Quick fix tips

Replacing a gear cable

1 Shift into the smallest sprocket. Use cable cutters to snip the old inner cable just ahead of the cable clamp on the rear mech. Unscrew the cable clamp bolt a few turns (usually with a 5mm Allen key or T25 Torx key). Discard the end of the cable.

2 If you have a SRAM shifter (skip to step 4 for Shimano), use a T25 Torx key to unscrew the bolt securing the shifter to the bar clamp. Remove the shifter from the bar. Using a 3mm Allen key, unscrew the bolt on top of the shifter.

3 Pull the shifter away from the outer cable to expose a few inches of inner cable, then push the inner cable through the shifter. Prise the inner cable out from under the spiral spring, then draw it fully through the shifter and discard it.

4 If you have a Shimano shifter, use a large cross-head screwdriver to unscrew the plug on the outboard side. Pull the outer cable away from the shifter to expose some inner cable, then push the inner cable all the way through the shifter and discard it.

5 Lubricate a new inner cable (SRAM and Shimano use di erent types), by pulling it through a cloth impregnated with chain lube. Push the new inner cable through the shifter, then through the outer cable. Pull it taut when it pops out the other end.

6 If you have a Shimano shifter, replace the plastic plug. On a SRAM shifter, refit the cover and reinstall the shifter on the bar. Turn the shifter’s barrel adjuster fully clockwise, then two full turns anticlockwise. This will help when adjusting cable tension later.

7 Feed the inner cable through the rear mech and into the groove under the cable clamp. Pull it taut and tighten the cable clamp bolt. Snip o the excess inner cable, leaving 3cm beyond the clamp. Install a cable end. Turn the barrel adjuster until the shifting is smooth.