Dedicated home mechanic-cyclists who maintain and ride multiple bikes can attest to a few simple facts: one is that they can seem a bit obsessive, the second is that you go through way more small parts and fittings than non-obsessives can imagine, and last when you need a small part, there is nothing worse than not having it. As such, shop and pro mechanics aren't the only people who buy a jar containing 500 brake cable ends for their work bench.

Shimano offers small items like these silver alloy Brake Cable End to shops and everyone else. The Brake version are designed to slide easily over a 1.6mm brake cable end, then be crimped to prevent the end of a wound steel cable from fraying. So yes, 500 might last a while, but when you need them, you need them, and Shimano packages them up in this compact jar that is easy to extract from. Ah. Life is good.