Weight Weenies

Hi,

I would like to know if there's a "clean solution" to prevent the cable housing to rub against the head tube and scratch the paint. I know I could put some electric tape but I wanted to know if there was a product available for that purpose.

Thanks

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

Westbank wrote:Hi,

I would like to know if there's a "clean solution" to prevent the cable housing to rub against the head tube and scratch the paint. I know I could put some electric tape but I wanted to know if there was a product available for that purpose.

Thanks

Pace produce "carbon" patches to prevent damage to frames from cable rub. They call is "CarbonArmour"...
https://www.pacecycles.com/product.asp? ... subcat=453

You can also look for Frame Saver. It's a clear, self-adhesive polyurethane strip, almost like magic tape. That way the finish of the bike shows through and you keep the paint nice.

the best solution ever are these foam cyclinders that slip over your outer cables. THey're about 50mm long and are soft so prevent damage to the frame. I got mine from Decathlon. much better than stickers that eventually wear through and often the stickers are large enough as the cables move across the frame as you steer.

Doozer

Save the weight of tape or foam and get a custom frame with the stops on the head tube. Shouldn't cost more than $1000 per gram saved.

And if you do it on a ti frame, the finish can be brushed out any time. But then it goes up to +/- $2000 per g saved...and worth every penny....

I use sticky tape, which on a CR1 clear finish is very hard to see.

Bruiser wrote:I use sticky tape, which on a CR1 clear finish is very hard to see.

I have a CF frame and the I think the transparent tape would be good. When you say Sticky tape are you talking about the stuff used to cover books ?

Hi,

They suck on tubes so at least they are good for something.

Now that's what I'd call "recycling".....


Ciao,

I use ski saver. It is the same as frame saver but it is less expensive. I get this from the local ski shops.

Well I use those transparent A4 size printer stickers or those faux carbon
sticker sheets that they use for motorcycles.

Actually, any colored waterproof sticker sheets may do and they come in many colors and finishes....even metallic silver, hairline, matt or polished look.

My brother's former TCR Once Team in yellow and my Trek Elite OCLV black surface have stickers of the same colors that blended well that it almost disappeared when placed. You woud'nt know it's there until someone points it out.

Get a circular cutter and that should do the work. Smaller diameters of around 25-30mm for rounded tubes works best.

I even use them for protection at the chainstay but double layer them for good measure. If you have an old one that you want to replace, just retrace the contours of the old sticker guard on the new sticker sheet.

Materials for all can be had in any art shops.

All my bikes, 2 roadies and 3 MTB's have them and all stickers in good conditions till now.

you can tie a zipt-tie around the head tube, and another one on each side of the headtube to tie the housings to the one zip-tie around the head tube. no more rubbing!

i just use athletic trainer's basic white tape

same as stuff used to mark seatpost

Some of the time you can bend the housing so it gives more clearance. i do this with all my housings.
You put the housing in place and see where you would like it to move a bit and then take it out and overbend it. Make sure you keep track of which end is which and don't rotate it on it's axis be cause you might want to bend it another direction on another part of the cable. Like when it comes out of your downtube stop you would bend it out to clear the headtube and then you would want to bend it in the other direction maybe to get it where it needs to go. Like a little s curve.
You need to do it when there is no cable in it. Also the length of the housing will sometimes help get it to clear things better. Of course shorter is better for weightweenies. It saves weight.

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

Hi,

Some of the time you can bend the housing so it gives more clearance. i do this with all my housings.

Does that actually work with run off the mill Shimagnola housings as well?
Somehow I have a nagging doubt about it staying bent in the long run....

Well I use those transparent A4 size printer stickers or those faux carbon
sticker sheets that they use for motorcycles.

Same here...
You can actually protect any spot on the bike that's prone to have it's paint damaged that way. Nobody notices it unless they stick their nose right on it.
A circular cutter is a must if you want to copy the elipsoid shapes those fancy chainstay protectors come in....
Heck, you can even get tough as nails wire mesh reinforced carbon jobs nowadays although I suppose these are likely more targeted at the MTB chain suckers....

Ciao,