We've reviewed Ashima’s excellent upgrade pads before and now you can pull them with a range of impressively detailed and slick running cables. The Reaction sets are top of Ashima’s cable range, upgrading the stainless steel Action + sets (£19.99) with a lighter, more flexible Kevlar weave outer and Teflon-coated inner.
They also come with optional transparent sleeve sections to bridge the gaps between outer sections. This isn’t equivalent to fully sealed systems like Gore Ride-On, but it’s half the price and anything that keeps the inner cleaner is a great idea. The end caps are sealed with a ‘condom’ insert and are spiral cut to let them bend slightly.
The Kevlar weave outer also works better with the increasingly tight and tortuous cable routing we’re seeing on some aero bikes. The result is a cable set that fits more neatly than most and is still giving a featherlight touch through both brake and gear levers on our woefully underloved winter hack.