STI shifters cable routing

Ben Barker said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience / views on the feasiility of routing
the cable runs
from STI shifters along the handlebars in the same way the brake cables
are run rather than
perpendicular to the shifting levers?

It seems that this arrangement wuld be helpful, especially if you want
to carry things on your
front bars without kinking the cables.

Any ideas?

It's not my idea, but using V-brake noodle pipes to route the gear
cables seems to be the way most people use STIs with bar bags. A longer
than average noodle pipe might get the cable all the way to the
handlebar tape?

--
JimP
--
"We don't have a plan, so nothing can go wrong" - Spike Milligan

Good Idea. I currently just put a bar bag on and ush the cables out of
the way. They still change ok, which is the main thing.
Is there a simple way of changing the sensitivity of the shifters
though? The "click" point brings theend of the shifter quite
close to the edge of the bag, and from time to time can be hard to reach...

Ben

Jim Price said:

Ben Barker said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience / views on the feasiility of routing
the cable runs
from STI shifters along the handlebars in the same way the brake
cables are run rather than
perpendicular to the shifting levers?

It seems that this arrangement wuld be helpful, especially if you want
to carry things on your
front bars without kinking the cables.

Any ideas?

It's not my idea, but using V-brake noodle pipes to route the gear
cables seems to be the way most people use STIs with bar bags. A longer
than average noodle pipe might get the cable all the way to the
handlebar tape?

Ben Barker said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience / views on the feasiility of routing
the cable runs
from STI shifters along the handlebars in the same way the brake cables
are run rather than
perpendicular to the shifting levers?

It seems that this arrangement wuld be helpful, especially if you want
to carry things on your
front bars without kinking the cables.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

Ben

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/tour04/tech/jul13/zabel_bars.jpg

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

Ben Barker said:

Any ideas?

Swap the STIs for Campags? (Sorry.)

d.

M-gineering said:

Ben Barker said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience / views on the feasiility of routing
the cable runs
from STI shifters along the handlebars in the same way the brake cables
are run rather than
perpendicular to the shifting levers?

It seems that this arrangement wuld be helpful, especially if you want
to carry things on your
front bars without kinking the cables.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

Ben

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/tour04/tech/jul13/zabel_bars.jpg

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

They'll be Nokon Cables I presume

M-gineering said:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/tour04/tech/jul13/zabel_bars.jpg

Which, I believe, requires the use of super-low-fricion Nokon cables:

http://tinyurl.com/8c4kv

OR

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=Manufacturer.aspx&ReferID=googmtnbra&cat=cycle&w=0&UberCat=0&Manufacturer=Nokon

davek said:

Ben Barker said:

Any ideas?

Swap the STIs for Campags? (Sorry.)

d.

Downtube shifters are a better solution.

MSeries said:

M-gineering said:

Ben Barker said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience / views on the feasiility of routing
the cable runs
from STI shifters along the handlebars in the same way the brake cables
are run rather than
perpendicular to the shifting levers?

It seems that this arrangement wuld be helpful, especially if you want
to carry things on your
front bars without kinking the cables.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

Ben

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/tour04/tech/jul13/zabel_bars.jpg

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

They'll be Nokon Cables I presume

yes, money no object etc

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

MSeries said:

davek said:

Ben Barker said:

Any ideas?

Swap the STIs for Campags? (Sorry.)

Downtube shifters are a better solution.

Why? (Having a bike with downtube shifters and some Ergo levers waiting
for me to fit them, and hoping I haven't made a mistake. I'm planning to
keep the Shimano back end.
http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946)

Ben Barker said:

Is there a simple way of changing the sensitivity of the shifters
though? The "click" point brings theend of the shifter quite
close to the edge of the bag, and from time to time can be hard to reach...

The only adjustment at all which I've seen Shimano provide for STI
levers is for reach to the levers, which will probably not help. Unless
you're very familiar with your own machine shop, the internals are off
limits, so the only things I can suggest would be shortening the levers
(being careful not to over do it), playing with the position of the
levers on the bars or (no good if your bars fit) getting wider bars.

--
JimP
--
"We don't have a plan, so nothing can go wrong" - Spike Milligan

Alan Braggins said:

Why? (Having a bike with downtube shifters and some Ergo levers waiting
for me to fit them, and hoping I haven't made a mistake. I'm planning to
keep the Shimano back end.

Is your rear wheel a Shimano hub? If so, the indexing of the Ergo levers
won't match the spacing of the rear sprockets. Not a disaster if this is
the case, though, as there are ways around it - as others will be able
to explain better than me.

That aside, it's a straightforward job. I "upgraded" my bike from DT
shifters with a pair of Tiagra STIs picked up cheap from ebay, and have
no regrets. As well as the shifters, you will also need a cable-stop for
the down tube (can be got cheaply enough from SJS) and obviously new
[longer] cables - with outer sections to go from the shifters to the
downtube. Also a good idea to get some in-line barrel-type cable
adjusters (also from SJS) for trimming the indexing on the fly.

d.

Quoted message said:

Good Idea. I currently just put a bar bag on and ush the cables out of
the way. They still change ok, which is the main thing.
Is there a simple way of changing the sensitivity of the shifters
though? The "click" point brings theend of the shifter quite
close to the edge of the bag, and from time to time can be hard to
reach...

I don't think so, but the 2006 105's and the 2005 Ultegra's have reduced
the shift stroke distance (by all of 10mm). It doesn't say what it was
beforehand tho.

MSeries said:

davek said:

Ben Barker said:

Any ideas?

Swap the STIs for Campags? (Sorry.)

d.

Downtube shifters are a better solution.

Singlespeed!

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Tony Raven said:

MSeries said:

davek said:

Ben Barker wrote:
> Any ideas?
Swap the STIs for Campags? (Sorry.)

d.

Downtube shifters are a better solution.

Singlespeed!

what about Travel Agents? (know as much about them as I do about Sony
psp's* but IIRC they are pulleys for converting road calipers to canti
brakes)

* as do Sony UK

Alan Braggins said:

MSeries said:

davek said:

Ben Barker wrote:
> Any ideas?

Swap the STIs for Campags? (Sorry.)

Downtube shifters are a better solution.

Why? (Having a bike with downtube shifters and some Ergo levers waiting
for me to fit them, and hoping I haven't made a mistake. I'm planning to
keep the Shimano back end.
http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946)

Its all a matter of opinion really, I think they look better. I have
not used Ergos so can't comment on their reliability but the simplicity
of downtube shifters makes me think they will be more reliable. There
is less cable, less weight. Shimano indexed DT levers WILL wok with
Shimano mechs and cassettes, no fudges or compromises. They last for a
very long time too.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Downtube shifters are a better solution.

Why?

Downtube shifters shave off a few grams and have less to go wrong - there's
no friction mode on STI's (well, not on mine anyway) which can lead to a
bit of faffing if the front derailleur fairy has been visiting.

However, STI's are more than a magnitude better to change gear with - a
flick of the fingers and it's done without ever having to relax your death
grip on the handlebars.

davek said:

Alan Braggins said:

Why? (Having a bike with downtube shifters and some Ergo levers waiting
for me to fit them, and hoping I haven't made a mistake. I'm planning to
keep the Shimano back end.

Is your rear wheel a Shimano hub? If so, the indexing of the Ergo levers
won't match the spacing of the rear sprockets. Not a disaster if this is
the case, though, as there are ways around it - as others will be able
to explain better than me.

I am in the process of fitting ergos to a tiagra grouped bike. After
consulting with RBT I am changing the rear der to campy also. The
cassette spacing is still off but not enough to matter depending on who
you believe. There is a US bike shop that make devices to change the
cable pull to make ergo or sti work with the enemy.

For me, new mirage ergos and rear der were cheaper than new tiagra
stis.

Unfortunately I sliced open a knuckle on the chain ring last weekend so
i didn't get as far as adjusting gear cables.

best wishes
james

In article said:

Alan Braggins said:

Why? (Having a bike with downtube shifters and some Ergo levers waiting
for me to fit them, and hoping I haven't made a mistake. I'm planning to
keep the Shimano back end.

Is your rear wheel a Shimano hub?

Yes. I am
[ ] too cheap to change it
[ ] too lazy to change it
[ ] wanting to keep more widely available (Shimano) sprockets, and a
longer lasting (7-speed) chain, but preferring the Ergo layout
to Sora (more expensive Shimano STIs being 8+ only)
[x] all of the above.

At least for now, when I need a new rear wheel I might change.

Quoted message said:

If so, the indexing of the Ergo levers
won't match the spacing of the rear sprockets. Not a disaster if this is
the case, though, as there are ways around it - as others will be able
to explain better than me.

That's what the http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946
link was there for.
(I'm going for the "older Campanolo 9 speed levers, 7 speed Shimano rear,
Hubbub modification" line - unless I can work out which Jtek Shiftmate
model does the same thing, possibly.

(Had I found 8 speed levers on eBay intead of old 9, I would have bought
a Xenon rear derailleur as well and kept the hub that way.)

In article said:

no regrets. As well as the shifters, you will also need a cable-stop for
the down tube (can be got cheaply enough from SJS) and obviously new
[longer] cables - with outer sections to go from the shifters to the
downtube.

P.S. Got those (and the cable stop allows trimming). And new bar tape
(which was actually what set off the whole "it would be silly to replace
the tatty tape and then upgrade soon afterwards, do it together or not at
all" plan). I'm just short of round tuits. It would help if the bloody
Nu-Heat underfloor heating would stop leaking. Mutter, mutter, see
armb's livejournal passim.