I finally gave in and tried the 'grease in the cable housing' trick

My buddy at the shop in Boulder swore by putting a dab of grease inside the shift cable housing ends, said it stopped the gritty feel after a few rides. I always thought it would just attract dirt and gum things up faster. Tried it on a customer's gravel bike that was getting new cables anyway, and after 200 miles the shifts are still super smooth. Anyone else use this method or think it's a bad idea long term?

3 comments

3 Comments

williamm821mo ago

That grease will turn into grinding paste by next season.

wells.karen1mo ago

Wasn't there a recall about that?

taraanderson23d ago

williamm82 saying "grinding paste by next season" is pretty dramatic lol. I've been doing this trick for years on my own bikes and customers' bikes. The key is using just a tiny dab of waterproof grease on the cable end before you seat it in the housing, not globbing it all over. The housing end cap and the ferrule pretty much seal the deal anyway, so dirt doesn't just magically get in there. I've seen cables last two seasons easy with this method, no grinding paste at all. The gritty feel people get is usually from dry cable friction against the housing liner, not from grease pulling in grit.