EB Epics, frayed cables frustration

Hi Everyone!

I am having ongoing cable problems, even with brand new buckles. I'd first like to know how often other people go through cables?  How many hours of use? Do you wait until they are frayed or just replace them. (just curious) How many frayed stands (if any) will you let slide before you replace them? Where do your cables first show frays? above the crimps? Where the cable wraps for size, or right in the center of the cable, where it touches the buckle?

Well, my cables just don't last more than 8 hours in the saddle before they are useless. They usually fray one stand in several places, but almost all are above the crimp and where you wrap it for sizes. I also always have a frayed strand where the buckle is, right in the middle. I'll tolerate one or two frayed stands and get another few hours out of the cable, if I'm lucky. Even on and brand new pair of boots, I have frayed cables after two short break in rides!!

i first blamed this on the old buckles style, so I took a file and smoothed the edges. No luck. The boots were old anyway, I traded them in. The new boots and buckles were used on the beach for one week, then both buckles AND cables were trashed! Broken pieces off one buckle, and deep dings and grooves on the others. I'm saving these to return to Easycare. I think salt water did these no favors.

Now I have completely new buckles to replace the salt water damaged ones. After just four hours on a ride and both wires are damaged! Both in the center where it goes through the buckle grooves, two broken stands. I had no replacements for a four hour ride today. (I'm a pleasure rider, not endurance) I covered the frays with duct tape and hoped they would not get worse. The tape slipped on one boot and ny the time I returned, there were only two strands somehow holding the wire together still. This i 8 hours in brand new buckles and wires??! Te other boot that the tape stayed on now has four broken strands right where it beds around the sizing fork. ?name for this? It won't last any longer either. My two back boots, only used for rides over 2 hours, are frayed one strand each in the smae location.

Does anyone else out there have problems like this??? My old generation buckles didn't do this to me, just these new ones. The old ones just bent sideways when I stepped on them to close the front. Does anyone know why this could be happening? How to stop it? Cables themselves are cheap, but shipping is more than the cables! All my spare cables are used up, now I'm stuck waiting one month for new ones and more spares. My horse is helpless without those front boots, and this keeps happening.

Advice welcome. I have to wait until Monday to order new cables. Meanwhile, I'd like to not have this happen anymore, What a pain!

Thanks!

Jen

Comments

[Dee Fortner]

Like you, I had the same problems with the new clamps....what I discovered is that where the cable goes in the clamp.....it is very rough so I filed it down with a round file...this helped a lot.

The old clamps also bent sideways for me too when using my foot to close it.

I then changed to the Easy Up Buckles which worked quite well for a while, but now they won't stay closed. I'm told they have improved them now.

[Jennifer]

I used to file the old clamps, but never thought of the new ones. I'll try this too. So far, I've wrapped duct tape around the frayed wires, but the frays poke through. I guess it's a reminder for me to check that wire, but of no help. This is frustrating!

I have to put a new wire on my one with the new buckle today. I hope filing will help this wire last longer! :-)

Thanks...

[Jenny Moncur]

Hi Jen,
I did have quite a lot of trouble with cables snapping very regularly - back in the early days of boot use.
I found out that if I tighten the cable too tight then they fray and snap - generally down where it goes through the buckle. I had a suspicion this was the cause so deliberately did some testing. I would close one buckle really tight - had to step on it hard to close it. The other buckle I would close with firm but not excessive pressure.
The tight buckles snapped sometimes when the boot was put on, and sometimes later after the cables frayed, or the cables just started to fray.
After figuring that out I have not had any cables snap since just closing them firmly but not too tight, although some are slowly fraying - mainly the older style buckles.
I have now changed most of my boots over to Easy Up buckles and just love them!!
They really are far better to use in terms of reliability. I do all my endurance rides and training in boots with Easy ups and have no problems at all with cables breaking or buckles coming undone.
Might be worth a try for you
cheers
Jenny Moncur

[Anne Carroll]

I must say I am amazed at the trouble you seem to be having! I have been using four easyboot Epics for 15 months and I have not had any breakages or fraying of cables at all. The boots on hind feet are looped for tightest adjustment and front boots looped for second tightest and I use my feet to stomp them down. The work we do is mainly road work and if not for the fact that the toes have just worn through, I would be able to keep using the gaiter and cables etc. they seem to be very robust

[Lynda Perry]

I had alot of cable trouble with the original buckles but the new ones are working fine for me. I do buckle as tight as possible. However a friend of mine also had a terrible time with the cables even with the new buckles. She ended up switching to the Bares and is much happier. You can buy the bungee closure from Easycare and use it on the Epic. Lynda

[Bruce Goode]

As a professional trimmer and boot-fitter, I noticed a few years ago that some of my customers seemed to be having more troubles than others with cable fraying problems on the Epics. After investigating, I discovered that in most cases the cable damage was occurring as a result of direct contact with the tip of the hoof pick. I guess to me it seems so obvious that a steel pick will damage a thin steel cable. Nevertheless, I started teaching customers how to open the buckle for boot removal without touching the cable with the hoof pick. I now have fewer complaints about fraying cables.