I'm looking to replace my gear cables and would like to use something as flexible as possible. I've always use Shimano but find that it's quite stiff ... anyone any suggestions for some?

Ta

They 'should' be pretty similar due to the construction. Straight steel wires encased in plastic etc.

May I ask why?

You could use brake outer for the required section, its coiled steel and much flexier as I'm sure you know.

Your shifting feel would certainly suffer. You might need to overshift a little bit to make it shift if you use too long a section.

I’ve done it on a road bike before, temporarily, I forget why but it did work albeit not great

May I ask why?

I tend to run my cables fairly short* and I find that when I remove my bar harness after a few days fitted, the cables have taken a semi-permanent set. I think it's the outer plastic covering on the Shimano cables that makes them feel stiff rather than the steel core ... I could imagine bending a length of cable and having the outer split/crack.

*might or might not have a bearing.

makes sens to run them short. try the brake outer, you should be able to go really short with that

Alligator i-links / that type of style (nokon etc.)

Alligator i-links / that type of style (nokon etc.)

I've just looked at Nokons but the price is a little on the high side ... I'll take a look at the Alligators.

By far the most flexible cable I've used is Nokon. Expensive, possibly too much for your taste , but very good and will adopt a variable curve readily without upsetting shifting performance.

Alternatively, you should find longer cable run are more tolerant of being routed around stuff.

Another vote for Nokon here...been using it for years on brakes and gears and swear by it!

Alternatively, you should find longer cable run are more tolerant of being routed around stuff.

I might be able to get more 'arc' and less 'bend' if I switch the cables round so the rear cable goes around the headtube and exits down the left side of the down tube and the same for the front (but obviously in reverse). It'll mean crossing the bare inners somewhere along the downtube but I don't think it's much of an issue.

Zippy the Alligator Mini I-link cables look lovely and weigh nothing

Another vote for Nokon here...been using it for years on brakes and gears and swear by it!

They do look ideal but as Ian points out, I'm either too tight or too poor for such trinkets