I recently shipped my new '05 Blade to IMAZ and when I took it out of the case discovered that the rear derailleur cable housing had split and the the cable had frayed. I had it replaced with Shimano cables yet the LBS tried to sell me NOKON cables saying they were much more durable and improved shifting. I had trouble justifying $50 for derailleur cables. Anyone used these cables? I know there have been previous posts about this but none seemed that informative.
Scott,
Ask Scott at the store what he thinks of his as he has had them on his Hampsten for some time.
They are lighter weight and with that Blade you need to take off a .25lb (compared to the TiPhoon) - besides you have that crazy front D cable routing 
LOVE mine, they are much more durable, more flexible and lighter weight. The flexiblity gave me many mroe options in routing my cables but I especially like how solid my brakes feel compared to regular cables. We installed them on my father’s Trek TTT to solve the problem with his rear brake not returning due to drag caused by tight cables (and weak return spring). They are a pain in the arse to install the first time, and take much longer than standard cables but are worth it!
Alan
I’m not familiar with the NOKONs, but last Sunday I replaced my Shimano cables and housings with Aztec, which I bought off the shelf at Performance. (Aztec was the only thing they had that included housings; they were $19.95.)
The difference is stunning. The Ultegra brifters are 10 years old and have never shifted this well. The chain fairly leaps up to the 53 from the 39. The packaging claims Teflon coating on the cables and inside the housings. Whatever it is, it works. I should have done this years ago.
David
I’ve used Nokon cables for brakes and derailleurs for the past year and a half. They perform great and it basically feels like you always have new cables/housing when you ride. It’s an added benefit that they fully seal the cable too so you don’t have to worry as much about riding in the rain.
We’ve installed a bunch for customers in our shop and they definitely take more time than normal cables but it gets easier after the first time. Directions in the package aren’t great either.
No experience with other brands that make similar products but you can purchase the liner separately for Nokons in case you need to replace it at some point.
I’ve used Nokon cables for brakes and derailleurs for the past year and a half. They perform great and it basically feels like you always have new cables/housing when you ride. It’s an added benefit that they fully seal the cable too so you don’t have to worry as much about riding in the rain.
We’ve installed a bunch for customers in our shop and they definitely take more time than normal cables but it gets easier after the first time. Directions in the package aren’t great either.
No experience with other brands that make similar products but you can purchase the liner separately for Nokons in case you need to replace it at some point.
I have a set of Nokons I won at a race. It looks like you have to drill out the barrel adjusters to get the thicker cables through?
Also if I wanted to install them on my P3 would I have to get the extension package for the internal cable routing? The Germlish instructions aren’t the easiest to understand.
Thanks in advance for your help.
PITA to setup…and WAY costly for cables (not like my Campy cables are free). Never really had an issue with cables before - lots of years on em too.
Yes, you will have to drill out the barrel adjuster slightly. We use a Dremel tool with a small screwdriver bit. The best tool would be a drill press but that’s a pain to setup for such a small thing. Be careful in that the adjuster gets really hot when you drill it out so use pliers to hold it, preferably locking ones.
If you’re going to route them internally on aerobars you might need to widen the opening a little bit too. I had to do that for my C2 clip ons
I installed them on my P3 and they look awesome, draws attention at races since they’re shiny. I don’t think that you need an extension kit. The housing internal housing is plenty long enough and if you need a few extra outside bits PM me and I’ll send you some as we have a few extras from other installations. We only have left overs of the silver ones, no gold or black.
Best steps are:
- install cable and liner
- add metal bits to determine length to the cable stops
- repeat for the other side and try to get them equal
- install plastic frame protectors on outside of metal
- for the rear der. be sure to leave a small gap and install the clear, sliding shield so you can link the liner together and also lube the cable right under the chain stay
- add liner and housings for the bit of cable to the rear der.
- cut liner and instal the last few links.
- install the water shield thingy for the front der. It will be impossible to get on without have a cable in there first as it’s very snug
Additional notes:
- put in the round balls at the ends of the metal housing so it sits flush on any cable stops
- grease your cables before installing them (enough so you can feel the grease but not see it)
- determine how many links and where you’re oging to cut the liner before you do it. If you remove the last couple links and then cut the liner to make it easier
Hey Thanks!
You should offer your services to translate their instructions. 
Cheers!
Trevor
Oh yeah, use a magnetic tray and a very clean work area. If you drop one of the metal bits it will magically find the hardest place for you to get it. And there are a lot of the metal housing pieces! If you’re in a garage it might be worth it to put an old towel or sheet under where you’re working.
The other reason for using installing the cable in the housing is that the metal pieces don’t always stay put on the liner and can slide down. Possibly onto the floor undoing a few minutes of work and finding places to hide. Not that we’ve had that happen… Once you have the metal pieces on the liner ALWAYS fasten something to the end of the cable, binder clips/locking pliers/etc., so it’s easy to get them back in place.
Brake cables are a little different since there’s an extra piece, springy looking thing, that goes next to the brake lever.
Okay, so how do they compare with the old Ride-On Gore-Tex cables? I’m still running those (but admittedly they’re running out of useful life).
I have them on my C’dale TT bike. I like them because they’re flexy and can be re-routed in many different ways. One thing to watch for is corrosion; they tend to collect salt thus are predisposed to corrosion.
Click on the link to view some pic’s.
Dave in VA
My LBS says that one problem with the NOKON cable is that the metal housing abrades the frame, especially titanium. Thoughts?
I saw this article last year on NOKON cables and saved it. Anyone try this? It looks cool.
http://www.velonews.com/tour2004/tech/articles/6575.0.html
I found the best and easiest way to install mine was to throw them in the garbage.
Got them at a discount through my team, found them to be no different than a properly set up ‘regular’ cable. Took twice as long to install.
Looks like it would introduce a lot of friction into the system. But it also is rather elegant in its own way…