Should you lubricate your brake or shifter cables and housing?
Short answer: Usually no – but in some cases, using the right lube can help.
I already wrote about:
– Shimano Cable Grease.
– Shifter, brake cable, and housing standards.
– How to route brake and shifter housing and cables.
1. Which lube to use?
Decent quality cables and housing (Shimano is a safe bet) come pre-lubed and you needn’t touch them.
With old housing that is still not worn, I like to remove cables and spray a bit of very thin Motip PTFE spray to blow out any dirt and provide some very, very light coat of lube. Light silicone oil spray can also be good for that, but my go-to is still Motip. This step is more about cleaning than actual lubrication.
For really lubing cables/housing, the only good option that I know of is Shimano cable grease.
2. When to lube cables?
Apart from the above-discussed housing cleaning spray, when does it make sense to really lube the cables and housing? Here are the few scenarios:
- You ride in the winter, with salted roads.
- You ride near the sea or ocean (lucky bastard! 🙂 ).
- You live in a very humid or rainy area.
Apart from those situations, with decent quality cables and housing, there is no need to lubricate them (at least that’s been my experience over the past decades, this is the Internet, someone will strongly disagree for sure).
3. Good quality cables and housing?
I wrote a separate article where I’ve explained the standards and listed my recommendations. Briefly:
- For housing:
Shimano – for all housing.
OT-SP41 is great for shifter housing. - For cables:
Shimano for all (Shimano, Sram, L-Twoo and others), except for Campagnolo gear – use Jagwire for Campagnolo.
For more details, see:
“Bicycle shifter, brake cable, and housing standards.”
Conclusion
In most cases, good quality pre-lubed cables are all you need. But in harsh conditions, using the right lubricant can help extend their life and performance.
If you have questions or want to share your experience, join the discussion on my forum.
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