TIL I've been crimping my cable ends wrong for years after a customer's brake failed on a hill in Seattle.

I was using the wrong part of the tool and only found out when I had to fix the bike after a scary close call, so what's the one basic skill you learned way later than you should have?

5 comments

5 Comments

davis.david1mo ago

Oh come on, that's just fear mongering. Proper crimping is important sure, but if your brakes failed it was probably a bad cable or housing, not just the crimp. People get way too hung up on the "right" tool method when a solid mechanical fix with any decent crimper holds just fine. I've seen plenty of bikes with imperfect crimps that have lasted for years without any issues.

taylor.reese1mo ago

The "bad cable or housing" part misses the point. A crimp that isn't done right can fray the cable end, and those sharp strands will then chew up the housing from the inside out. It might hold for a while, but it starts a problem you won't see until it fails. Using the right tool isn't about being fancy, it's about not creating a hidden weak spot. I've fixed too many bikes where a rough crimp was the real start of the issue.

milarodriguez1mo ago

Right? I've totally seen the same thing as @davis.david. My old commuter bike had a crimp I did with pliers that looked rough but never gave out in five years. People stress over perfect tools when a good tight squeeze usually does the job just fine.

dakotab9321d ago

Remember when I used to just pinch cable ends with regular pliers? I had a brake cable let go on a steep hill last year because my messy crimp had frayed. Those little wires poked back into the housing and sawed through it over time. It held for months until it didn't, and that was enough to change my mind. The right crimper isn't about being perfect, it's about not making a hidden problem.

-1

olivia_moore21d ago

My friend Mark had his shifter cable snap on a group ride last spring. The frayed end from a bad crimp had been rubbing inside the housing for months. It was a clear case of a small, sloppy step causing a bigger failure down the line.