brake cables

[Dave C]

I just read all the replies and have one other thought to offer.  Are
you in a cold climate with freezing weather?

One of the common failure modes is due to the rubber bootie at the
front end of the cable.  When they bootie fails it allows water to get
inside the cable which seizes the cable in freezing temps.  In my
experience the replacement cable booties tend to rot within a couple
of years whereas the originals seemed to last forever.

Dave C.