Nokons?

[firerescuefin]

Any experience using these with shifting/braking systems?...

[Charles M]

Yes

[firerescuefin]

Ok Dr. Evil....what are your thoughts? Feedback..loved Carmichaels column during the tour.

[simple]

PITA to install the first time, but after they're installed they're solid. I've installed them 4 or 5 different times over the years, it gets easier after the first time for sure. Shifting and braking is great with these, braking in particular is better than stock cabling/housing. Only other thing I'd say is be sure to hose them down with water if you're sweating all over them on a trainer (alloy pieces corrode if you don't).

[djg21]

Benefits in shifting performance were not worth the hassle of installation.

If you want to spend money on cable, I prefer the Gore Ride-On cables, which are also a pain to install, but work nicely.

[tsutaoka]

my experience with nokon housing was negative.

basically my wrench installed them; and thereafter i had a battle with squeaking noises from the which needed lube to the nokon down; soon thereafter my shifting started to degrade.

the solution was going back to dura ace housing

[frenk]

I had them on a MTB and they do work but are expensive and take a lot of time to install. They also tend do squeak after a while.

As a wise man said, the best with cables and housing is "buy cheap, replace often".
My method is to buy a 10m roll of Dura Ace housing and call it a day.

[stuckey]

I really like them, I do not think they take that long to install. People act like it takes a damn half day to put cables on, they are not that bad. As for the noises and other crap like the shifting goes south, I have not had either of these problems and I tend to ride my bikes a bunch.

[avalonracing]

Squeaking on bikes... Unacceptable. :crap:

[oldpotatoe]

Any experience using these with shifting/braking systems?...

VERY hard to install, they really don't work any better than nice, lined der and brake housing ans SS inner wires. Expensive also. Not worth the $, IMO. Pretty colors tho, if you care about that.

[Charles M]

PITA to install the first time, but after they're installed they're solid. I've installed them 4 or 5 different times over the years, it gets easier after the first time for sure. Shifting and braking is great with these, braking in particular is better than stock cabling/housing. Only other thing I'd say is be sure to hose them down with water if you're sweating all over them on a trainer (alloy pieces corrode if you don't).

Same here...

If they're installed correctly they don't squeak. The colors and corrosion thing havent been an issue for years...

I run Nokon with Jagwire teflon coated cables and the shifting is simply better than any stock (including SRAM's use of Gore).

Braking on compressionless housing is also better. The dif there is more notable when pushing than the shifting. I also don't wear out cables as fast inside Nokon...

[Joellogicman]

I installed Nokon cables myself and was sorely dissapointed. A good mechanic did it for me on another bike and the cables worked great.

Pretty sure my mechanical ability and not the product was the problem.

[spacemen3]

I have Nokon installed on most of my bikes, but since they went away from the polished silver housing to the satin, I've switched to Alligator iLink. The Alligator cable is nicer IMHO, but not cheap either.

[PoppaWheelie]

I jused them for a few seasons...they worked just fine (braking was better until the inner sleaves deteriorated) but eventually they got the "meh" judgement and I went back to stock. If you're curious, give them a shot. For me it was just one extra thing I didn't want to fiddle with, even if it was once or twice a season.

[tlm993]

Went to Nokons 3 seasons ago after the Campy housings had a little too much friction in the brake housings to let the rear Zero Gs to work without having cable drag.

Also another good reason to use Nokons is if you have super tight bends to deal with. I have a small frame and the cables have to make some pretty acute bends and the Nokons allow the cables to have minimal drag.

It does take time to install, but it's not technical and adds a unique look to the build.

-travis

[firerescuefin]

Gentlemen(S)

Thanks for your thoughtful input. Certainly a great resource of knowledge.

Geoff

[steampunk]

installation isn't much of a hassle. if you factor in the flexibility of playing with the routing length (adding/subtracting a link or two to get things just right) and no cable cutting and finishing, it has it's advantages.

used mine on 2 bikes, 4+ years total now. when i switched them over from one bike to another i just bought an extension kit and replaced the inner housing and re-used most links. the red links were re-used, the black links came from the extension kit. you can get creative.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b386/rayovolks/Serotta%20HSG%20IT/DSCN1406_r.jpg

[3cb]

Weight weenies in the MTB world typically reject the nokons and generally love alligator i-links. Not only are they easier to install, the general consensus is that they work better too. I have i-links on my road bike and think they're great. With a mountain bike, you run the liners the entire length of the cable (not just inside the housing) and get a sealed system.