Removing cable guides on top of bottom bracket shell?

[Boyd Speerschne]

Hello, I have an older frame which has cable guides welded to the top of the bottom bracket shell. I
was wondering if anyone in this group has had success in removing these to replace them with more
conventional under the BB shell guides? If so, how (without signifigantly damaging the frame)?
Thanks in advance,
- Boyd S.

 

[Lawrence Fieman]

"Boyd Speerschneider" <[email protected]> wrote >

I have an older frame which has cable guides welded to the top of the
> bottom bracket shell. I was wondering if anyone in this group has had success in removing these to
> replace them with more conventional under the BB shell guides?

What are you trying to accomplish by doing this? "Conventional" is not necessarily better in today's
bicycle world. The cable guides welded on the top of the BB shell may work better, as they are less
in the way of mud and other things that can interfere with performance.

Regards, Larry

 

[Boyd Speerschne]

"Lawrence Fieman" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

<snip>

> What are you trying to accomplish by doing this? "Conventional" is not necessarily better in
> today's bicycle world. The cable guides welded on the top of the BB shell may work better, as they
> are less in the way of mud and other things that can interfere with performance.
>
> Regards, Larry

I'm trying to save a few grams. As its a road bike, it almost never even sees mud.

- Boyd S.

 

[Harris]

Boyd Speerschneider <[email protected]> wrote:
> I have an older frame which has cable guides welded to the top of the bottom bracket shell. I was
> wondering if anyone in this group has had success in removing these to replace them with more
> conventional under the BB shell guides? If so, how (without signifigantly damaging the frame)?

Most frames that had the cable guides on top of the BB also had the rear der cable stop on top of
the chainstay. If you move the BB guides to below the BB, how will you route the cable to the rear
cable stop without it rubbing on the chainstay?

Art Harris

 

[Bob Denton]

On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 12:22:10 GMT, "Lawrence Fieman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Boyd Speerschneider" <[email protected]> wrote >
>
>I have an older frame which has cable guides welded to the top of the
>> bottom bracket shell. I was wondering if anyone in this group has had success in removing these
>> to replace them with more conventional under the BB shell guides?
>
>What are you trying to accomplish by doing this? "Conventional" is not necessarily better in
>today's bicycle world. The cable guides welded on the top of the BB shell may work better, as they
>are less in the way of mud and other things that can interfere with performance.
>
>Regards, Larry
>
I have removed guids using a cutting wheel on a dremel.Iremoved the guids because they had rusted
and were no longer usable. If yours are in good shape, I wouldn't bother. Bob Denton Gulf Stream
International Delray Beach, Florida www.sinkthestink.com Manufacturers of Sink the Stink

 

[Boyd Speerschne]

Harris <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Most frames that had the cable guides on top of the BB also had the rear der cable stop on top of
> the chainstay. If you move the BB guides to below the BB, how will you route the cable to the rear
> cable stop without it rubbing on the chainstay?
>
> Art Harris

Good point. Any ideas?

 

[Whitfit]

> > Most frames that had the cable guides on top of the BB also had the rear der cable stop on top
> > of the chainstay. If you move the BB guides to below the BB, how will you route the cable to the
> > rear cable stop without it rubbing on the chainstay?
> >
> > Art Harris
>
> Good point. Any ideas?

Yes- Don't bother. This is a RPITA process, that is worse than useless-it will actually degrade your
shifting performance. Without even considering the need to either mount some kind of new cable stop
(brazing would be best, but stripping and painting etc.. will be necessary) which if not brazed,
will offset any weight savings. Further, the top of chainstay cable stop provides better shifting
performance than an under chainstay stop. A few grams could be saved way easier.

Whitfit.

 

[J. Price]

> Good point. Any ideas?

....>>>>>>>>...I have seen quides that clamp to the stay.

 

[A Muzi]

"Boyd Speerschneider" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, I have an older frame which has cable guides welded to the top of the bottom bracket shell.
> I was wondering if anyone in this group has had success in removing these to replace them with
> more conventional under the BB shell guides? If so, how (without signifigantly damaging the
> frame)? Thanks in advance,
> - Boyd S.

You could just ignore the top guides, drill and tap the BB and fun your cables on a nylon plate. If
you just want to remove them, I would snip off what you can with an endcutter and then file the
remainder away.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Boyd Speerschne]

[email protected] (whitfit) wrote in news:[email protected]:

> Yes- Don't bother. This is a RPITA process, that is worse than useless-it will actually degrade
> your shifting performance. Without even considering the need to either mount some kind of new
> cable stop (brazing would be best, but stripping and painting etc.. will be necessary) which if
> not brazed, will offset any weight savings. Further, the top of chainstay cable stop provides
> better shifting performance than an under chainstay stop. A few grams could be saved way easier.
>
> Whitfit.

I was going to get the frame repainted anyway. I'm trying to bring it as up to date as possible
beforehand. Getting rid of the cable guides on top of the BB shell also make it easier to strip all
of the old paint off of the bike, because I (or whoever does
it) won't have to worry about stripping them (the guides, that is).

As far as degrading shifting performace... please. I have another bike with the stop on the
underside of the chainstay and haven't noticed any 'degraded' shifting performance; even relatively.

- Boyd S.

ps. What does RPITA mean?

 

[David L. Johnso]

On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 15:20:15 +0000, whitfit wrote:

>> > Most frames that had the cable guides on top of the BB also had the rear der cable stop on top
>> > of the chainstay. If you move the BB guides to below the BB, how will you route the cable to
>> > the rear cable stop without it rubbing on the chainstay?
>> >
>> > Art Harris
>>
>> Good point. Any ideas?
>
> Yes- Don't bother. This is a RPITA process,

I agre to here. Nothing wrong with the old cable guides.

> that is worse than useless-it will actually degrade your shifting performance. Without even
> considering the need to either mount some kind of new cable stop (brazing would be best, but
> stripping and painting etc.. will be necessary) which if not brazed, will offset any weight
> savings. Further, the top of chainstay cable stop provides better shifting performance than an
> under chainstay stop. A few grams could be saved way easier.

This is silly. How could there be a significant difference in shifting performance? The under the
bottom-bracket guides tend to be nylon, rather than brazed-on steel, so aside from being lighter
they are smoother. But if you lube the brazed-on ones they will work fine for many years.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but _`\(,_ | what canst thou say?
-- George Fox. (_)/ (_) |

 

[James Connell]

David L. Johnson wrote:

> On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 15:20:15 +0000, whitfit wrote:
>
>
>>>>Most frames that had the cable guides on top of the BB also had the rear der cable stop on top
>>>>of the chainstay. If you move the BB guides to below the BB, how will you route the cable to the
>>>>rear cable stop without it rubbing on the chainstay?
>>>>
>>>>Art Harris
>>>
>>>Good point. Any ideas?
>>
>>Yes- Don't bother. This is a RPITA process,
>
>
> I agre to here. Nothing wrong with the old cable guides.
>
>
>>that is worse than useless-it will actually degrade your shifting performance. Without even
>>considering the need to either mount some kind of new cable stop (brazing would be best, but
>>stripping and painting etc.. will be necessary) which if not brazed, will offset any weight
>>savings. Further, the top of chainstay cable stop provides better shifting performance than an
>>under chainstay stop. A few grams could be saved way easier.
>
>
> This is silly. How could there be a significant difference in shifting performance? The under the
> bottom-bracket guides tend to be nylon, rather than brazed-on steel, so aside from being lighter
> they are smoother. But if you lube the brazed-on ones they will work fine for many years.
>

because anytime you bend a housing you get fiction - the more you bend it the worse it works. a
housing stop onthe top of the chainstay will bend stay straighter than the underside one will. it
wont have the compound bend in it either. to reduce the fiction in the BB guides use a small piece
of inner housing.

personaly i think the idea of moving the BB guides is stupid. my guess is the bottom mount is used
because it's cheaper to prduce and for no performance reason at all.