Cables and hoses. What’s your preference for routing?

I’ve used both schemes based on specific cable entry points, cable guides and whether or not I’m likely to be strapping a bag on the front.

On the road mine cross, and again under the DT. But I couldn’t get a bag on there and they’re old fashioned external shift-cable bifters.

Offroad I’ve never managed to get it right with luggage and levers, something always catches. Quite fancy Formula brakes just because the hose exits nearer the bar!

I cross them, and again under the down tube. Never use luggage though.

I was having this conversation with Metalheart earlier this week. Seems every time I fit a bag to the bars I have to think about cable routing.

I tried a set of Shimano XT STIs – the flippy levered 760s – as the cables and hoses ran parallel to the bars. While it certainly helped as regards the bag, I just couldn’t get used to them.

Hopes, with the 90-degree hose exit, would help solve it too.

The bike I’m currently building won’t likely have a bag attached so I’ve free rein in that regard.

I cross them, and again under the down tube. Never use luggage though.

Why? (Genuinely interested question)

Why?

less cable rub against the headtube innit?

Why? (Genuinely interested question)

A lot of road bikes are just designed this way, it allows for gentler curves, getting it back in on the same side of the frame means you end up with an S shape.

less cable rub against the headtube innit?

More, Shirley?

A lot of road bikes are just designed this way, it allows for gentler curves, getting it back in on the same side of the frame means you end up with an S shape.

I get this with old fashioned external shift-cable bifters. but where the cables are coming out from under the bar tape it just drops straight down to the cable stop dunnit?

but where the cables are coming out from under the bar tape it just drops straight down to the cable stop dunnit?

It’s still coming out of the bar tape, then has to curve round >90deg to get back to the same side of the downtube.

Some bikes are just designed one way or the other, and it probably depends how far you like to wrap the tape up the bars too.

Not my bike, just found on google images, but that just looks too tight (it’s straining out the adjusters). But I guess there isn’t any way to cross them again under the downtube.

And that’s annoying because the brake cables cross (front obviously can’t be helped) and the gears don’t. I appreciate that some of this is caused by our UK brake cabling standard.

That picture’s obviously fake, because the pieces of end-tape supplied with the bar tape aren’t entirely effing useless 🙂

TBF, the end-tape supplied with the newer Lizard Skins DSP tape works really well.

TBF, the end-tape supplied with the newer Lizard Skins DSP tape works really well.

It may well be, but electrical tape is still better! The stuff that comes with bar tape just never seems long enough to wrap around enough times to secure the tape in place. OCD tip; electrical tape, then branded stuff on top 🙂

And that’s annoying because the brake cables cross (front obviously can’t be helped) and the gears don’t. I appreciate that some of this is caused by our UK brake cabling standard.

My OCD really hates that bit of cable, I’ve never built a modern road bike, stood back and thought ‘that looks right’. Old steel bikes are fine, they have a single length of outer, symmetrically on top of the top tube so it looks great from either side.

I’m just going to have to get a better job and only buy custom built British bikes.

OCD tip; electrical tape, then branded stuff on top

That’s how they’re designed to be used 🙂

Mine cross in front of the head tube, then again INTERNALLY.
However, from the factory, the little clear guides/tubes to help you initially thread the internal cables were NOT crossed.

That confused me for a split second, as I couldn’t figure out why the routing under the BB was odd….

DrP

That’s how they’re designed to be used

I hope you’re joking, otherwise it took me years to figure that out 🙁

Always crossed my cables around the headtube – short headtube and slammed stem plus I have my brakes the ‘right’ way around – I don’t like the horrible S-bend in the gear cables plus a nice, sweeping arc doesn’t rub the headtube

The trend to wider bars does mean that cable bends are less tight than they used to be.

for me it depends on what fits better with the parts I have – some of my bikes do and some don’t – and one bike uses hope brakes with a right angle banjo to get better hose routing

Yeah as said, I do it because it means cables are held away from the frame and so don’t rub.

Mainly not for mine. Certainly see the benefit of cross but from what i can remember, the position of the various guides on my bikes left no real choice.