Advice on cleaning up my front cables please

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Mtek
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 4:27 pm

by Mtek

Hello all,

I'm trying to do the best I can with the creating the cleanest look I can on the front of my bike. I dont want to trim any more length on the cables here as Ive taken off enough, but hoping you can all give some advice on how to make it look nicer. Please know the zip ties are just place holders. What am I doing wrong, it looks messy to me? Any help appreciated, thanks.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

I'm not sure what could be done to enhance the aesthetics. The brake cables are hydraulic cables so they cannot be altered easily. And you already have only the rear shift cable. Most other bikes have a total of four cables on a mechanical shift system. If you go with eTap you can eliminate one more cable but that an expensive method to just make the cables look better.

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oldnslow2
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by oldnslow2

Sram eTap will eliminate the shifter cables.

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Mtek
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Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 4:27 pm

by Mtek

Thanks guys, if it’s the best possible set up, I can live with it. It’s all
I can do. I love the bike, will do etap 1x when it’s available. I know it’s possible for current system, but I can wait until official 1x comes to market.

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

The front brake cable exit from under the bar tape could be slid down so it curves away from the handlebars more naturally. I'd try to get the curve to bend inward towards the head tube. It's also too long.

You could do the same with the other cables. No need to add slack for 90 degree angle on the front wheel. Lose the ties. Cables should naturally stay in place. These housings seem quite soft. A harder light weight housing makes softer bends.

Just my guess. I'm not a mechanic or anything. :)

The shape of those bars really makes it a bit troublesome for cable routing.

/a

stormur
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by stormur

Cables/housing under the bar( not in the front) , rear shifting housing behind front brake. Instead of zip ties (ugly) use electrical shrink tube.
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Mtek
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 4:27 pm

by Mtek

stormur wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:55 am
Cables/housing under the bar( not in the front) , rear shifting housing behind front brake. Instead of zip ties (ugly) use electrical shrink tube.
I’ll try it that routing, go under too, thanks. The zip ties are just placeholders as I haven’t gotten shrink tape on hand st the moment. Lol, I know it’s ugly.

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wheelbuilder
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by wheelbuilder

I'm a cabling fanatic. My advice would be to route the rear brake hose behind everything else and close to the head tube. Then the arc of the rear derailleur cable and the front brake will appear more symmetrical. You can then eliminate the need for zip ties or shrink wrap, or any of that. As others have stated, hoses and housing under bars. Not in front.
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Mtek
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 4:27 pm

by Mtek

wheelbuilder wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:55 am
I'm a cabling fanatic. My advice would be to route the rear brake hose behind everything else and close to the head tube. Then the arc of the rear derailleur cable and the front brake will appear more symmetrical. You can then eliminate the need for zip ties or shrink wrap, or any of that. As others have stated, hoses and housing under bars. Not in front.
Thx wb, I think that’s what stormer was implying. I know this will help. How do you decide what’s going to be enough slack for rear brake hose?

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

You can also run your bar tape all the way to the stem so it can cover more the exposed cables. Your current bar tape seems to be way too short...

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deano87
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by deano87

I think its the design of your bars.

If you ran a more traditional bar, you sorta run the cables on the underside more, then they join further down under the stem
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oldnslow2
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by oldnslow2

Zip tie the brake and shifter cables together is not a good idea since the brake cable will flex when actuated and can cause the shifter cable to move and possibly affect shifting.

MikeD
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by MikeD

One thing I found out is if cables rub against each other, the housing wears through at that point. I’ve corrected that problem somewhat by running a slightly shorter matching cable on the right or left side.

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sugarkane
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by sugarkane

wheelbuilder wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:55 am
I'm a cabling fanatic. My advice would be to route the rear brake hose behind everything else and close to the head tube. Then the arc of the rear derailleur cable and the front brake will appear more symmetrical. You can then eliminate the need for zip ties or shrink wrap, or any of that. As others have stated, hoses and housing under bars. Not in front.
brake cables always behind the shift cables.. ALWAYS :thumbup:

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mrfish
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by mrfish

+1. Do most of what the posters above say.

You’re aiming for the minimum length cables which allow your bars to turn and touch the frame. If you cut them shorter and crash or put your bike in the car, you will have a battle: cable vs cablestop vs bar tape and cable will win every time.

The front brake cable is the easiest to get right as you want to cut the cable outer so that it naturally enters the brake caliper (or fork in your case) exactly straight. This varies if you change stem spacing or bar taping, so some trial and error is needed to nail it. Some ProTour mechanics do this, others have cables 1cm too long, probably because they set it with the brake adjuster fully closed and the riders opened it to get the feel they prefer. But caution- on some slammed small bikes you will need to remove the brake to take the stem off.

Then the arrangement above/below/back/front of the cables can be optimized depending on the bike by taping the cable outlets in place to test various options. Don’t forget to try crossing the cables inside the frame to improve management of shift cables.

Then it’s down to preference. I try not to have cables behind the bars and not under the brake hoods. Also I don’t like cables flapping in the wind or the rear brake cable hitting my left knee. Also no zip ties. Heat shrink is only for Di2 cables.

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