Are your gears and brakes feeling rubbish? Would you like gears and brakes that always feels as good as new? 

I have been equipping my bikes with Gore sealed cable systems since I first received a bike with them installed. This bike was my mountain bike, which has recently seen the deserts and mountains of Mongolia; the mud of the Jeep 24hr; the heat of the Tour de Timor; various 6-24 hour races; and ongoing training over a period of 12 months. I was so surprised that my gears were able to change after all of these events that I ditched the cables on every one of my bikes and replaced everything with Gore!

Gore RideOn Low Friction Cables
Price: $99 AUD for gears, $99 AUD for brakes
Pros: The lowest friction, best shifting/braking performance you will achieve with your parts. Completely sealed cables from the effects of water, sand, mud, grit. Significantly longer service intervals.
Cons: Price

The Gore sealed cable system for both brakes and derailleurs provides inner cables that are coated with a slick membrane, but rather than thread them through the outer housing directly, they travel through a fine plastic tubing that is threaded through the outer cables. The purpose of the tubing is to provide a very low friction path for the inner cable, and to seal out the majority of the elements that can interfere and compromise cable performance.

These cables are utterly brilliant for two reasons

– They significantly reduce the effort required for braking and shifting; and
– The inner cables are protected from the effects of rain, sand and even mud, providing a significantly longer servicing interval.

What else?

Ok, so I know you can buy a lot of regular bike cables for the same price as these cables, but with Gore you will not have to worry about the prospect of changing cables anytime soon. Gore provides the sealed system as a kit that includes front and rear inner cables for brakes or derailleurs, a generous length of outer cable, the lining tubing, plenty of ferrules, plus installation instructions.

I am friends with road bike riders who have completed multiple seasons on these cables without compromised performance! Yes, that includes all those 5am rides in the winter rain. I am looking forward to putting these to the test by riding around the world and seeing what conditions these can ensure before they loose their performance.

These cables are compatible with all standard gear and brake brands. Ie. Shimano, SRAM, Avid, Campagnolo, Suntour etc

Difference between Professional, Sealed, Ultralight and Low Friction Cables

Professional for Drop Bars Only
– Gear cables only available for road bikes (drop bars)
– Stainless steel flexible outer cable for ~10cm after exiting brake/shift lever
– Comes with full length plastic tubing to ensure no water gets in

Low Friction for Drop Bar Only
– No plastic tubing runs inside the outer cables
– Suited to drier conditions

Sealed Low Friction
– MTB (v-brake, disc brake) compatible
– Comes with full length plastic tubing

Ultralight Sealed
– Same as sealed low friction kit, however housing (outer cable) is 40% lighter
– Comes with full length plastic tubing

Conclusion

I know that you can buy three regular cable sets for the same price as this kit, but trust me, the performance is brilliant and they last for a really, really long time! Normally, I’m changing cables like they’re going out of fashion to maintain performance, but I haven’t yet had to replace anything Gore yet.

I highly recommend investing into what I no longer consider a luxury item, and now consider a necessity for your next tour.