Style Question: Non-Aero Brake Cables

[goonster]

Which way to route non-aero brake cables?

I've always seen them crossing over the bar.

Is it ever acceptable to have them go under the bar, or down to the front brake in front of the bar?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/-lupo-/Bikes/DSC08472_resize.jpg

I don't think so, but I'm not 100% sure (about the front brake).

I've always fantasized about drying wet socks on there, with clothes pins, but never actually done it. Yet . . .

[Fixed]

bro not for me
cheers I like it under

[fiamme red]

Which way to route non-aero brake cables?

I've always seen them crossing over the bar.

Is it ever acceptable to have them go under the bar, or down to the front brake in front of the bar?

Older bikes from the '50's and earlier often did it that way.

http://www.theracingbicycle.com/images/Legnano_Roma_full.JPG
http://www.theracingbicycle.com/images/1950_Helyett_Speciale.JPG

I've always fantasized about drying wet socks on there, with clothes pins, but never actually done it. Yet . . .Or you can ride home from the market with your baguette there.

[palincss]

Which way to route non-aero brake cables?

I've always seen them crossing over the bar.

Is it ever acceptable to have them go under the bar, or down to the front brake in front of the bar?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/-lupo-/Bikes/DSC08472_resize.jpg

I don't think so, but I'm not 100% sure (about the front brake).

I've always fantasized about drying wet socks on there, with clothes pins, but never actually done it. Yet . . .

I just flipped through The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles and found not a one where the front brake cable was routed in front of the handlebar. And then I realized: none of those bikes had sidepull brakes. They had to route back to either the hanger among the headset spacers, or to the hole or passage made in the stem behind the handlebar, because they all had cantilevers or centerpulls.

[goonster]

Thanks all for the feedback. Those were good points about cable hangers, and nonconformers from the fifties and beyond.

My opinion was mostly formed by the footage I've seen of the early 70's, i.e. the peloton of the Merckx era, where the cables always arced over the bars, crossed each other over the stem, then dropped down to the front caliper and top tube cable guides.

[stevep]

i say over, over

[atmo]

it depends on if the brakes are moto-style setup
or not, but since the campag side pull era began,
there were three distinct looks:
>>the iti's and the brits did the moto-style.
>>some others did what is assumed to be the merckx look
with the cables as in the above pic (though more elegantly)
>>some did the non moto-style thing but did not cross the cables
a 'la merckx, etcetera. guys like fran verbeek and sid barras
and many others fall into this category.

[obtuse]

depends on the size of the bike and whether the bike is italian/english brake routing or belgian/french brake routing. but who cares, bikes are so much faster now with aero levers. imagine anyone racing with cables coming out of their hoods in todays day and age and actually winning!