Here is a how to guide on changing normal black cables or
hose on your bike to pretty much any color you could want. Not only is
black boring, but the hard coating on the outside of the cables can rub through
paint and even aluminum. I have seen a Hayes brake cable eat right through
the stanchion on a Fox 40. Braided stainless brake lines look nice, but are
expensive running over $50 a line and don’t match your derailleur cable. By
using the same heat shrink tubing electricians use you can protect your frame
and match your cables to any color scheme for your bike.
White cable housing
and brake hose?
What you will need:
- About 180 inches of 3/16” heat shrink tubing (Polyolefin
type is best)
- A pair of scissors
A heat gun or soldering iron (These two are optional)
A bouquet of colours
to adorn your much loved bike.
You can purchase heat shrink tubing at most specialty electrical suppliers
and online. It is very cheap running about $2 for 4 feet. Most stores carry
a plethora of colours; some even have UV reactive tubing that glows under a
black light. Another option to use would be expandable braided sleeving for
that stainless braided look.
You might need more or less heat shrink tubing depending on how many cables
you are doing and how long they are. 180 inches is what I needed to do front
and rear brakes and full length rear derailleur housing. Best to measure your
cables with a string and tape measure and then add a bit so you have some extra
to play with.
I recommend using brand new housing and cables for this, nothing like new derailleur
housing and cables to boost the feel of your bike. For disk brake lines you can
use your old lines just be sure to clean them and have new fittings on hand.
Detaching the line from the caliper and reattaching can generate leaks if you
do not use new fittings - particularly banjos.
Now take your housing and heat shrink tubing and lay them side by side. Measure
and cut the heat shrink tubing to the length needed, being sure to leave space
at each end of the cable for cable ends or disc brake fittings, typically around
1-2cm per end. Try to cut the ends as square as possible so the heat shrink lies
flush with the cable ends.
Now you can slide the heat shrink tubing over the cable housing. If you
have 3/16” tubing it will slide easily for the first 12 inches or so
and get progressively harder as you have more heat shrink over the housing
because of the friction. It is possible with a lot of effort to do a full
length cable but I prefer to cut the heat shrink tubing in to 15” sections
and slide a couple of sections on. You get no bunching this way and if you
have to replace a section you can do it in a 15” length instead of
the entire cable. The other option if you have access to a heat gun/soldering
iron is to use ¼” tubing and shrink the tubing over the cable.
The ¼” tubing will slide on easily but once you shrink it with
the heat gun it won’t come off unlike the 3/16” tubing where
you can slide it off again and reuse it.
The finished Sled.
Now all you have to do is reattach your brake lines and derailleur
cables and your bike is ready to ride looking better than ever.
