Brake Cable "Contact" help?

[jmeloy]

Love my Strong Dirt Road in EVERY regard but one. Front brake main cable contacts der cables when I make a relatively easy turn and causes brakes to activate. Not a big deal in most cases but a drag at slow speed in tight turns. Ideas to improve this? Thinking I could add more "loop" to the der cables and pick up a little bit of improvement. Maybe reverse my shifters L and R (uggh) and route the cables further away from main brake down cable? THe pic below gives you an idea of the situation.

Appreciate the help gang!

p.s. did I say I love this bike?? the ride is outstanding in all conditions. getting lots of use on gravel, etc.

[eddief]

of cable/housing in front of the headtube and route the cable more directly from shifters to dt cable adjusters. would that not do it?

headon cable adjusters are of a fashion and mostly don't do nothin for me...and often times get in the way of impt. stuff.

[tuscanyswe]

I had that same problem on my poprad a couple of years ago. Increasing the loops lenght dident seem to do much as the first few centimeters out of the stops always had approx the same angle regardless of lenght on the cables.

I dont think i found a solution but i did not think it was such a big deal. Like you say it was only noticable when going slow.

Perhaps there is a good solution tho since some canti equipped bikes are still beeing made with stops on the headtube.

Edit: If you really want it gone you can always go for a mini v brake type where the cable goes all the way to the brake. Plus better stopping power in the front. Might be a win win for you?

[khjr]

From the photos, it appears that if you can bring the front brake cable closer to the head tube you'll have a bit more clearance to the shifter housings while turning. Although I suspect you've already tried this, it would appear that if you brought the hanger up higher on your spacer stack, you could pivot the hanger down to be closer to the headset cup and more parallel to the head tube, thus bringing the cable inward.

If that doesn't work, perhaps you could find or modify a different hanger so that it arcs to clear your headset cup then comes back in closer to the head tube, or perhaps one that supports the brake housing above the headset cup itself and brings the cable in closer.

[yashcha]

I also had this problem on a custom cross frame and it was incredibly frustrating.

Like you said, the only time it bothered me while riding was when you take sharp slow turns, but it is also a huge problem when you crash hard and the bars turn significantly. During a crash, the shifting housing would get sheared near the braze-on on the headtube by the straddle cable.

Like another poster mentioned, the only real solution for me was go to mini v-brakes, win/win.

One other solution I found is using something like Nokon cables that can be routed around very tight bends. You can ziptie your shifting housing so it follows as close to the headtube as possible, running behind the straddle cable wire, and screw your adjustment barrel all the way in with the springs taken out.

[oldpotatoe]

Love my Strong Dirt Road in EVERY regard but one. Front brake main cable contacts der cables when I make a relatively easy turn and causes brakes to activate. Not a big deal in most cases but a drag at slow speed in tight turns. Ideas to improve this? Thinking I could add more "loop" to the der cables and pick up a little bit of improvement. Maybe reverse my shifters L and R (uggh) and route the cables further away from main brake down cable? THe pic below gives you an idea of the situation.

Appreciate the help gang!

p.s. did I say I love this bike?? the ride is outstanding in all conditions. getting lots of use on gravel, etc.

Front mini V brake.

[jmeloy]

Gang, very helpful and appreciated. Actual bugs me mentally so a solution would be nice. mini-V's are a good idea. What do you all like? TRP's?

[clweed]

Is it actually hitting the der. cable or is it possible the cable is being tightened due to the handlebars turning?

[oldpotatoe]

Gang, very helpful and appreciated. Actual bugs me mentally so a solution would be nice. mini-V's are a good idea. What do you all like? TRP's?

TRPs 9s and 8.4s are nice but sold as sets and pretty big $.(altho Mini Vs on the back would be a good idea). Tektro makes a 926, sold as individuals. VERY nice brake for not a lot of $. About $15. Black or silver.

[jmeloy]

Is it actually hitting the der. cable or is it possible the cable is being tightened due to the handlebars turning?
Nah, actually striking the cable.

[chismog]

What does Carl say about this? He seems to have very well thought-out bikes and designs... Certainly this can't be the first time he has seen it.

If I was a builder and saw folks have problems like this, I'd be moving my stops. Just sayin'. It's not right to require a specific brake type just to use head-ons. But I really want to give Mr. Strong the benefit of the doubt here, surely he is familiar with the problem and has an elegant solution?

C

[oldpotatoe]

What does Carl say about this? He seems to have very well thought-out bikes and designs... Certainly this can't be the first time he has seen it.

If I was a builder and saw folks have problems like this, I'd be moving my stops. Just sayin'. It's not right to require a specific brake type just to use head-ons. But I really want to give Mr. Strong the benefit of the doubt here, surely he is familiar with the problem and has an elegant solution?

C

We had the option of putting stops on the headtube or on the down tube with the 2 frames we sell and opted for DT placement. For this reason as well as the 6600 shimano front brake 'issue'. It just works better particularly with small frames, short-ish stems and der housing routing. BUT some builders like to weld the things to the relatively thicker headtube rather than the thinner, downtube.

[Steve in SLO]

How about routing the shifter cables to the opposite boss and criss-crossing the cables along the downtube?
Sorry for the crummy pic...still early here, but it might give you an idea.

[DogpawSlim]

How about routing the shifter cables to the opposite boss and criss-crossing the cables along the downtube?
Sorry for the crummy pic...still early here, but it might give you an idea.

+1. Try crossing the cables in front, and again on the downtube.

[Gummee]

+1. Try crossing the cables in front, and again on the downtube.
That was my first thought. Good thing I kept reading to see how smart y'all are before I posted up.

M

[vjp]

I do this also, cross and re-cross. Works perfectly!

[Bob Loblaw]

There is a front brake cable stop that mounts to the fork crown. I suspect that might resolve your issue.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000C14HNS/

BL

[oldpotatoe]

There is a front brake cable stop that mounts to the fork crown. I suspect that might resolve your issue.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000C14HNS/

BL

No hole in the fork, alas.

[christian]

If the head-ons are mounted to allow the cables to cross under the downtube, I would cross the shifter cables in front of the headtube and then again under the downtube. That's the $0 solution.

[jmeloy]

If the head-ons are mounted to allow the cables to cross under the downtube, I would cross the shifter cables in front of the headtube and then again under the downtube. That's the $0 solution.
Ok, granted that it is Saturday and the synapses aren't firing as they should but I'm missing how the cross cross will help since the stops are a fixed point the cables must enter? Since they are HT mounted I'm still going to struggle?
Thanks for the collective wisdom gang?

[tuscanyswe]

Ok, granted that it is Saturday and the synapses aren't firing as they should but I'm missing how the cross cross will help since the stops are a fixed point the cables must enter? Since they are HT mounted I'm still going to struggle?
Thanks for the collective wisdom gang?

You are not the only one. The problem is that no matter how long or at wich angle the cables will still be pretty much fixed where they enter the stops on the headtube and this is where the issue lies. Atleast thats how it was for me.

Id go with the Mini-v style if i really wanted the issue gone.

[clweed]

Maybe a bigger loop and move the straddle cable clamp above the shifter cables. the straddle cable is inline with the cable cross so when you turn the cable can travel to the center before making contact.

[Steve in SLO]

jmeloy and Tuscanyswe,

Look at Jmeloys original pic and notice his shifter cable travels fron the centerline outward to the bosses, forming a narrow arc for the brake cable.

Now look at my pic and notice that the cable travels inward to the bosses, allowing much more arc before interference. It would be a very tight turn that would allow the brake and shifter cables to meet.
jmeloy,

As a quick test you can pull your shifter cables back out of your housing, then pull them out of the bosses, install them in the opposite bosses and turn the wheel both ways and see if it helps.