snapped rear shift cable on Ultegra 6800 brifter

[AW10]

I had my rear shift cable snap yesterday on my 15 month/3000 mile old Boardman road bike with Shimano Ultegra 6800 brifters. Upon doing some research I discovered this isn't unusual for various Shimano brifters. Opinions differ as to the cause - a tight cable radius or a batch of substandard cables. I think I did have some warning which I ignored - occasionally the rear mech didn't place the chain squarely over some of the larger rear cogs; this was probably due to the fraying cable binding within the lever. Replacing the cable is a bit of a so and so - it wasn't a clean break and it was difficult to remove the 2 cm of frayed cable still attached to the barrel. I would advise periodic inspection of the cable inside the lever mechanism. It's dead simple and needs no tools. Just roll the rubber hood away from the handlebars and pop off the little light grey cover on the inside side face of the brifter - the cable can then be checked for any fraying. It should be a doddle to replace when it's still in one piece.

Hope this is of use to others.

[47p2]

Change the cables once a year to prevent it happening again

[JEA1K]

Had this on my DA 9000 and have one shifter (front) replaced under warranty. Shimano updated the 9000 to the 9001 but haven't admitted there was an issue with the design of the internal cable routing. Anyway, you did well, all mine broke at 1000 - 1500 miles.

[j00pY]

Get yourself a jagwire kit and you can hopefully forget about the cables for a year+. My original cables went after 6 months, but my replacement jagwire ones were absolutely perfect when I cut them and replaced them after 9 months (damn it!)