Shimano shifter cable - shortening

[Pudge]

I'm planning on cutting about a foot off of a Nexus grip shifter cable and housing. I've recently learned that the housing is just as important as the inner braided cable. (I never thought of it as being anything more than a protective cover.) Any tips on cutting them? The end of the housing has a metal cap. I'm assuming I need to reattach that cap. Any secret to that? How do I cut the housing without it pinching closed? And are there any tips on how to cut the inner cable without it fraying?

Thanks guys. I'm planning on doing this over the weekend. Your input could really save me a lot of grief when I'm real close to finishing this particular build.

 

[Markm]

I use a cut off disc on a grinder. Just be sure to pull some of the inner cable out so it ends up longer than the outer cable

 

[deorman]

Many lbs carry those housing ferrules. Depending on the type of housing, a small bolt cutter or a pair of dikes, and an awl for radial core. Some of the linear core shift housing takes a dedicated cable shear. Thin cutting disc works :wink:

edit: The awl is to clear out the cut end of the housing.

 

[deorman]

For the actual cable, I take a sharp medium size side cutter or dikes almost all the way down by the pivot, and DO IT QUICKLY, one motion all the way through til it snaps. 2 hands if necessary. if a strand or 2 unravels a little you just carefully spin them back around. Practice on an old cable a few times, you'll get it. :wink:

 

[Pudge]

Thanks for the explicit info. As Murphy's Law would have it, I ended up screwing it up BEFORE I could even make my cut! Daggone it! The Cliffs Notes version of my fiasco is that I had the shifter cable disconnected and kind of dangling back there near the rear hub and completely forgot to be careful with it. I was moving some bikes around in the garage, prepping to do the operation, and instead of carefully rolling the bike around in the driveway, I stepped down hard on the pedal, thinking I'd get a half a turn on the cranks and then coast a sweeping turn. Well, I totally forgot about the cable and housing and got it all wound up in the back sprocket! The teeth on that Nexus sprocket are sharp and I just about cut the whole cable in half. It spliced the outer cable housing long ways and seperated the inner braided cable into two sections in that cut too. What a bummer.

So, after asking my question, getting your answers and building up my confidence to do it myself and gearing up to do it, I'm humiliated to say I took it to my favorite rat-friendly LBS and watched the guy put on a new cable and pretty up my mistake! I'm so lucky to have a guy who enjoys seeing my projects and willing to fix whatever. So the job is done, but I can't take the credit for doing it myself.

Nonetheless, thanks for the input. I learned a few lessons in the processs.