Cable Routing - What do riders want?

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Primoz
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Primoz 10/15/2022 12:40am
10/15/2022 12:40am Edited Date/Time 10/15/2022 8:30am
Eoin wrote:
I like the idea of a cable cover for cables going above or below the downtube. Really surprised companies have not found a clean way to...
I like the idea of a cable cover for cables going above or below the downtube.

Really surprised companies have not found a clean way to route the cables on ebikes through the battery port (or along the top of the downtube into the motor area) for a best of both worlds internal yet easily accessible solution.
How many routings on the top of the downtube shell, inside the battery compartment, did you see? I saw one. Never want to see that one again.
hardbash 10/15/2022 4:26am
10/15/2022 4:26am
Cables: Route them inside, no problem if that is done properly
Brake hose: Leave that thing external. I hate having to disconnect the caliper from the hose just to route the hose through the frame.

And if you put cables through the headset, I will never ever buy that bike!
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veefour
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veefour 10/15/2022 7:02am
10/15/2022 7:02am
hardbash wrote:
Cables: Route them inside, no problem if that is done properly Brake hose: Leave that thing external. I hate having to disconnect the caliper from the...
Cables: Route them inside, no problem if that is done properly
Brake hose: Leave that thing external. I hate having to disconnect the caliper from the hose just to route the hose through the frame.

And if you put cables through the headset, I will never ever buy that bike!
That's the rub. If people don't buy those bikes and let the manufacturers know why, they'll soon change. I find it hard to feel sorry for anyone who buys a bike with headset routing.
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Primoz
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Primoz 10/15/2022 8:30am
10/15/2022 8:30am
The problem is most people have no idea what they are buying and why they shouldn't.
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Primoz
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Primoz 10/15/2022 8:34am
10/15/2022 8:34am
Eoin wrote:
I like the idea of a cable cover for cables going above or below the downtube. Really surprised companies have not found a clean way to...
I like the idea of a cable cover for cables going above or below the downtube.

Really surprised companies have not found a clean way to route the cables on ebikes through the battery port (or along the top of the downtube into the motor area) for a best of both worlds internal yet easily accessible solution.
Big Bird wrote:
"Really surprised companies have not found a clean way to route the cables on ebikes through the battery port (or along the top of the downtube...
"Really surprised companies have not found a clean way to route the cables on ebikes through the battery port (or along the top of the downtube into the motor area) for a best of both worlds internal yet easily accessible solution."

If I remember correctly, Spec does it that way. And in my experience, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
Sonofbovril2 wrote:
Why are ebikes not using gearbox motors yet? With electric or wireless shifting? Seems like a no brainer… extra drag is overcome by the motor, less...
Why are ebikes not using gearbox motors yet? With electric or wireless shifting? Seems like a no brainer… extra drag is overcome by the motor, less maintenance, better suspension performance etc etc
Because you need someone to design that kind of a system. Shimano won't do that. Sram looks like is making a motor and they used to be paired up with Bosch. There aren't many players left and doing the middrive is the easy part I'd say.

The puzzling thing is Pinion's tactic is to have a hub motor paired to their gearbox, but that's mostly meant for commuters. Valeo and Effigear are planning something though.
veefour
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veefour 10/15/2022 10:16am
10/15/2022 10:16am Edited Date/Time 10/15/2022 10:20am
Primoz wrote:
The problem is most people have no idea what they are buying and why they shouldn't.
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this system?

metadave
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metadave 10/15/2022 1:30pm
10/15/2022 1:30pm
Primoz wrote:
The problem is most people have no idea what they are buying and why they shouldn't.
veefour wrote:
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this...
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this system?

Yes imo, but trying to convince a customer from buying a 12k cervelo or transition ebike is also frowned upon by the owners and sales guys, who don't have to work on the bikes either.
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DBone95
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DBone95 10/15/2022 3:27pm
10/15/2022 3:27pm
I will NEVER buy any frame that has anything going through the headset. Ever. To all bike manufacturers out there, you need to have a question for any new and/or existing design engineer asking them if they "approve of through the headset cable routing", and to anyone who answers yes, they are immediately fired or told good luck and to have a nice day. I can't believe that anyone in charge would ever approve this. and to those bike manufacturers that continue, I hope you go broke because of it.
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TEAMROBOT
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TEAMROBOT 10/15/2022 3:34pm
10/15/2022 3:34pm
Was just in a high end road shop and it was bananas how many of the complete road bikes had headset cable routing. High end, low end, medium end, it was everywhere. It's mind-boggling to me because (other than everything working) my #1 priority for my road bike is getting the fit dialed in. Can you imagine rerouting and bleeding brakes AND cables to change your headset spacers? SERIOUSLY?!?!?! At least the Trek spacers break in half.
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Pedal4life
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Pedal4life 10/15/2022 3:53pm
10/15/2022 3:53pm
Remind me why we are talking about road bikes so much
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LookinForIt 10/15/2022 5:44pm
10/15/2022 5:44pm
Pedal4life wrote:
Remind me why we are talking about road bikes so much
Because road bikes are the origin of this questionable decision to route cables through the headset.

In that world, it was marketed as "aero", while in MTB there is little to not argument for "aero" so here we are, discussing how much it affects out opinions of bikes that include it.
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Primoz
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Primoz 10/15/2022 11:51pm
10/15/2022 11:51pm Edited Date/Time 10/16/2022 12:02am
Primoz wrote:
The problem is most people have no idea what they are buying and why they shouldn't.
veefour wrote:
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this...
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this system?

metadave wrote:
Yes imo, but trying to convince a customer from buying a 12k cervelo or transition ebike is also frowned upon by the owners and sales guys...
Yes imo, but trying to convince a customer from buying a 12k cervelo or transition ebike is also frowned upon by the owners and sales guys, who don't have to work on the bikes either.
This. Service people I guess should advise against it looking at it from a user's perspective, but shouldn't from the shop's. It's clear what happens when you see who pays the bills.

Not gonna lie though, road bikes with internal routing do look very slick. A pain to work on, for sure, but slick nonetheless. And that's likely why they sell so well.
metadave
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metadave 10/16/2022 12:46am
10/16/2022 12:46am
veefour wrote:
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this...
Honest question to the guys working in bike shops. Should shops be advising potential customers about the increased servicing costs and other downsides associated with this system?

metadave wrote:
Yes imo, but trying to convince a customer from buying a 12k cervelo or transition ebike is also frowned upon by the owners and sales guys...
Yes imo, but trying to convince a customer from buying a 12k cervelo or transition ebike is also frowned upon by the owners and sales guys, who don't have to work on the bikes either.
Primoz wrote:
This. Service people I guess should advise against it looking at it from a user's perspective, but shouldn't from the shop's. It's clear what happens when...
This. Service people I guess should advise against it looking at it from a user's perspective, but shouldn't from the shop's. It's clear what happens when you see who pays the bills.

Not gonna lie though, road bikes with internal routing do look very slick. A pain to work on, for sure, but slick nonetheless. And that's likely why they sell so well.
Yea, don't get me wrong, I hate them with every fiber of my being as far as the mechanical.side goes, but dammmmn, the émonda SLR is a damn good looking bike. I will give trek credit for not stem routing stuff, that's the worst of it for sure, and the bars they use are grooved underneath so while the cables are hidden, they aren't inside the bar.

They do have a new hybrid, the FX 4/5 which looks rad, but the headset cone spacer has everything routed through it.... And it's a terror.

As for why we're talking road bikes? Things started there and they're getting through on XC and some ebikes. The rest usually happen next just like internal routing.

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Primoz
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Primoz 10/16/2022 4:46am
10/16/2022 4:46am
Waiting for the baggage carousel to start whirring (yeah, flexing...), another issue popped into my head. How in the hell do you package the bike and take it on a plane with through headset routing??
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LookinForIt 10/16/2022 9:46am
10/16/2022 9:46am
metadave wrote:
Yea, don't get me wrong, I hate them with every fiber of my being as far as the mechanical.side goes, but dammmmn, the émonda SLR is...
Yea, don't get me wrong, I hate them with every fiber of my being as far as the mechanical.side goes, but dammmmn, the émonda SLR is a damn good looking bike. I will give trek credit for not stem routing stuff, that's the worst of it for sure, and the bars they use are grooved underneath so while the cables are hidden, they aren't inside the bar.

They do have a new hybrid, the FX 4/5 which looks rad, but the headset cone spacer has everything routed through it.... And it's a terror.

As for why we're talking road bikes? Things started there and they're getting through on XC and some ebikes. The rest usually happen next just like internal routing.

It already did happen, with the new Merida enduro bike. Routed through the headset AND the main pivot
metadave
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metadave 10/16/2022 1:01pm
10/16/2022 1:01pm
metadave wrote:
Yea, don't get me wrong, I hate them with every fiber of my being as far as the mechanical.side goes, but dammmmn, the émonda SLR is...
Yea, don't get me wrong, I hate them with every fiber of my being as far as the mechanical.side goes, but dammmmn, the émonda SLR is a damn good looking bike. I will give trek credit for not stem routing stuff, that's the worst of it for sure, and the bars they use are grooved underneath so while the cables are hidden, they aren't inside the bar.

They do have a new hybrid, the FX 4/5 which looks rad, but the headset cone spacer has everything routed through it.... And it's a terror.

As for why we're talking road bikes? Things started there and they're getting through on XC and some ebikes. The rest usually happen next just like internal routing.

LookinForIt wrote:
It already did happen, with the new Merida enduro bike. Routed through the headset AND the main pivot

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Pedal4life
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Pedal4life 10/16/2022 3:52pm
10/16/2022 3:52pm
I’m sending out eMails to my favorite bike brands & tell them my thoughts if they still go the wrong way then I don’t buy from them again & maybe not ever again it’s that simple!
bizutch
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bizutch 10/16/2022 5:06pm
10/16/2022 5:06pm
I'm all about all cables running the channel like on the GT.
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Pedal4life
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Pedal4life 10/16/2022 5:32pm
10/16/2022 5:32pm
☀️🌈Groove Tube😃
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Primoz
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Primoz 10/16/2022 9:31pm
10/16/2022 9:31pm Edited Date/Time 10/16/2022 9:32pm
Pedal4life wrote:
I’m sending out eMails to my favorite bike brands & tell them my thoughts if they still go the wrong way then I don’t buy from...
I’m sending out eMails to my favorite bike brands & tell them my thoughts if they still go the wrong way then I don’t buy from them again & maybe not ever again it’s that simple!
Link this topic. And tell them we have influence over what friends buy as well.
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Pedal4life
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Pedal4life 10/16/2022 11:03pm
10/16/2022 11:03pm
Great Idea, will do!
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