In late
January '05 we received
notice from Shimano that they had shipped a
number of defective brake cables. This is a serious issue, as a
brake cable failure can ruin your day (since you won't be able to
stop).
It does not affect any brake cables found on new bikes or sold with
parts groups or STI levers. It only affects brake cables that were
sold over-the-counter as separate items. Also, it only affects
cables sold after April 2003 (with shipments lasting through March
'04, but some may still be in the pipeline).
Your cable is defective if it-
Has an "S" stamped on one side and
Has nothing stamped on the side opposite the "S" (see the
bottom photo) and
Was purchased after April 2003
And is a road-bike cable with a pear-shaped end as shown
If your cable meets all four
conditions, it is defective.Otherwise it's OK.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to bring it
into your local shop for inspection!
If you have such a cable on your bike, please
bring it to your local dealer and have it replaced. It is
dangerous to ride with it.
Of the two cables shown
above, only the bottom one is defective (since it doesn't have a
date code (in this case, the "CH" stamp, but it could be any
combination of two letters) on the side opposite the "S" stamp.
If you're concerned that a brake cable that came with your bike or
in a kit is a bad one, the same criteria for determining if it's
defective apply. --Mike--
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