Anyone here had experience with either of these cable sets (or both)? I’m torn between the two; there’s definitely the “bling” factor with the Nokon, but is the Yokozuna performance that much better? What are some thoughts on both systems?
I’m aware the Nokon is a pain to setup… but I don’t really mind, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands 
Never used Nokon specifically but I have used Delta Powerlines (same thing) and they’re not the pain that some say. If you have time/patience the end result is awesome. Not only in terms of shift quality but in aesthetics as well. Never heard of Yokozuna. Might have to give them a look.
See Competitive Cyclist
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/product-components/2009-yokozuna-reaction-complete-cable-kit-5839.21.1.html
We’ve spent the last year riding a SRAM Red-equipped bike. As lifelong Campy devotees it was a leap of faith. And a year later, it’s a leap we’re glad we made. In nearly every way it’s lived up to the hype, and while it could stand some nip and tuck work (what gruppo can’t?), there’s little doubt that Red offers the best ROI of any PRO-level componentry out there. We have only one real beef with Red, in fact. It’s the cables. They don’t befit the group. Even when they’re new they’re sluggish & high-friction in comparison to the slick, point-and-click feel of Campy Record or Dura Ace cables. It’s not a fatal flaw. But it’s Red’s most notable drawback, and we told a fellow SRAMophile this lately and he replied with a one word answer, “Yokozuna.” It was a tip that’ll change the way we think about cables forever.
Who is Yokozuna? It’s a Japanese company who allegedly manufacturers Shimano’s cables for them. We haven’t substantiated the rumor, but given that Yokozuna puts a big Japanese flag on their packaging, and in their marketing materials they have the guts to say “Some say they can tell the difference between our cables and those coming out of Taiwan and China just by the touch,” it leads us to believe there’s likely some truth to it.
So we followed our pal’s advice and bought the Yokozuna Reaction Cable Kit – their top-of-the-line stuff. And our experience? We are periodically impressed by new bike stuff. But to be amazed, that’s a rarity. And amazed is exactly what we are. No cable set we’ve ever tried – not Campy, not Dura Ace, not Nokon, not Gore, nothing – can match what we felt. What ceramic bearings are to your drivetrain, Yokozuna is to cables: An astounding reduction in drag, except unlike ceramics, the Yokozuna difference is one you can feel on a moment-to-moment basis. It’s dragless. It turned our SRAM DoubleTap into HyperTap. We barely stroked the lever and the derailleur slammed the chain into gear. Amazing. SRAM could include this cable kit with Red and refer to it as “Red, Second Generation.” The difference is that vast.
Yokozuna isn’t just about shifting, either. This kit comes with a compressionless brake housing – something no other company has ever successfully manufactured. Again, the cable response is instant and has zero friction, which is especially nice for subtle braking modulation.
My only experience is with standard cables (shit) and Nokon. I think the Nokon cables are great. Nokon cables came with my current bike. The bike was originally assembled. They disassembled it to ship it without labeling any of the sections. It took a little while to figure out how they worked. After I figured it out they are super ease to assemble and disassemble. I changed my bars and adjusting the length was a breeze. With internal cable routing I just feed the extra liner into the frame. If you need to lengthen the cable you just add the segments over the extra liner.
just a bump thinking of repalcing cables+housing and seems to come doen to this choice
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If you are looking at Nokon and Yokozuna you might want to look at I-links as well. All three systems are compressionless so the Competitive Cyclist is a bit of marketing bullsh!t.
I have heard great things about all three housing systems and have used two of them. I have not used Yokozuna for one main reason and that is you can not get the bends that you get with Nokon’s and I-Links from what I have been told and shown.
I think the three fit into 2 categories.
Yokozuna - standard styling. They look and act like standard cable housings.
Nokon and I-Link - custom styling. These can be customized more.
Everything that I have read on the Yokozuna’s has been great but they look like your standard housings but work a lot better. Draw back is that you have a very large diameter turning radius which makes it hard to not have this large turn at the rear derailleur and going from the bars to frame. Should be installed as easily as standard housings as well.
Nokon’s and I-links on the other hand take longer to set up but as mentioned, if you have some patience they are not that bad. All my bikes have Nokon’s and I have never had a problem setting them up so I do not get where they are a pain in the ass to deal with. If you are the type of person that takes the time to do things right and wants the best out of the job, Nokon’s and I-Links are not a problem. If you are someone that rushes through a job and does not have a very good attention to detail, well Nokon’s and I-Links are not for you.
I-Links now have a smaller system for the shifter housings which allows for a tighter radius on turns and they are just stupid light now as well. Again not the easiest to set up but take your time and you will be fine.
I have an order in for the new Mini I-Links as well as the standard versions for the brakes and they should be in soon. The shifter housings are half the weight of a standard housing and you can do a very tight bend on them which I think lends itself to TT/Tri bikes very well as we are trying to hide the cables from the wind as much as possible.
I will be using the I-Link minis and regulars on my TT/Tri build for sure but Nokon’s will be on all of my other bikes as they just perform that much better than standard.
I have thought about buying the Yokozuna’s for my winter bike just to see how they perform but it is hard to get rid of the Nokons.
Yokozuna is hands down the best.
Nokon is cool with all of the possibilities with design but when it comes to performance the Yokozuna stuff is amazing.
thanks for the detailed info
i was thinkin of using yokozuna on road/winter bike but had a different thread enquiring how nokons work with shimano to but cables under bar tape however i think shimano means effectivly regular cables in which case yokozuna seem best.
however on my tt bike i was maybe thinkin of a mixture of yokozuna / i links but am awaiting new brakes which will help me decide how tight i can get away with cables.
what are the difference between new mini i links and regular or why are you goin to run mixture and not just the new mini??
What makes Yokozuna the best? How does it feel/perform compared with other cables? Thanks.
Yokozuna is hands down the best.
Nokon is cool with all of the possibilities with design but when it comes to performance the Yokozuna stuff is amazing.
I have used both over the last year. Had Yokozuna on my older bike and it was exceptional. But it is a pain in the ass to set up if you have sharp bends in your handle bars or have to bend cables into an internal routing system on top tube. The cable housing did start to crack as well if bends are at limit. Otherwise it worked great.
Have recently put Nokon cables on my current bike and the system lends itself to sharp turns/bends exceptionally well. I went with basic white but possibilities for customization abound.
Overall I have to say I have not noticed that much a performance difference thus far. I have had to tighten my rear derailleur cable a couple of times with Nokon but have not really had any performance issues to speak of. The Yokozuma seemed a touch crisper in shifts in back but the Nokon have been working really well too so don’t feel like I have settled for an inferiorly performing system. There is no real difference in front. The brake cables are monsters in Yokozuma system but feel like the difference maker in my braking was switching to SwissStop from KoolStop pads.
I have only had the Nokon on for a few months and road the Yokozumas for about a year before that. So I can not make a durability comparison yet. The Yokozuma had no issues at 1 year other than the cracking in cable housing. I tend to sweat a lot and have read that Nokon housing can corrode easily but have not noticed that yet.
Both systems were run with SRAM Red.
Currently running Yokozuna cables on my road bike, which replaced the OEM Gore Ride On. A bit harder to set up and I cut all the housings with a Dremel to keep it neat.
Performance has been wonderful, better than the Gore or standard Shimano, though the brake cable housing is corroding. I’m a heavy sweater and put in a lot of indoor time.
No experience with Nokons.
The difference between the Mini and Reg are that the Mini’s can only be used for shifters and the Reg can be used for both. The Mini’s are the same style but just smaller. They allow for a tighter radius on turns which is something needed for drop bars, hiding the cables in TT/Tri set ups and for a better run on the rear derailleur.
As mentions, stupid light and very sharp turns.
I just replaced my dura-ace shifter and brake cables with Yokozuna. What a huge difference! Well worth the couple extra dollars. They are just solid, and feed much better (the ferrells actually fit into the P3 cable slots) that the standard dura-ace ones. I have not used Gore or Nokon so I cannot compare/contrast to those.
looks like its yokozuna on road bike and i links on tt bike
thanks all for the help
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