Brake cable snapped mid-descent last Saturday. Repaired or replace? Debate me.

I was bombing down a hill near my place in Austin. Going maybe 30 mph. Then my rear brake cable just went. No warning. Snapped clean in two. I managed to stop with the front brake only. Scared me pretty bad. Got home and looked at it. The cable was frayed near the housing end. I could patch it with a new cable and housing. But I'm wondering if the whole caliper is shot. Old cable can grind things up inside. When's it time to just replace the whole brake assembly versus just the cable? Had this happen to anyone else?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_stone3d ago

Nah just the cable. Caliper is fine if it still moves smooth.

terry_bailey353d ago

Well, I had a buddy who fought with his brakes for a whole weekend. He swapped pads and rotors but the pedal still felt mushy. Finally he checked the cable and it was frayed inside the housing. @evan_stone is exactly right - a smooth caliper is useless with a bad cable. Took him maybe 20 minutes to replace it and everything was perfect.