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Brake & gear cables
Fibrax Pro-formance Sealed Derailleur Cable KitFibrax Pro-formance Sealed Derailleur Cable Kit

Fibrax Pro-formance Sealed Derailleur Cable Kit

8
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jun 2, 2012

4
£29.36

VERDICT:

8
10
Dependable all-weather gear cables but don't cut corners when fitting them
Weight: 
339g
Contact: 
www.fibrax.com
How we test

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Fibrax Pro-formance Sealed Derailleur Cables are weatherproof and ideally suited to harsh conditions: cyclo cross, winter and mountain bikes the most obvious candidates.

Made here in the UK, the comprehensive kit includes 2.7 metres of frictionless 5.5mm outer casing, clear inner sleeve and two stainless steel inner wires measuring a generous 1.8 and 2.1 metres long. Fibrax also offer a version for tandems and bikes with unusual cable routings.

To finish things off, we've twelve ferrules, two cable end caps and four rubberised cuffs to protect paintwork from unsightly cable-rub. Good preparation is key to getting the best from these systems, so get some proper cable cutters. I was able to use the bike's existing outers as a template but it's worth double checking the new cables against the frame with ferules in situ. Mark cut points using a Stanley knife and cut swiftly – it's hard work.

Remove the ferrules and slip the outers and inner linings through. The inner lining should extend beyond the rear mech by 5mm but in practice this proved tricky. I left everything in situ overnight before trimming and soldering the cable ends.

To be fair, cable stretch was non-existent; both mechs impeccably behaved come the morning and haven't missed a beat over the last few weeks and two hundred plus miles. The Univega's cables, chains and cassettes see the worst weathers. Blasted with torrential rains, mud, silt, and spray on coastal roads, shifting has remained consistently precise.

Even the outers seem relatively kind to paintwork, although the grinding paste of sticky debris was beginning to gnaw through my tourer's lacquer topcoat, prompting swift introduction of those little rubber cuffs.

Verdict

Dependable all-weather gear cables but don't cut corners when fitting them.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Fibrax Pro-formance Sealed Derailleur Cable Kit

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"A sealed derailleur kit for maintenance-free super smooth shifting, with enough content to fit out a bike front and rear".

No quibble here but in common with the breed, installation demands good quality tools and patience.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

2 slick 1.1mm stainless steel gear inner wires – 2.1m and 1.8m

1 length of SP5 outer casing – 2.7m

2 clear inner tubes – 2.05m and 1.75m

12 ferrules

4 Fibrax frame protectors

2 wire end covers

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Old boots tough.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
6/10

Time consuming to install and might be worth leaving to a shop if you're short of time or decent tools.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Carefully installed, this is genuinely slick, fit and forget cable that should last a good year or so without so much as a lick of lube.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Perfect for mile munching tourists, mountain bikers and anyone else needing hassle and moreover, maintenance free derailleur cables.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Ultra tough materials require razor sharp tooling and very strong grip.

Did you enjoy using the product? Fitting aside, yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Quite possibly.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, assuming they needed a fit n' forget system.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

sealed gear cables
fibrax
derailleur cable
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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4 comments

Avatar
MtbEllis | 12 years ago
0 likes

Technically they are exactly the same, the only difference is on the Gore there has a very flexy v-brake boot type item that finishes of the system.
As the review says, the kit is built burly which means you need a good set of cutters to get through the outer.

Just as an aside, inner sheaths are available separately.
Plus they're made in Wales. Save the British Economy.

(sell these loads in my shop 4 )

Avatar
wyadvd | 12 years ago
0 likes

How do they compare technically to the gore ones? They have a clear plastic section over the bottom bracket which ends up getting mashed. this defeats the object.

Avatar
Shaun Audane | 12 years ago
0 likes

Cable stretch only affects the inner wires but wasn't an issue here. Generally speaking, I leave budget cables overnight and retension them come the morning.

As for the housings, these are particularly stout affairs employing a clear sleeve locking out dirt, grime and ingress right to the mechs.

As you say,popping some silicone grease in the ferrules at the point of installation, coupled with subsequent, periodic squirts of PTFE spray greatly improves longevity and performance of cheaper gear/brake cables.

Avatar
horizontal dropout | 12 years ago
0 likes

Hi, I've seen two references to stretch in cables here recently but hadn't heard of it before. What stretches? Does the outer shrink?

Also could you describe what makes these cables weatherproof? Is there some sort of rubber seal integral with the ferrules?

thanks

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