Cable Measuring Guide

Measuring for a bespoke cable

At WGC Cables, we offer 7 different types of bespoke cables, each requiring specific measurements to ensure a perfect fit.

When selecting the cable type you need, please measure your existing cable carefully using the measuring guide provided.

For cables with a ball fitting, measurements must be taken from the inside edge of the shock ball. This is crucial to guarantee compatibility with your machine.

For more details on why this measurement is necessary, please refer to the FAQ section below.

Precision matters—follow the guide to ensure your new cable fits seamlessly!

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General FAQ's

Why do you need the cable measured from the inside edge of the shockball?

Over the years we've had many people question why we need certain cables measured from the inside edge of the shockball, so here's the reason. Different manufacturers use different styles of end fittings on their cables, each of these different styles will be a different length so if you measured the cable from end to end with different fittings you would get a different length. This would mean some cables would be too long and others too short.

This means the only measurement that is 100% accurate is from the inside edge of the shock ball to the other end of the cable as that is the length that runs through the multi gym. It doesn't really matter if the end fittings are a couple of cm's longer or shorter as they sit outside the machine. If the inside measurement is a couple of cm's out it could mean the other end of the cable not reaching the weight bank or other fixing point, or having too much slack in the cable causing other cables to also hang loose.

When measuring for a bespoke cable we have 100% first fit success rate using the above measuring method.

I purchased a cable from you and the bolt doesn't screw in to the weight bank, what can I do?

For those multi gyms in the UK that use a bolt fitting to screw a cable in to the weight bank that bolt should be an M12 thread. There are however multi gyms out there that have either an imperial or metric fine thread for the bolt, if you have multi gym with this type of thread then the M12 bolt will not screw in. The best option in this case would be to contact us using the form on the contact page to let us know about the problem, our usual solution is for you to send both cables back to us and we will make a new cable with your original bolt on it and send it back to you.

I ordered the wrong cable by mistake what can I do?

No problem, simply contact us using the form on the contact page and we can start the return process.

Why do you only ship within the UK?

The main reason is outlined above, different countries tend to use different threads for the bolts that screw in to the weight stack, there is no way of knowing what type of thread a machine in the US or EU (for example) may have. We used to ship worldwide but had too many issues with wrong fittings and arranging a return from another country isn't always easy. Because of this we decided to stop selling worldwide.

Some Basic Do's and Don'ts

With around 18 years’ experience behind us servicing all types of gym equipment, as well as supplying cables, we understand how important it is to care for your cables/pulleys & guide rods.

Here’s a few basic do’s and don’ts to help you care for your multi-gym and yourself.

Some Do’s

Do check your cables regularly for wear, we’ve seen cables that are hanging on by a couple of strands. Don’t put yourself in danger, having a cable snap on you while in use can cause a serious injury.
Do check your pulleys for wear, the cables can wear a groove in the bottom of the V causing excess wear to the cable and pulley. The bearings in the pulley can also wear or collapse causing excess friction which in turn puts extra load on the cable.
Do lubricate the weight stack guide rods, we recommend using a dry lubricant like GT85 (available in Halfords or on eBay) which will help keep the weights moving freely.
Do make sure all cables are fitted and adjusted correctly, a poorly fitting cable will wear out quicker than a correctly fitted cable.
Do make sure there is no excess play in all movement arms. Excess play may cause the cable to rub against the side of the pulley or frame causing premature wear.
Do replace worn cables with a like for like replacement, if your multi-gym originally had coated cables then don’t replace worn cables with non-coated cables.

Some Don’ts

Don’t lubricate the cables, they don’t need it. Commercial cables don’t get lubricated so why lubricate the ones on your home gym.
Don’t use cable with a core diameter of 4mm or more for home use equipment, it really doesn’t need to be that thick and, in our experience, due to its lack of flexibility may wear out quicker than 3mm cable.
Don’t twist the cable, either during fitting or in use, twisting the cables can open the inner core and cause premature wear. This is especially important on non-coated cable as the cable can unwind itself.
Don’t store unused spare cables tightly wound up, over time it will damage the cable and you may get kinks in the cable causing it to be unusable.
Don’t use cables coated in PVC on multi-gyms, in our experience the coating will crack and wear much quicker than a nylon coated cable.
Don’t use a thick grease type lubricant on the weight stack rods, it will coat the undersides of the weight plates and cause them to stick together, the plates may then separate while in use causing the load to suddenly lighten which could cause an injury.