Bike brake and derailleur cable : the difference

 in general :

derailleur cable : 

thinner. more agile.

head : smaller (to go in shifter). upright barrel shape. sometimes mushroom (shimano).

there's 3 main head types :

generic type (small barrel shape) . should fit all types ?

shimano : mushroom shape.

campagnolo : dunno ? niche ? 

brake cable :

thicker. tougher (for safety !)

head : bigger. side barrel

my knowledge : 4/10

Decathlon cutters vs Brake cable (inner)

Decathlon cutters for bike cable and housing seem to do a clean cut on everything (so far) imho.

Here I use on bike brake cable, the harder of the 2 bike cables, and more prone to instant fraying. 

filmed July 22.

Decathlon 100 BIKE REAR VIEW MIRROR

Decathlon BIKE REAR VIEW MIRROR ELOPS 100

Great rear view mirror

price UK : £4.99 (jun22)

Seems to be a new version.

Has rubber to stop it moving about inside (works great).

Uses allen bolts (old version was screws). Maybe pozidriv ? (not sure).    

Can use on either side.

Can be positioned for any position. Can also adjust while cycling.

When you screw in the handlebar bolt, the cage expands and the rubber grips inside. 

Great big view.

I find that small mirrors, I don't have total confidence in. 

With this mirror I do as it's big.

improvement suggestions ?

could be even bigger ? maybe rectangle ? plus a bit of convex ?

Dunno but it's a great big mirror for the price and satisfies all my factors for a good mirror. 

imho all casual cyclists should have rearview mirrors. probably on both sides.

Decathlon cable & housing cutters. Worth it !

Are good cutters for bike cable and  housing worth it ? (i.e. maybe £15-20)

YES. 

You can cut any bike cable or housing in a second, whereas cheap poor quality ones you might not cut them and/or make a frayed mess ! This likely includes decent 'home cutters' for DIY things (i.e. bolt cutters).

What's to cut ?

derailleur cable : easiest to cut, but you can still fail, or fray the ends (which could = nightmare).

brake cable : harder cos it's thicker and different twist (for safety reasons !).

derailleur housing : easier of the 2 housing. probably 2nd hardest to cut. it has metal wire twine through it for sturdiness.

brake housing : Toughest. This is thickest housing and has metal wire through it (probably safety again).

Good cutters are worth it. Maybe £10 (if lucky ?) - £20 ?

Here I use Decathlon cutters (£14.99 Jun22). Super. Even gives a clean cut edge (no burring needed probably, or fraying).

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/bike-cable-and-housing-cutting-pliers//R-p-120528

I would trust Halfords best cutters too.

It's worth the cost for good cutters as it will take a second rather than days or giving up or having to start again with new cable etc.    

What will good cutters look like ? (dunno really)

A guess :

Heavy at the cutting end. 

Large clamp action (i.e. cut edges widen to grip cable in clamping style), rather than traditional cutter V-cut.  

Things that go wrong using poor cutters  

1. can't cut cable easily (i.e. minutes/hours/days). end up damaging or frayed etc. may need to use another cable (more money).

2. frayed cable may unwind and end up making cable too short. need to replace again.

3. can't cut brake housing. give up.

4. can't put cable through housing as cut is a mess.

etc etc 

get good cutters like £15-£20 !!

Archer D1x 'wireless' derailleur shifter : $449 looks the best realistic on market

 video from Archer Components youtube channel

clueless cyclist writes (jun22) : when will wireless shifting and braking be the norm ??

 imho wireless shifting and braking should have been here like 10 years ago (same as Ecars).

no sign of wireless brakes yet.

Shimano and SRAM have recently introduced E derailleurs (rear only ?) and shifting for $1000+.

Their motor is built into their special derailleur. 

So for poor Joe Public is there a (sensible price) alternative ?

No sign of anything for $50 on ebay via China (2022).

Archer DX1 

https://archercomponents.com/products/d1x-trail-shifter-w-paddle-remote

Nearest is ARCHER DX1 remote shifter and derailleur electronic box for any ordinary derailleur.

price : $449 ? (Jun22).

The box you mount near your derailleur contains the motor that shifts the derailleur.

A short cable is still needed between box and (your normal) derailleur. But shifter is wireless, and no long cable.

imho sounds best option really (never mind the cheaper price). 

review bikies seem happy and suggest getting the 'swift' for faster gear changing (more powerful batteries).

Maybe for casual commuter it doesn't matter, but only $20 price difference ?

Summary :

Shimano & SRAM : $1000 remote shifter + derailleur that has wireless motor built in. No cable. Can only use that derailleur (as it contains motor and wireless receiver).

Archer :  $449 remote shifter + a box that contains the wireless motor that you mount near your derailleur. Attach a short cable between the 2. Can use on any derailleur. 

Valeo create bike auto-shift system

Ebike news (video above from 2021)

Valeo (France) have created what looks like an automatic shifting system for bikes.

In-built auto-gears.

Run on belt system rather than chain.

New Atlas says 14 manufacturers have signed up for the system (Feb22 article)

Read here