We’ve had a pretty good response so far but today is the last day to post your MTB cable nightmare for a chance to win a sweet set of Gore Sealed Low Friction Derailleur Cables ($65 MSRP).  We have a few sets to give away so don’t be left out - post your cable disaster story and Gore just might hook you up. Hollah!

Post your mountain bike cable nightmares on the forums this week for a chance to win a set of bomb-proof Gore RideOn Derailleur Cables. If you’re not familiar with Gore cables, these cables are nothing like the ones that came with your bike - they’re quick, precise, low friction, and highly evolved. Read element22’s blog post about his RideOn experience and you’ll be sold!

So… what exactly qualifies as a cable nightmare? Here are just a few things we’ve seen go wrong with cables over the years:

- Snapped cables due to snags
- Cracked and loose cable housings
- Incorrectly installed cables
- Excessive cable stretch
- Frayed cables and cable ends
- Seized cables due to cable housing friction
- Inconsistent shifting and braking
- Rusted cables (seriously!)

Tell us about your cable nightmare on the forums and if we pick your story to share on the blog next week you’ll score a set of Gore cables ($65 MSRP). Nothing scary about that!

One thing I love about mountain biking is the constant product changes and improvements. Companies are forever revising their products and finding ways to be competitive in the MTB marketplace. Gore is one of those companies and their new $65 cable set is one of those products that other manufactures are going to work hard to catch up to. The RideOn cable system comes in three formats - low friction coated, sealed low friction coated, and the extra long sealed low friction. The RideOn cables are compatible with Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo. At present they are available in Black or White and if you’re a roadie you also have the choice of Grey.

I recently got my hands on a set of the extra long sealed cables from Gore. For those of you who ride in dirty and muddy conditions pay attention! This cable set is one of the few which are totally sealed from shifter to derailleur, in one continuous low friction liner, and capped with a very effective grub seal, with no chance of contamination. Perfect for those mossy, muddy parts of trails that never dry up, or for riders who don’t clean their bikes after every ride.

Installing these cables is pretty much the same as a regular cable set with a few fine points of difference. The instructions from Gore are pretty clear and for those of us who like video, the Gore website has a video tutorial that clearly illustrates the installation procedure.

To do the job you need:

* repair stand
* electrician wire cutters
* metric Allen wrenches or Allen sockets (4, 5, 6,mm)
* torque wrench
* new razor blade
* sharp awl or punch
* bicycle cable and housing cutters

I found when installing these you need a good cutter such as the Park Tool cutter. The cable housing is very stiff and tough and regular side cutters don’t work that well - the side cutters tend to squish the cables too much. Follow the instructions and do not lube these cables! And remember - measure twice, cut once.

Once installed you need to check the operation of your shifters (or brakes) and adjust them as necessary. The first thing you will notice is the smoothness and crispness of the shift. On my test bikes I was using SRAM’s X0 and X9 shifters and derailleurs, both of which already shift great on their own but with these cables I noticed an immediate improvement in shifting. I didn’t feel any stretching and didn’t experience any ghost shifting as the bikes went through their suspension travel. I really love the improvement in shifting and if someone asks do I think they are worth it, I would have to say absolutely yes.

One final note for those of you who use full length cables - be sure to get the extra long cable set. The extra long set includes more than enough housing and cable for those monster DH rigs out there with miles of suspension travel, and long wheel bases.

Keep an eye on Gore, there will be some new and interesting products on the horizon from them soon! Enjoy and happy riding.