|   Avid cable sets and bikes these days... | Kitchenware
Feb 20, 2003 12:57 PM | | This is a bit of a complaint and maybe just a little bit of whining.
Avid is simply NOT putting enough housing in their kits. I'm not saying it's missing by like an inch or two, it's seriously short, like not enough to even think about running a front brake after routing the rear. In order to run full housing to the rear Avid disc brake, you MUST buy two sets. I think this is a bit ridiculous since it IS an Avid brake and it IS Avid housing, they should provide enough housing in this kit or make a disc cable kit available.
Oh wait, just measured my front out, and it looks to be that the cable itself is like a half inch short too. Looks like I'm going to performance today. grrrrrrr
New bike post coming soon! :)
Jim |
| fmj sets have enough... | chupacabra
Feb 20, 2003 1:00 PM | | Hey Jim, I put a set of Avid Full Metal Jackets on my rig a few months ago, and it came with enough housing for a tandem. Plus the FMJ system runs really drag free. Highly recommended. |
| Same here... | ScottN
Feb 20, 2003 1:22 PM | | I had about 2.5' of cable left over. They work really well too.
Sn |
| Yabbut... | Yoda
Feb 20, 2003 1:02 PM | | They aren't really set up to run full housing, are they? I mean, if you were to split the housing like you would with V-brakes would there be enough? That would be my explanation, though I agree that it would be nice to include enough housing to run the whole way. |
| Sounds like you bought the wrong set... | fonseca
Feb 20, 2003 1:27 PM | | Avid has a standard housing set for V brakes and a disc version with longer housing and cables, for both their straight jackets and flak jackets. I made that mistake once too. You have to specify the disc brake set or you will come up short.
Fons |
| true, true *nm* | Carl Mega
Feb 20, 2003 1:54 PM | | I said "true" dang-nab-it. |
| From what I've seen... | Kitchenware
Feb 20, 2003 2:51 PM | | The full metals are the only ones that specify disc use. I've yet to see the benefit to those short hard sections of housing. By using those, you have to use more breaks in housing which to me, equals more places for water/dirt to get in and places for slack to develop. Besides, I doubt that anyone could show me a 'good' way to run those on an '03 Bullit. In my applications so far, they have proved to be nearly useless. |
| It's all about reducing compression (cable housing) and drag.... | 2melow
Feb 20, 2003 3:42 PM | | which the avid full metal jackets do an amazing job of doing. I ran full length housing on my superlight at first, then put the full metal jackets on. Wow, what a difference. Actually, today I just got some Nokon compressionless housing to use in conjunction with the Full Metal Jackets. Whatever you do, ditch the standard swag stainless steel cables for some of the Teflon-impregnated version cables.
I can post some pics for you, I hope to install this stuff tonight.
Word up. |
| Straight jackets come in "disc brake" or "rim brake" packages... | fonseca
Feb 20, 2003 8:30 PM | | And I think the flak jackets used to as well, but I'm not sure they do any more. But I got the above information straight from avid, email them yourself if you don't believe it. Fortunately, I had leftover straight jacket housing from the FMJ kit, and I stocked up on ptfe brake cables from pricepoint, so I was able to complete my build and didn't exchange the set.
I tried the FMJs for a while, and they can be very beneficial depending on the frame and fork, but I have come to prefer full housing runs. The FMJ tube allows for a very short housing curve to the fork, and cleanly routes it behind the left stanchion. I wouldn't recommend them on a bullet or on a fork with more than 5 inches of travel. You are right about the additional places for dirt and water to enter; I had that problem and ended up using heat-shrink on those locations, which looked somewhat weird but worked.
The biggest downside for me was that I went through a lot of FMJ tubes since they get bent if you fall, and I had no luck straightening them. Also, I think the flak jacket housing is far superior to straight jackets. Straight jackets feel "squishy" to me compared to the flak jackets, which flex less and seem to compress less as well.
From now on I'm running nothing but full housing for both derailleurs and brakes. You can get 25 foot lengths of housing from www.aebike.com for less than you pay for a 5 foot length of the same stuff in a kit with stainless cables and a few ferrules. They sell jagwire kevlar housing which is the same as flak jackets. I just set up my switchblade last week with the QBP "silver mesh" housing from aebike, which is nice stuff. Made by Jagwire and available in kits as well, I believe they call it "rattler mac" or something to that effect, but it's slightly more bendable than the kevlar housing, and coated thickly with an almost rubbery plastic layer on the outside, so it shouldn't wear into paint and other housing like the jagwire kevlar/flak jackets can. I still have at least 10 feet left over after doing the derailleurs and brakes. I never thought about friction to my rear derailleur, but I am now amazed at the difference, much more noticeable than the brakes, which feel about the same, but won't get comtaminated easily now.
Phew that was long-winded...
Fons |
| Jagwire Rattler Mac | bob
Feb 20, 2003 10:18 PM | | I don't know how the Avids wear on the paint but the Rattler Mac's show no mercy. Could be better or worse than the Avids.
I really liked the Jagwire OEM cables that came on my Homegrown and GT. Anyone know where I can find them? They work well and appear similar to the Flak Jackets. I would love to find them at an OEM price.
Bob |
| Jagwire Rattler Mac | fonseca
Feb 21, 2003 11:25 AM | | I'm not sure it is the same as the rattler mac, but it looks similar in photos. As I said, there is a fairly thick, almost rubbery plastic clearcoat, unlike flak jackets, and I think it will be a lot more forgiving in terms of wear. I have some huge wear spots on fork crowns and head tubes from flak jackets. Now I usually apply some clear vinyl to any contact spots.
www.aebike.com has what you're looking for btw. I prefer housing designed for brake and derailleur use like the above choices, since you only need one size of housing on hand.
Fons |
| Heatshrink seals on FMJ. | ScottN
Feb 21, 2003 9:23 AM | | My FMJ set came with a couple of heatshrink tubes that go around the regular housing/metal conduit junction and it makes a nice seal to keep the crud out. If you were really concerned, you could always go to the hardware store and get more of the same for the rest of the junctions.
Sn |
| Contact Avid | Rollo
Feb 20, 2003 10:21 PM | | Jim,
Had the same issue with a Flak Jacket set I bought recently. Too little housing to run full front and rear. Emailed Avid with the details and they came through. Great customer service.
Rollo |
| |
