Cable routing

Larry said:

I have a new bike, my first with brifters. The owner of my LBS routed
the cables in a somewhat unusual way. He ran the shift cable from the
right brifter to the left cable stop and vice versa. The cable routing
DOES look better this way, and the cable housings do not rub on the
head tube.

The downside of this is that the cables have to cross each other under
the downtube, where they also contact the downtube. He ran the cables
through some sleeving at the point of contact with the downtube, but I
can't help but think that there has got to be a better way.

Two approaches come to mind:

1. Make the cable stops longer so that they hang below the downtube
sufficiently so that the cables can clear the downtube on their way to
the bottm bracket. If the cable stops were of different lengths, the
cables would not contact each other where they crossed.

2. Use a tiny nylon/teflon doohickey stuck to the downtube under and
between the cables to prevent them from contacting each other or the
downtube.

Does anyone know of either of these solutions is possible? Is there a
product of some sort that supports this cable routing to keep the
cables from contacting the downtube? I really like the way that this
cable routing looks and would like to keep it.

Same setup, same problem here - cables rubbing underneath the downtube
where they cross. I strung two small kid's beads on the cables (both
cables pass through both beads), and stuck the beads to the underside of
the downtube with a tiny piece of double-sided poster tape, right where
the cables would cross/rub.

The beads have a large hole, so there's virtually no friction, and they
act as a "stand off" spacer to keep the cable away from the tube.

It's worked great for 8 years, and is very hard to notice if you aren't
looking for it.

Mark J.

Mark said:

Larry said:

I have a new bike, my first with brifters. The owner of my LBS routed
the cables in a somewhat unusual way. He ran the shift cable from the
right brifter to the left cable stop and vice versa. The cable routing
DOES look better this way, and the cable housings do not rub on the
head tube.

The downside of this is that the cables have to cross each other under
the downtube, where they also contact the downtube. He ran the cables
through some sleeving at the point of contact with the downtube, but I
can't help but think that there has got to be a better way.

Two approaches come to mind:

1. Make the cable stops longer so that they hang below the downtube
sufficiently so that the cables can clear the downtube on their way to
the bottm bracket. If the cable stops were of different lengths, the
cables would not contact each other where they crossed.

2. Use a tiny nylon/teflon doohickey stuck to the downtube under and
between the cables to prevent them from contacting each other or the
downtube.

Does anyone know of either of these solutions is possible? Is there a
product of some sort that supports this cable routing to keep the
cables from contacting the downtube? I really like the way that this
cable routing looks and would like to keep it.

Same setup, same problem here - cables rubbing underneath the downtube
where they cross. I strung two small kid's beads on the cables (both
cables pass through both beads), and stuck the beads to the underside of
the downtube with a tiny piece of double-sided poster tape, right where
the cables would cross/rub.

The beads have a large hole, so there's virtually no friction, and they
act as a "stand off" spacer to keep the cable away from the tube.

It's worked great for 8 years, and is very hard to notice if you aren't
looking for it.

Mark J.

Mark,

Thanks, I hadn't considered beads! I was looking for something
purpose-built, but your idea is good.
I'm considering sticking them to the frame with a drop of silicone
cement. It's waterproof and can be removed fairly easily when you want
to without damaging the paint.

larry

--

When trying to contact me, be polite. Rudeness will not get you anywhere.

Larry

Larry said:

I have a new bike, my first with brifters. The owner of my LBS routed
the cables in a somewhat unusual way. He ran the shift cable from the
right brifter to the left cable stop and vice versa. The cable routing
DOES look better this way, and the cable housings do not rub on the
head tube.

The downside of this is that the cables have to cross each other under
the downtube, where they also contact the downtube. He ran the cables
through some sleeving at the point of contact with the downtube, but I
can't help but think that there has got to be a better way.

Two approaches come to mind:

1. Make the cable stops longer so that they hang below the downtube
sufficiently so that the cables can clear the downtube on their way to
the bottm bracket. If the cable stops were of different lengths, the
cables would not contact each other where they crossed.

2. Use a tiny nylon/teflon doohickey stuck to the downtube under and
between the cables to prevent them from contacting each other or the
downtube.

Does anyone know of either of these solutions is possible? Is there a
product of some sort that supports this cable routing to keep the
cables from contacting the downtube? I really like the way that this
cable routing looks and would like to keep it.

TIA
--

When trying to contact me, be polite. Rudeness will not get you anywhere.

Larry

If the cable housings are trimmed to an appropriate length they look
nice and clean and they don't rub the head-tube. Having the criss-
cross setup you describe with the cables rubbing each other and the
downtube would seriously grate on my sensibilities.

Using anything like beads or mushy foam tape would IMO cause the
shifting to be mushy and imprecise and difficult to adjust.

Just my $.02

Joseph

Someone said:

I have a new bike, my first with brifters. The owner of my LBS routed
the cables in a somewhat unusual way. He ran the shift cable from the
right brifter to the left cable stop and vice versa. The cable routing
DOES look better this way, and the cable housings do not rub on the
head tube.

Yes, this is a classy touch that not all mechanics know about or
bother to do.

Quoted message said:

The downside of this is that the cables have to cross each other under
the downtube, where they also contact the downtube. He ran the cables
through some sleeving at the point of contact with the downtube, but I
can't help but think that there has got to be a better way.

This is generally a non-problem. In most such installations the
"touch" is so light, the cables are so very nearly straight, that it's
a non issue in practice.

The reduced friction in the housed sections more than makes up for the
eeeeeensy amount of friction where the cables touch one another.

As to the cables contacting the downtube, this varies from one bike to
another. It mostly depends on the diameter of the down tube. A small
piece of clear tape might be in order.

Anyway, you're fortunate to have a dealer who takes the trouble to pay
attention to nice little touches like this.

See also: http://sheldonbrown.com/cables

Sheldon "Criss-Cross" Brown
+------------------------------------------------+
| Love at its best means marriage, and it is |
| altogether the most beautiful thing in life |
| -- William Dean Howells |
+------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown said:

Someone said:

I have a new bike, my first with brifters. The owner of my LBS routed
the cables in a somewhat unusual way. He ran the shift cable from the
right brifter to the left cable stop and vice versa. The cable routing
DOES look better this way, and the cable housings do not rub on the
head tube.

Yes, this is a classy touch that not all mechanics know about or
bother to do.

Quoted message said:

The downside of this is that the cables have to cross each other under
the downtube, where they also contact the downtube. He ran the cables
through some sleeving at the point of contact with the downtube, but I
can't help but think that there has got to be a better way.

This is generally a non-problem. In most such installations the
"touch" is so light, the cables are so very nearly straight, that it's
a non issue in practice.

The reduced friction in the housed sections more than makes up for the
eeeeeensy amount of friction where the cables touch one another.

As to the cables contacting the downtube, this varies from one bike to
another. It mostly depends on the diameter of the down tube. A small
piece of clear tape might be in order.

Anyway, you're fortunate to have a dealer who takes the trouble to pay
attention to nice little touches like this.

See also: http://sheldonbrown.com/cables

Sheldon "Criss-Cross" Brown
+------------------------------------------------+
| Love at its best means marriage, and it is |
| altogether the most beautiful thing in life |
| -- William Dean Howells |
+------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon, I haven't seen a post from you in ages! I'm delighted you
took the time to reply. As one of the resident cycling gods, I really
appreciate your input.

I don't know why I don't think of a solution as simple as a piece of
tape. I'm sure I can come up with an inch or so of thick clear tape!

larry
--

When trying to contact me, be polite. Rudeness will not get you anywhere.

Larry