

I've been riding this bike for 1 year, it seems not too serious to me since it's only one broken string but I'd rather have your opinion
I have a 100km ride on sunday (in 2 days). If it's really needed, I can try to get a new cable tomorrow
by Zormuche
9 Comments
you might as well for peace of mind, but it wont snap out of nowhere
Yes and while you’re at it lubricate the inside of the housing.
You should be good for now but you should probably replace during your next periodic maintenance cycle. It is one of the easiest jobs to pull out the inner and replace it.
Yes! Your brakes should always be in tip top shape and a new cable is literally like 3 bucks.
Cables are cheap, I wouldn’t want to risk it causing problems mid ride
yes
Yes
If it’s the rear I’d not stress as much, but if it’s the front I’d replace right away because that’s where the real stopping power comes from.
It’s not a massive ride to me, but I’m also very confident with riding terrible bikes and stopping with one brake, etc. I also don’t know if you’re riding alone or with a group, and under what conditions. I’d recommend you replace it ahead of the ride. I can also see that the cables have a fair amount of oxidation on them, so I’m assuming you aren’t completely current with your servicing regime.
Regardless, buy yourself a few extra brake and shift cables and some lubricant, and put some lube in the housing on shifters and brakes, it’s well worth it and will make both function better and last longer.
I actually keep a spare long brake and shift cable in my bag if I’m going farther afield than I’d want to walk home from. They don’t weigh much, and it’s an easy trailside fix if I get caught out. It’s only saved me once in a few decades, but that one day it was worth it.
I wouldn’t bother