Review: GORE RideOn Ultra Light sealed cable system
I’ve been running Gore RideOn Ultra Light derailleur cables on my Giant TCR, and the results have been more than satisfactory. My worst gripe about my TCR (other than the tall head tube) is the cable run for the shifters. Since my handlebar sits relatively low and the housing stops are on the front of the head tube, the housing has very tight bends. The Ultra Light housing, even though it is 5mm rather than the usual 4mm, takes the tight radius easily. It must be because instead of steel coaxial reinforcement, RideOn Ultra Light uses some sort of non-metal strands that are quite a bit more flexible. However, shifting performance is not degraded at all. Add to that the facts that Ultra Light is fully sealed against the elements, non-corroding, and only weighs 20gr per meter, and you have what is easily the best cables for shifters on the market. Downside? Well, a slightly more tedious installation compared to conventional cables/housing, but no more time-consuming than regular Gore RideOn cables.
I used Gore cables in the mid-1990s when they first came out, and I really didn’t like them. The coating on the cables came off too easily and bunched up in the liner, and the seals weren’t refined enough to stand up to long term use. Based on those experiences, I never really considered using RideOn again until I started experimenting with the newer systems last year to solve shifting issues on TT bikes with long internal cable routes. The newer product is way better now. At this point I am thoroughly won over, especially with the fully sealed systems for derailleurs. I can actually feel downshifts on the rear derailleur require less effort, and after an initial settling in, I haven’t needed to re-tune the derailleurs at all.
RideOn Ultra Light’s MSRP is about $65 and is currently only available for derailleurs, not brakes.
