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Used grease on brake cables for 15 years, then tried dry lube on one commuter bike last month
I always figured grease was the safe choice for cables. Kept a tub of white lithium on the bench and packed every new housing I cut. Then a regular customer who rides a beater in Seattle rain all winter asked me to try dry lube on his rear brake run instead, said his last shop back in Spokane did it and the lever stayed light all season.
I figured it would seize up by December. Pulled that cable out last week after roughly 900 miles of wet commuting. Cable slid out clean, housing was dry inside, no black paste anywhere. Compared it to a bike I built the same day with grease, and that one had that gummy drag at the lever already. Not a huge difference in feel, but it was there.
I am not saying grease is wrong for everything, especially wet mountain biking. But for plain city riding in wet weather, I have switched my default. Anyone else gone dry on cables, and if so what do you use for the last few inches near the brake?
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jakef661d ago
900 miles in Seattle winter is a real test, no doubt. But I keep coming back to grease for one reason: water gets in no matter what, and dry lube gives it nothing to push against. Once moisture sits on bare cable, that's where the rust starts, and you won't feel it until the cable snaps or the housing fills with grit. A light grease or even a thin oil keeps that layer of protection in there, the drag you felt might just be the tradeoff for a cable that lasts years instead of one season.
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