livetobonk
new member
Reged: 01/20/06
Posts: 2
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I just got a new set of nokon cables for my tetra. So far so good, but I'm having problems with the rear brake cable. In a standard set up, the nokon housings stop and start on the top tube, exposing the cable in the middle. But my previous dura ace cable and housing runs the whole length of the top tube. The Calfee does not have stops on the cable guides, and Nokon doesn't supply enough of the housing to go the whole length. Anybody else use nokons on thier Calfee and what did you do to solve the problem?
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vaxn8r
contributor
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 222
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You can purchase extensions for the Nokon Cables. You'll need them on the Calfee.
I tried and failed on Nokons on my Tetra Pro. 3 experienced mechanics and a couple of weeks, trying this and that and no one could make the RD shift properly. I have a pretty good LBS too. So, we sent all those cables and extenders back to Nokon and reinstalled the standard set. Works beautifully.
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cired
new member
Reged: 03/20/05
Posts: 15
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I used the Nokon system for the brakes on my Fly. They work great and look like art. You will need the extension kit from Nokon for your rear brake. I decided to stick with the Campy cables and housing for my drive train. A small tip. Use rubber o-rings along the Nokon beads to keep the noise down against your frame. It takes longer to install than a standard housing setup but if done properly you will be happy with the performance and looks and effort that went into the install. I'll post a couple of pictures of my cable routing. Good Luck!
 
Edited by cired (01/25/06 05:51 AM)
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Lon
sage
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 595
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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Very cool and attractive...nice job
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Allan
journeyman
Reged: 05/04/04
Posts: 198
Loc: Bds,W I
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In an environment where its got certain elements in the atmosphere, the Nokon cable housings dont work well. The problems come with a combination of saltladen air, high humidity, road dust and of course rain.
Once these get into the little sockets on the Nokon pieces, after a short while they will cause havoc, things such as pitting of the anodizing and sticking of the sockets causing the cable to have literally fused joints.
Even with regular cables on your bike, after about every 100 miles of riding you can see a film of dirt on the frontal portions of regular cables by the head tube, and while i'm sure that an old toothbrush could clean between the sockets on EACH little piece of the Nokons, i've got enough work already just keeping the bikes i own spotlessly clean.
I liked the look of the cables initally but had to pass on the thought of how and what will happen to them eventually, and certainly not wanting to add MORE extra work to the clean and prep service program i already have.
--------------------
Its time to ride.
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cired
new member
Reged: 03/20/05
Posts: 15
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That is interesting. I live next to the ocean and most of my road rides consist of a loop up into the mountains and on the way home along side the ocean to wrap up the ride with some nice scenery. I did a couple of centuries last year that focused on ocean scenery with riding all along the coast (salt in the air). With a solid season on the Nokon system I show no signs of corrosion or pitting or for that matter any decrease in performance. They perform and look as good as new. One thing that may be different is that I try not to take the Fly out in the rain. For those rides my cyclocross bike or single speed MTB is called for duty. Also humidity is very low in my area. It may change for the worse in the next season who knows. Hopefully not, because they are quite expensive and they work very well.
Edited by cired (01/26/06 11:50 PM)
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Pintsized
journeyman
Reged: 02/27/05
Posts: 90
Loc: Corvallis OR
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I'm sorry to be dense, but what is the excitement about these cables based on? Is it just the looks, or was there something else to which the looks are a bonus? I feel like I missed Act 1 here.
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cired
new member
Reged: 03/20/05
Posts: 15
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Act 1 for me was at a bike shop where they had built up a Fly and a Tetra. The Tetra had the rear brake with the long run of standard cable housing and the Fly had the Nokon beads. The rear brake of the Nokon system felt more responsive, rigid, and had a less squishy feel than the standard housing. The front brake with the Nokon was just a bonus. Due to such a short cable run there was no difference. If it wasn't for that long housing run to the rear brake I would of stuck with standard housing. Much less expensive and quicker to maintain. You were not being dense.
Edited by cired (01/27/06 02:25 PM)
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 178
Loc: Plano, TX
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Here is a very good review of the cabling system I found when this thread started. I have to admit I hadn't ever heard of them but now they seem like a pretty cool system.
http://www.nsmb.com/gear/nokon_02_05.php
From the above review:
===
The main claim to fame is that the combination of ferrules and sheath allows for compressionless operation of cables. Regular housing compresses under tension caused by shifting or braking or when it's bent, thus putting pressure on the cables and resulting in cable drag. This translates into more resistance and poor-quality shifting / braking.
The other thing the Nokon system is supposed to do is keep cables clean. Remember how silky-smooth your bike shifted when the cables were new? This is the benefit of stiff cable housing that has yet to be broken in and nice, clean cables, both of which reduce drag and maintain good shifting quality. That beautiful shifting disappears when cables become dirty and worn, and the housing gets old. Add housing compression to the mix, and your shifting turns to pure crap.
===
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livetobonk
new member
Reged: 01/20/06
Posts: 2
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My LBS improvised a stop for the cable guides. So the cable is exposed underneath the top tube. It looks good and it works fine, but I like better the idea of buying the cable extension kit from Nokon. Thanks for the tip.
Today was my first ride with the system and I can say that they do result in crisper handleing of both the brakes and gears. But it's a pretty subtle change, so consider carefully before you buy.
By the way, that is one hell of a nice looking D-fly.
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Craig_Calfee
new member
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 11
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Hate to break the news but converting cable guides to cable stops is not a good idea. The cable guides are not designed to take the stress of a cable stop, which can be substantial. The failure mode is a sudden loss of rear brake.
Craig Calfee
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hammerhead3
new member
Reged: 10/09/05
Posts: 3
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thanks Craig. I guess I'm going to get additional cable housing and get rid of the cable stops.
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 178
Loc: Plano, TX
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So to resurrect an old thread here...
I picked up a set of Nokon cables for my Luna and am having a go at installing them myself. I have a few questions for the folks who have installed these:
1. Is there any trick to keeping the metal jacket bits tight and properly positioned on the liner during the installation?
2. I don't understand how one would go about splicing the liner for long runs (like for the rear brake). The rear brake set assumes one has cable stops and gives 2 liners. I picked up an extension kit as well based on some of the feedback here, but I don't see how one would tie multiple liners together. I have found you can buy a 5M run of liner, is this what most use?
I'm halfway considering creating a step-by-step photo how-to of this little project just because I have yet to find a good resource online. The pez article is about the closest thing to good advice I have found.
Michael
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cired
new member
Reged: 03/20/05
Posts: 15
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There's no real trick to keeping the bits tight. If I remember correctly the bits were somewhat snug on the liner which kept them from sliding off freely. Durring the install I did use electrical tape to temporarily keep the cable assembly tucked underneath the bar where it would eventually end up. Dont forget to cut the liner appx. 1/8" from the ends as the liner can bunch up and cause un-needed friction. I used a complete run of liner for my rear brake on my "fly" by additionally purchasing the 5 meter length of liner. There are 2 options for extension kits available. There's a 22 piece and a 42 piece for a few dollars more. The 42 piece is the one I purchased and I had enough to complete the job.
I just recently swapped my shifter cables & housing out and replaced them with the Nokon system. (now running Nokon Brake and Shifter systems) I did notice a better shift response than the Campy system even when new. I believe this was more due to the fact that the nokon system allows for a smaller radius bend while still maintaining low friction, especially where the brake cable exits the Campy hood and bends underneath to route under the bars. Who knows. I was skeptical if the shift system would work any better but it did and it somewhat surprised me. On a side note I used Jagwire teflon coated cables for the Nokon shifter install. I am interested how long the shift system will last. The brake system has 2 solid seasons on them and they work good as new. You can check out the Nokon stuff on my bike, there's a picture of the bar and rear derailleur areas posted in the Photo Gallery. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Edited by cired (03/31/07 04:38 AM)
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 178
Loc: Plano, TX
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Thanks cired. Great info. I found out through trial and error if you cut up the little semi clear tubing that ships with the system you can slide the clippings inside a few links at the end for some added friction. This came in very handy as I am routing all cables (brake and shifters) inside the handlebars. I had several links slip off inside the bar at the beginning which made me play the shake-the-bars-upsidedown-like-a-madman-and-hope-the-loose-bits-fall-out game. fun! Later I learned to not trim down the teflon liner until after routing through the bars and this helped keep any rogue links from falling in.
I found the extra teflon liner in a 5m length online and brought that in, thanks for the tip. It makes the run solid as I had hoped. I also took a page from your book and am using some little o-rings for where the cable touches the frame. I t looks as if the rear cable may sag a bit though, not sure why.
I had also debated using the Jagwire cables and I think after hearing you went with them, I think I will also give them a try. It couldn't hurt anyway. Keep me updated how long they last for you and I'll do the same.
Thanks again!
Michael
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 178
Loc: Plano, TX
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cired,
So I'm trying out these Jagwire inner cables and notice that the outer nokon housing looks crooked-y. Do you see this happening? My only guess is that since the diameter of the jagwire cable is smaller (1.1mm) vs a standard cable (1.5mm) its not providing the inner support the housing needs to look straight.
Has this been your experience too? If not, maybe I have something setup wrong.
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Dave_Thompson
prophet
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 714
Loc: Spokane, Washington
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Quote:
Umlungu wrote:
cired,
So I'm trying out these Jagwire inner cables and notice that the outer nokon housing looks crooked-y. Do you see this happening? My only guess is that since the diameter of the jagwire cable is smaller (1.1mm) vs a standard cable (1.5mm) its not providing the inner support the housing needs to look straight.
Has this been your experience too? If not, maybe I have something setup wrong.
The Nokon/Aztek style outer cables don't seem to run smoothly particularly when the inner cable is relaxed. Are you using an inner cable liner? That can help some, but the Nokons, at least for me, always seemed droopy or a little kinky, therefore ugly. I removed mine as I saw no benefits to them. Other than making my wallet considerably lighter!
Edited by Dave_Thompson (04/16/07 06:26 PM)
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 178
Loc: Plano, TX
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Thanks Dave. Yes, I'm using the inner liner. I noticed also the rear brake cable looks droopy, especially along the top tube, though I'm willing to give these cables a shot, especially since I have forked over the cash for them already  . I have the cables that shipped with the nokon system in the other cable runs and they don't seem crooked-y to me but the new Jagwire cable does. I noticed the cables shipped with the nokon system are 1.5mm in diameter but the jagwires are coming in at 1.1. I believe DA cables are usually 1.2mm or so.
After removing the jagwire cable and using the nokon supplied cable, the "crookedness" disappears. So it looks like that's the issue. I don't mind the look of the crooked cable, but I think this would cause uneven wear on the cable and/or liner inside.
Michael
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cired
new member
Reged: 03/20/05
Posts: 15
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Michael. I only used the Jagwire cables for my shifters and not for the brakes. For the brakes I used original campy cables. I have no issues with drooping or crookedness that you speak of. I still have no complaints with the system as it has worked very well and has lasted. I'll go through regular cables and housing in a season easily.
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Dfly
new member
Reged: 08/22/07
Posts: 5
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I have Nokon cables on my bike - brakes and shifters. Here is a question I have: Since I am an extremely heavy sweater and live in a hot climate, sweat / salt into moving parts and on the chain is big issue for me. So, is it recommended, or would it be advised - to apply a light coating of grease on the Nokon cables (exterior)? Would this serve as good protection without any disadvantages?
Thanks.
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dbarnet1
friend
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 34
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I think that I would be inclined to use paste or bee?s wax. Grease is messy.
Dave
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