility of my cables too? I'm using the nobus gripshifter and also paul thumbies.


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## pastajet (May 26, 2006)

Ok, I just weighed a bunch of cables that I had around the house. A couple of notes, not only is the powercordz a lighter cable but the head of the cable is also lighter. The steel head weighs .4 grams and the PC weighs .15 grams.

Here is the weights (with the heads averaged in)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Steel shifter cables: 6.8 g/m
Powercordz shifter cables: 2 g/m


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## Atmos (Oct 20, 2006)

It won't be so cramp with one people less in here.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

Atmos said:


> Yes, i'm only interested in the cable, i do not know where does all the housings pop out  So, its confirmed that i could use the PC shifter cables for my DA7800 meaning i should get the road ones instead of the MTB ones, am i right? And will the type of shifter affect the compatibility of my cables too? I'm using the nobus gripshifter and also paul thumbies.


From what I understand there is no difference between "road" and "mtb" shifter powercordz. Only when you get into brake there exists variances.

As to if you need to mod anything... if the inlet hole that the shifter cable goes through for the shifter is not bigger than the cordz itself you will need to drill them out with a 1/16" drill bit.

http://www.iodupont.com/power_cordz_installation.htm#inlet_holes

Good luck. You should email Tony at IOdupont. He responds very quickly to emails.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Quite light, but for the money I'll stick to steel cables... for the $50 difference, I can find better ways to save an ounce.


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