bars drilled for aero routing.any experience w/cabling

[kvnmuadib]

Hi all Ipicked up a nice set of cinelli bars that had been driled at the brake locations and to either side oopf ctr underside.Anyone ever cabled this set up?I am wondering if the cable runs unshielded thru bars with just enough shoved inside for looks or casing all the way to levers .? It seems that would be better though a little more difficult to achieve...

[jtakeda]

Housing goes all the way through.

[cachagua]

I would be leery of a setup like that -- the holes will eventually grow cracks, and the bar will break. Especially near the center, where the leverage you apply is the greatest, anything that weakens the bar is potentially dangerous.

"Will" grow cracks, "will" break -- this may not happen while you're riding, may not happen while any of us is alive. It's a virtual certainty that that's how the bar will die, but when it will happen is completely unpredictable.

Hence my discomfort! My own self, I'd put this bar on a display bike. I'd have a hard time feeling comfortable riding it. Hincapie's fall in Paris-Roubaix a few years back, when his steerer broke -- that's the most benign crash you could expect when that bar snaps. It's unlikely to happen when you're cruising along, and most likely when you stand up to climb or especially when you wrench on the bars sprinting.

On the other hand, I've ridden some equipment that frightens me just to think about now, and lived, so -- make your own choice.

If you want to ride it, plan on running the cable housing all the way through to the levers -- it'd take far more work to block the holes with ferrules and run the cable unshielded inside. And smooth the holes as much as possible, maybe with a jeweler's file and sandpaper -- the smoother they are, the slower cracks will appear. Are you a very lightweight person? You might be OK... Be aware of the risks, but after all, this is cycling, one's handlebar snapping off is scarcely the only potential danger.

[chismog]

Cachagua speaks the truth. I rode this same setup (in the 80s) and lived, but I recently took a drilled set off of an old bike and shuddered to think I actually did it.

Only reason those bars were drilled is because they don't have a groove. Just find a slightly later model with a groove, and you'll get to keep your teeth.

If you must use them.... housing all the way thru.

[ultraman6970]

Cachagua??? hmm interesting nick... are you from chile by any chance?

[Peter P.]

Drilling the bars can be done and HAS been done many times.

As cachagua pointed out; there is a real potential for the bars to crack.

Case in point:

My buddy drilled his aluminum Cinelli bars and they lasted maybe 15/20 years.

One day he started up from a stoplight and he tugged on the bars; one side drooped down!

He merely yanked the bars back into position and rode carefully for 30 miles, not applying pressure on the far side of the cracked bar.

The moral is, you may or may not get sufficient warning and they may last a long time, but...

[binouye]

I had a set of bars drilled for cables, back in the late 80s. They were factory drilled and had very smooth holes and reinforcing bits around the holes closer to the stem, plus some rubber grommets that made the cable housing come out nicely (yes, housing all the way to the brake levers). If I remember right they even came packed with 3 different colors of rubber bits so that you could color-match the bar tape. Rode them for a few years, then sold that bike -- they didn't break while I had them!

[oldpotatoe]

Hi all Ipicked up a nice set of cinelli bars that had been driled at the brake locations and to either side oopf ctr underside.Anyone ever cabled this set up?I am wondering if the cable runs unshielded thru bars with just enough shoved inside for looks or casing all the way to levers .? It seems that would be better though a little more difficult to achieve...

Housing all the way thru but the best idea is just route them outside and tape 'em.

[kvnmuadib]

this thread slipped me mind and finally reading the responses...no ,I am not a light person,mostly ride on hoods and flats,flatland rider ,bum ticker doesn't do well with hills continuos inclines etc.etc. No display bikes as such...glad the great deal on bars, 66/42 giro d'italia with second star shaped logo,included a pair of campy power grade levers with qr's and decent hoods,also slightly modified for aero routing...Your answers kind of explain no big interest in homemade drillings...though I would think its got to be done at the stem location for bar ends,no?