Is it really quieter with the gear cable running external to the swingarm, or is that a myth I read? The rear brake hose is already running along the top of the swingarm, over on the other side.
TIA

The clutch mech made my bike pretty quiet, i have the cable running through the swing arm.

+1 looks cleaner and mine is silent with the clutch mech.

Lazy or not ?

Probably lazy as “The rear brake hose is already running along the top of the swingarm” 😉

The cable does rattle around inside- especially if you don’t use the rubber ferrule things which a lot of people seem not to bother with. Mind you even if it’s on the top any movement is pretty loud- the swingarm acts like an amplifier

I ended up filling my 224’s swingarm with expanding foam which combined with a clutch mech and a load of velcro means it’s only a little bit louder than a normal bike. Not too much mind, there’s stories of Oranges exploding if you do this 🙂

Mine never made any noise going through the swingarm. The cable is pretty taught so it does not bounce around inside hitting the frame. It only makes contact at the points of entry and exit surely? If you use the rubber grommets then if there is any movement, it will not make much of a sound.

Unless I’m missing something!?

Never noticed either of my 5’s being any louder then my pals bikes. My new 5 29 is even quieter with the clutch mech.

A bigger issue with mine (’05 frame) was that suspension movement made the cable and brake hose rub back and forwards past the edge of the shock can, which actually put grooves in it after a while.

Hence my preferred routing, with a ziptie through the shock mount and round the downtube to hold the cable and hose firmly in place: