Pre Season Maintenance: Cable Slides And Rollers

The picture below is of a typical cable slide used on most bows from the mid 90's until present day. These are usually trouble free. On occasion you may experience a chatter or jerk. I have tried almost everything that has been suggested and come to the conclusion that cleanliness is what works best for me.

If you own a press it will make the following task somewhat easier but not necessary. First you will need to remove the cable slide from the rod. Next remove the cables from the slide. Remember how they came out. Use a clean cotton rag or towel to wipe the rod down with. Rub it until the rag gets warm or it when it slides very easily.

Now you need to clean the slide in the manner. Be sure to remove all of the wax from inside and out. Now just reinstall it, careful as not to allow wax to make contact with the rod. If you are having trouble remembering how the the cables run try this. With the cable slide removed, lay the bow on a bench or in the press with the cable slide away from you. Look at the point where the cables cross each other. It creates an x. The cable on the top or the one closest to you will need to remain on the outside. Now take the slide and insert it between the cables and be sure that the closest cable is in the longest slot. Now you can reinstall it on the rod.

Ever had a bow that would not tune no matter what you tried? If you groups are sporadic and there are a lot of right and lefts in the bag, try this. Tug on you cable slide. If it pops out you have found the problem. This was common place prior to bow companies installed the handy-dandy set screw in the riser. Be sure to check that it is good and tight twice a year. That should save you from a serious headache.

The white cable slide pictured here is an excellent choice if the one installed on your bow is wearing cables prematurely. The softer "Teflon" will reduce wear and possibly pick up your bow speed a foot or two due to the reduced friction on the rod. In turn, they also wear out a little quicker. Whenever you upgrade or replace the factory slide be sure to check for adequate fletching clearance.

The latest and greatest is a double roller riding on sealed ball bearings. The bearings ride on an axle or pin that is secured with 2 "e-clips." I talked about these in another post about idler wheels but the same applies here. They need to be checked yearly.

Remove the cables from the rollers. Remove one e-clip and then the axle. Remember which roller goes to which side. Not really sure if there is a difference in bearing and applied pressure but why take a chance.

Insert a pencil into one of the roller bearings and apply some downward pressure. Rotate the roller. If it's smooth check the other one. If both are good just pop them back in and shoot a few arrows.

If not you will need to replace the bad one. Rarely do both go bad at the same time but I replace both while I have the bow down and apart. The last time I tried to purchase bearings from my local dealer they told me that you can only buy the roller as a unit. Ummm....OK. So when the parts arrived it was the entire assembly.

Lesson learned: Be specific with your questions prior to ordering. It wasn't cheap.

Good Luck.