Anyone know if the 7900 will work well with Jagwire L3 cables? Shimano says that the 7900 needs to be used with teflon coated cables for best results. My LBS had to change out the my frnt end yesterday and then realized that they didn’t have the 7900 cables. They replaced them with the Jagwire L3’s but couldn’t tell me if they were teflon coated. Thanks.
Very good question, and we’re trying different cable and housing combinations on 7900 drivetrains right now. I worry about saying this, and it is very early, but we are getting “soft” performance from 7900 now. We’re working to try to improve it. It lacks the same visceral expereince as SRAM Red and the previous 7800. It simply feels a trifle vague with the applications we’ve installed so far. The shifting feels soft and not authoritative.
In fairness, this may be a result of us riding SRAM Red for the past 9 months, a very mechanical feeling group with a loud shift report and significant tactile feedback to the shift. 7900 is very soft and quiet. That leaves me with the initial impression of sluggishness. Additionally, the 7900 kit has been installed on a lot of bikes with internal cable routing. That may presenting challenges too.
We’re currently trying a wild hodge-podge of cable and housing combinations to fortify the interface between the shifter and the derailleur to bolster shifting performance. It’s actually one of the things we’re working on here today for a review we’re writing on a 7900 equipped bike.
No findings yet other than we’re exepriencing similars outcomes as you Sir.
Cervelo recommends Shimano’s SP51 cable housing for their S2/S3s using 7900. This is 5mm housing versus the SP41 (4mm) housing that comes with DA 7900 shift levers.