# Best Cables for SRAM Red?



## the_gormandizer

The time has come to replace the original Gore Ride-On cables on my SRAM Red equipped bike. I have been very happy with the shifting performance, but the cables are quite costly. Any thoughts on whether I should stick with Gore Ride-On cables, use Yokozuna Reaction, or try something else?


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## wetpaint

I'm happy running Jagwire cables. They're nice and smooth and quite cheap


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## aaric

I love my Yokozuna's. Color selection is bad though - gray or white only.


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## JSWhaler

I really like the Yokozuna cables with my Red setup, can't go wrong.


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## TucsonMTB

Nevermind


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## Juanmoretime

I've only had the Red on my bike about a month. The Gore cables are external on my bike and the cables that are just exposed to the wind are shedding the Goretex coating. If it's happening on cables in the wind I can just imagine what is happening to the cables inside the housing. I imagine it won't be long that this will interfere with shifting. 

Needles to say I'm not too impressed with the Gore cables and will probably just use Alligator cables when I need to replace them.


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## robdamanii

Still like the Ride On sealed for the rear. Ride On with the long ferrules for the front.


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## mimason

I have had great results from the Ride-On products with my SRAM setup. I have over 10k miles on them and live in west central florida in an area with high salt content in the air and I sweat on my bike alot. I can't speak to the other products but I would not hesitate to replace them with the Ride On pros series again.


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## gospastic

I use Yokozuna Reaction. They are awesome.


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## tuffguy1500

^^ this!
I use yokozuna cables as well on one of my bikes with Force, and may just switch my other force/rival setup to yokozunas.. superb stuff.


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## Camilo

I'm using Jagwire Racer on a brand new Red build - shifts perfectly once dialed in, cables are great.


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## ThePhenom

Thanks for informing me about the Yokozuna Reaction. Definetly will try them out.


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## samh

*changing cables*



the_gormandizer said:


> The time has come to replace the original Gore Ride-On cables on my SRAM Red equipped bike. I have been very happy with the shifting performance, but the cables are quite costly. Any thoughts on whether I should stick with Gore Ride-On cables, use Yokozuna Reaction, or try something else?


how do you know its time to change cables?


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## the_gormandizer

samh said:


> how do you know its time to change cables?


That's a good question. An often quoted rule-of-thumb is to replace cables every one or two chains. But with "new technology" cables, this might not apply. Perhaps the answer is when shifting becomes degraded.

In my case, I temporarily installed an X9 mountain derailleur for a hill-climb race, and had to cut the inner cable because the routing was different. After doing this, I found that I could not easily buy a replacement Gore Ride-On inner cable. I e-mailed Gore, and they answered that they are starting to distribute them to bike stores, but meanwhile would send me complimentary cables. However, they sent me the sealed version. Perhaps I could just remove the cable from the sleeve, but I would have to cut one end off and I find it nearly impossible to install any shift cable in SRAM shifters unless the end is soldered. Even then, it's a nightmare. If anyone knows the trick, please feel free to share.

I am currently just using a SRAM Pit-Stop stainless steel cable in the Gore housing, and it seems to shift o.k.. I now realize that SRAM also make a teflon-coated inner cable, but I am somewhat nervous about using a coated cable that is coated all the end. I've heard horror stories of earlier Gore cables gumming up the shifter mechanism, although apparently the newer versions do not have coating all the way.


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## ejprez

Interested in yokozuna's but have tried Jagwire racer cables and housing and shimano sp-41 housing and must say but work great with my sram red shifters. I liked the jagwire much better than the stock gore cables and housing that came with my red shifters cause the coating peeled off on exposed area and even inside the housing under the bar tape. Put the jagwire on and I was overshifting cause my hand adapted to the increased friction that was built up in the gore set. Jagwire racer much less costly too, really can't go wrong wit it for sram stuff.


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## -dustin

Have used them all and they all work. Pick whichever appeals to your wallet and comes in the color you like. 

Personally, being a mechanic, I tend to nab whatever I find in the trash, discarded by a customer that insisted on having new cables and housing installed.


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## _Forza_

Another vote for Yokozuna Reactions...


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## cinelliguy

Yokozuna Reaction


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## TM-17

*Power cordz*

what about power cordz?

with or without Nokon


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## Mtn2RoadConvert

I recently installed Yokozuna Reaction cables and don't really notice much of a difference other than the brake housing is very stiff and not pliable.


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## dphins

Everybody seems Pro Yokozuna, what about Nokon cables? My LBS is pushing them over other cables.


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## TucsonMTB

dphins said:


> Everybody seems Pro Yokozuna, what about Nokon cables? My LBS is pushing them over other cables.












I would think the heavy Nokon cable metal construction would resist an EMP better than conventional materials.

But . . . Hey, what do I know?!


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## MarvinK

We're putting some PowerCordz Prime cables on my bike this week... hoping they work great. Love the idea that they don't stretch.


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## marathon marke

Juanmoretime said:


> I've only had the Red on my bike about a month. The Gore cables are external on my bike and the cables that are just exposed to the wind are shedding the Goretex coating. If it's happening on cables in the wind I can just imagine what is happening to the cables inside the housing. I imagine it won't be long that this will interfere with shifting.
> 
> Needles to say I'm not too impressed with the Gore cables and will probably just use Alligator cables when I need to replace them.


I've had Gore cables on my Red equipped BMC for about 3 weeks now. They were shedding by the end of the first week. I just replaced them with Shimano. Red seems much less finicky towards adjustments than Shimano, and I'd like to know why so many people seem to be so concerned with anything better than Shimano.


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## TucsonMTB

marathon marke said:


> I've had Gore cables on my Red equipped BMC for about 3 weeks now. They were shedding by the end of the first week. I just replaced them with Shimano. Red seems much less finicky towards adjustments than Shimano, and I'd like to know why so many people seem to be so concerned with anything better than Shimano.


If you are planning to have the same folks who installed your first set install your new cables you might want to caution them about the way they cut the cable housings. Based on my good luck using the Gore cables on my Scott Addict for the last 6 months and several thousand miles, I'm guessing more care should have been exercised when yours were installed.

In fact, were I you, I would complain loudly to the original installer and ask for replacements, properly installed.

Best of luck!


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## cxwrench

MarvinK said:


> We're putting some PowerCordz Prime cables on my bike this week... hoping they work great. Love the idea that they don't stretch.


i've had to work on a few bikes that had those installed. in my somewhat experienced opinion they are the absolute worst possible excuse for cables i've ever seen. hope your experience is better than what i've seen.
not sure why you'd be concerned w/ stretch, as it's not an issue w/ normal cables...they don't stretch.


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## MarvinK

Yea, I've heard mixed opinions on PowerCordz... hope these turn out to work well.


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## cxwrench

MarvinK said:


> Yea, I've heard mixed opinions on PowerCordz... hope these turn out to work well.


$69.00 + labor?!? damn, i hope they work for you.


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## MarvinK

Nah, it's an experiment... I didnt pay anywhere near that and labor was paid in beer.


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## MarvinK

Finally got my cables, and I sure am glad the labor was paid in beer... because there was a LOT of it. The brake housing seemed too small for the cables... horrid amount of friction before I even got it on the bike. After taped to the bars with all the bends required, the brakes wouldn't even spring back when pulled. We had to remove them.

On the plus side, the company is trying to work with me and the local shop to try and find root cause of the problem and a fix. Hope we can get them working right--they are super light and look cool, but need to work at least as well as regular cables to even be worth consideration.


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## TucsonMTB

Hey! Bunner about the Power Cordz, Mr. *MarvinK*!

They are not the only cables with questionable fit out of the package. A couple days ago, I replaced the rear shift cable on my SRAM equipped Addict using a tried and true _Jagwire Ripcord_ cable and housing set, supposedly identical to the set installed on my wife's bike with excellent results about a year ago.

The most recent set of Ripcord cable ends had under sized holes that contributed considerable friction!

Opening them up with a small drill bit eliminated the drag. They work great now, but it was very surprising to find this necessary.

It seems like the more I learn . . . the more things I find that I don't understand.


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## Rick Draper

So what do people think is the best cable to use with Red then?


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## cxwrench

pretty much any new cable/housing is good. if you want to spend a lot of money, use the Gore kit. if you want to save a bunch of money and can deal w/ shifting that's 99% as good, get SRAM Pitstop cables/housing. pretty much anything new, that's installed and adjusted correctly will work great. don't worry too much about it, they're just cables. and it doesn't matter whether you have Red, Force, Rival or Apex...they're just shifters telling derailleurs what to do.


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## lawr

*Yokozuna*

Have used Gore and Yokozuna on SRAM Red for more than 35,000 Km's - no contest - Yokozuna is by far crisper and faster shifting.


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