SMOOTH SHIFTING
The idea of replacing your gear cable mightn't be exciting but it can make a huge performance difference—the improvement will be far greater than upgrading from a Deore derailleur to XTR for example.
Worn cables make it harder to push the shift lever and the indexed ‘click’ that accompanies a shift gets lost with the cable added friction. Upshifts will be slower and less precise too, as the derailleur spring struggles to pull the cable back through the outer housing. Of course this wear usually doesn’t happen overnight; it comes on progressively and often goes unnoticed until you get a new cable and realise how much better your shifting should be!
While it may save time, don't cut corners by replacing the inner wire alone. The outer housing is lined with low friction material; it’s the nylon sleeve that you’ll see inside when cutting the outer
