Internal cable routing

[dddd]

Originally Posted by Vientomas

I just changed out the shifter cables on my Sarto. Originally, I had the rear shifter cable entering the downtube port on the drive side...front shifter cable on non-drive side. It was a bit of a pain to get the cables through. I had to removed the little door at under the bottom bracket and fish them out.

Just for fun, this time I ran the cables the opposite way. The cables fed right through the downtube and out the little holes on the door under the bottom bracket with no difficulty at all. I had not even removed the little door. I was shocked! Perhaps there is an internal sleeve of sorts?

Anyway, it was super easy this time.

I worked on a Giant today and got a little help from a lady friend who was watching me repeatedly doing the back and forth trying to get the cable to come out of the bottom bracket in the right groove position (with trap-door in place). She walked over, said "let me try", and boom I think she got it on like the second go.
Anyway, helps to have help sometimes, and the Giant guide door thing under the bb can be left in place as you feed the cable in down through the downtube with the bike upright.
I think it also helps to tilt the bike left or right in order to steer the cable's trajectory, that's what she did.
One more thing is to use a new, straight cable with welded tip, since feeding in a used/cut cable doesn't usually go well.

[zap]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Tried that. There was too much friction between the cable liner and the cable to make that work. Maybe if I would have sprayed silicone spray inside the liner first, it would have worked better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Cable liners come in various sizes. I have 4/5 different sizes from "sealed" cable kits I've collected over the years.

[vespasianus]

So another stupid question from the new guy but are the cables just unsheathed (bare metal) inside the frame? I got a new frame and was looking at the routing and it looks like the rear derailleur cable goes internal, stays internal through the bottom bracket, goes through the chain stays and comes out right in front of the rear derailleur. But honestly, it looks like the cable would eventually slice through the bottom bracket shell. I must be missing something...

[kppolich]

Originally Posted by coreyaugustus

Just finished routing rear brake and derailleur cables. I’m never doing that again. External routing for me from here on out.

Hopefully you ran full housing. Do it once, do it right and now the new cable will run worry free, protected in your frame and in a housing.

[gibbo]

External for the win, easy to work on and I actually prefer being able to see the cable. On my previous bike (Cervelo R3) I had internal cables and when they rattled going over a bump on occasion my blood pressure would spike! I HATE rattles when I ride!! lol

[Robot870]

External for me! Nice a simple the way a bike should be!

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by vespasianus

So another stupid question from the new guy but are the cables just unsheathed (bare metal) inside the frame? I got a new frame and was looking at the routing and it looks like the rear derailleur cable goes internal, stays internal through the bottom bracket, goes through the chain stays and comes out right in front of the rear derailleur. But honestly, it looks like the cable would eventually slice through the bottom bracket shell. I must be missing something...

I figured it out. I did not see the little hole right before the BB shell that takes the cable below the BB before bringing the rear derailleur cable back inside towards the rear mech. Now seems straightforward.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by vespasianus

So another stupid question from the new guy but are the cables just unsheathed (bare metal) inside the frame? I got a new frame and was looking at the routing and it looks like the rear derailleur cable goes internal, stays internal through the bottom bracket, goes through the chain stays and comes out right in front of the rear derailleur. But honestly, it looks like the cable would eventually slice through the bottom bracket shell. I must be missing something...

Probably some sort of guide for when it makes turns, as in below your BB shell.
OR, there is a full length tube for it, hopefully it's included...

BUT why internal? Cuz it's cheaper to make a hole rather than a cable stop somewhere..probably stronger also on some carbon frames..trying to glue on a stop..

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Probably some sort of guide for when it makes turns, as in below your BB shell.
OR, there is a full length tube for it, hopefully it's included...

BUT why internal? Cuz it's cheaper to make a hole rather than a cable stop somewhere..probably stronger also on some carbon frames..trying to glue on a stop..

Need to get some tubing and route it before I do the cable work. Ddi some tests and should not be too difficult.

The other thing I never really thought about is that these carbon frame with internal routing have lots of holes in them!

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by dddd

I worked on a Giant today and got a little help from a lady friend who was watching me repeatedly doing the back and forth trying to get the cable to come out of the bottom bracket in the right groove position (with trap-door in place). She walked over, said "let me try", and boom I think she got it on like the second go.
Anyway, helps to have help sometimes, and the Giant guide door thing under the bb can be left in place as you feed the cable in down through the downtube with the bike upright.
I think it also helps to tilt the bike left or right in order to steer the cable's trajectory, that's what she did.
One more thing is to use a new, straight cable with welded tip, since feeding in a used/cut cable doesn't usually go well.

So there I was.... replacing the cables and housing on a Madone. All was going well till I got to the TT cable stop for the brake. Bolt was stripped. Grrr

Got everything ready to fish thru the TT and BAM! went thru the first time perfectly.

Then I looked down and noticed I'd forgotten to put a ferrule on the housing and had to take the cable back out.

For a really brief moment I was tempted...

Took another 2 hours of cussing, hanging the bike by the front wheel, and fiddling about to get it thru the 2nd time.

All because the guy before me stripped that 2mm allen bolt holding the cable stop on. Being in a van, I don't have access to everything I had in a brick and mortar shop. That reminds me... The van needs to buy another drill.

Otherwise, the re-cabling went pretty smoothly overall.

M

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by benb

This thread is starting to remind me of dropping guitar picks into the body of an acoustic guitar.

At least when you're working on cables you probably don't have an audience.

That's why you always tuck a spare in your hat liner.

Pause, take off your hat, remove said pick, and get on with the show...almost like it *was* part of the show.