Best Steel Bike Cables of 2025
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Steel bike cables are essential components for any cyclist looking to maintain a safe and reliable bike. These cables are designed to transmit the rider's input to the bike's brakes and gears, ensuring smooth and responsive performance. Made from high-quality steel, they are durable and resistant to wear and tear. Whether you're a professional cyclist or a weekend rider, steel bike cables are a reliable choice to keep your bike running smoothly and safely.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
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Top 10 Steel Bike Cables
Yosoo 10pcs Stainless Steel Bike Shift Cables
The Yosoo Bike Shift Cables provide a convenient solution for your cycling needs. With a suitable length of approximately 2m, you can easily customise the cable length to fit your bike perfectly. Crafted from durable stainless steel with zinc plating, these cables ensure longevity and reliability for your rides. Their superior performance allows you to adjust speeds smoothly, enhancing your overall comfort and safety while cycling. Additionally, they are versatile, compatible with mountain bikes, road bikes, and folding bikes.
Clarks 2m Stainless Steel Brake Wire for Bikes
The Clarks Brake Wire is a reliable solution for replacing control cables on your mountain, hybrid, or road bike. Crafted from durable stainless steel, it ensures your brakes maintain their performance over time. With 2 metres of wire and crimp-on end covers, it prevents fraying and enhances longevity. This comprehensive kit is compatible with all major brake systems, making replacement simple and convenient for you, whether for regular commuting or leisurely rides.
cyclingcolors 2M Bike Brake Cable Inner Wire
The cyclingcolors Brake Cable offers 2 metres of high-quality inner wire, made from galvanised steel. With a diameter of 1.5mm, you can easily cut it to the desired length, making it convenient for various bike types. The barrel nipple ends come in two sizes, ensuring compatibility with different setups. To enhance longevity, remember to lubricate the inner wire during installation, and crimp the ends to prevent fraying. This product provides excellent value, combining quality materials with practical features to improve your cycling experience.
Jagwire 1.2mm Gear Cable for Bikes
The Jagwire Gear Cable features a 1.2mm diameter, making it compatible with all standard Shimano, Sram, and Suntour shifters. With a generous length of 2300mm, it is suitable for both front and rear bike use. This cable is designed for all types of bikes equipped with indexed (click) gears, ensuring smooth shifting. Its stainless steel construction adds durability, giving you peace of mind during your rides.
Clarks Stainless Steel Gear Wire for Bikes
The Clarks Gear Wire is an excellent choice for replacing control cables on your bike. Made from durable stainless steel, it ensures the longevity of your gears, providing a reliable performance. With 3060mm of gear wire, it offers ample length for more complex setups, making installation easier. Additionally, the crimp-on wire end covers prevent fraying, enhancing durability and maintaining your bike's performance. This gear cable is compatible with all major gear systems for mountain, hybrid, and road bikes, making it a versatile option for your cycling needs.
10x Universal Stainless Steel Bicycle Shift Cables
The LST Bicycle Shift Cables are crafted from high-quality stainless steel, ensuring they are robust and durable for long-lasting use. With a generous length of 2.05 metres and a diameter of 1.2 mm, these cables are suitable for various bike types, providing flexibility and convenience. The included end caps, measuring 11 mm in length, make installation and replacement hassle-free. This versatile set is perfect for mountain, road, and city bikes, making it an excellent choice for cyclists looking to maintain their gear systems effectively.
Vitel Cycles 2 x 2100mm Gear Shift Cables
The Vitel Cycles Gear Shift Cables are designed to enhance your cycling experience with their corrosion-resistant galvanised stainless steel construction. This ensures precise performance, allowing you to shift gears smoothly and confidently. Each cable is pre-lubricated and pre-stretched, which means you'll enjoy optimal performance right from the start. With a universal fit for both Shimano and Sram systems, these cables are compatible with most bikes, giving you the convenience of easy installation.
Vitel Cycles Universal Bike Brake Inner Cables
The Vitel Cycles Brake Cables are designed for exceptional performance, featuring a corrosion-resistant galvanised stainless steel inner cable that ensures precise braking. With two cables included, you can easily replace both old and worn-out cables, enhancing your bike's safety. The universal cable ends are compatible with Shimano and Sram systems, making it simple for you to find the right fit. Additionally, these cables work with various brake types, including calipers and mechanical disc brakes, ensuring versatility for your biking needs.
Clarks Stainless Steel Brake Wire 2100mm
The Clarks Brake Wire is designed to enhance your cycling experience with its durable stainless steel construction. This cable is suitable for mountain, hybrid, and road bikes, ensuring compatibility with all major brake systems. With a generous length of 2100mm, it provides the flexibility you need for various bike setups. Additionally, the crimp-on wire end covers prevent fraying, ensuring your brakes maintain their longevity and reliability. Enjoy hassle-free maintenance and improved performance with this essential bike part.
Clarks Stainless Steel Brake Wire for Bikes
The Clarks Brake Wire is an excellent choice for replacing control cables on your mountain, hybrid, or road bike. Its stainless steel construction ensures that your brakes will last longer, providing peace of mind during your rides. With 3060mm of wire, you have enough length for more complex setups, allowing for easy installation. The crimp-on wire end covers help prevent fraying, enhancing durability and making your maintenance routine simpler. This product is compatible with all major brake systems, ensuring hassle-free replacements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does bike cable Quality Matter?
The increased corrosion on these cables means that they wear out faster, and although low quality cables may be slightly cheaper at the time of purchase, in the long run they may cost you more money as they will need replaced more regularly than a higher quality stainless steel cable.
2. Are all bike brake cables the same?
While brake and gear inner cables are nominally similar, the housings are different – brake cables use conventional 'helical' housing which consists of a tightly-wrapped helix of steel wire lined on both inside and outside by a plastic coating.
3. How strong is a bike brake cable?
Thickness: Steel cables for brakes and shifting are usually of between 1.1 and 1.5mm diameter, and even the thinnest of such cables has a carrying strength in excess of 250 lbs.
4. Is there a difference between brake cables and gear cables?
Gear cables are wound through particularly tight curves within the shifters too, which means there's a lot of potential for wear. Brake cables normally have an easier time of it because their runs are straighter, but there's much more force travelling through them.
During our steel bike cable research, we found 168 steel bike cable products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 15,756 customer reviews through our big data system to write the steel bike cables list. We found that most customers choose steel bike cables with an average price of £5.58.
The steel bike cables are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of steel bike cables, including Yosoo, Clarks, cyclingcolors, Jagwire, LST. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 682 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.
Luke is a runner, a climber, hiker, hunter, and a lot more. Luke Dobson is Celtic-born and has lived most of his life in Scotland. However, his sporting endeavours have taken him to several countries around Europe. He serves as a tour guide for countless companies and owns a couple of gyms and recreational centres in Scotland. Luke Dobson is proficient in 7 different languages. He maintains many sport article columns where he shares his wealth of experience in the sport industry.