T
4

Heard a race mechanic say they use fishing line for cable housing liners

Was at a gravel race this weekend hanging around the neutral support tent and one of the SRAM truck guys mentioned they sometimes use monofilament fishing line inside shifter housing when they don't have proper liner on hand. Said it slides better than anything he's bought from a bike shop. Has anyone actually tried this? I'm thinking about it for my old 9 speed setup that keeps getting gritty.
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
jessicaw54
jessicaw5410d ago
Hold on, think about what that fishing line is actually made of. Most monofilament is nylon, and over time it can actually stretch under tension, which might mess with your shifting precision on a 9 speed setup. It'd probably work fine for a one-off race or as a temporary fix, but I wouldn't trust it for long term use in a daily rider.
7
christopher_west1
Wait does the stretch thing @jessicaw54 mentioned actually mess with indexing on 9 speed or is it more of a problem on modern 11/12 speed stuff where tolerances are tighter? I've got an old Deore LX groupset that shifts fine until it rains then the cable drag gets brutal. If I ran like 20lb test monofilament through the housing would the nylon stretch enough to throw off the cable pull by like a millimeter or two over a 50 mile ride?
1