Hi,
My road bike has partially internal routing through the down tube.
The outer stop at the head tube and the inners float about inside the frame. This was a fiddly time consuming job to change the cables and now it needs doing again as I want to runs some wider handlebars.
If I drill out the stops at the head tube, I (think) could run full length cables.
Has anyone done it? Did it go well? Was it actually any easier than messing about with the cables inside the down tube?
Thanks for any suggestions 😀
The answer is SRAM AXS wireless. Not a Propel by any chance? I had a nightmare running the gear cables through the inners through the frame. The inner cable guides are NOT full outer gear cable diameter, they are thin liner diameter and are the same as you see poking through the FD port. When I redid one of my Propels, I had to fish out the liner by removing the fork and going into the downtube. By contrast the rear brake cable through the top tube is relatively straightforward.
Send it to a shop 😉 Or used SRAM Red Etap.
I've done similar with the hardtail MTB where the stops/grommets turned out to be relatively soft plastic and barely needed drilling - i actually just reamed them a bit with a combo of the drill bit and a bradawl. The most fiddly part was the inner plastic block under the bottom bracket which had cable guide slots that needed widening.
Much easier going forward and I also have far less of a problem with dirt getting in the various cable stop points as a result.
Thanks!
It's a Cannondale synapse, but one with QR Axel's, 11 speed and disk brakes. Not flat mount, what ever came before, IS? I don't think I want to pay for a wireless group set that will fit.
I could take it to a shop, but I rather be able to do a 10 min cable swap job, the same as I can do on the rest of my bikes.
Hmm, @chaos, how did you get the guide round in smooth hole on the guide on the bb? The drilling the stops looks 2mm of carbon fiber.
Not 100% sure what you're asking. I worked the inner cable through first as I could guide it a bit with magnets / bits of wire / etc into the right places and then used that as a guide to push the outer through the bike.
there was a removable block on my bike inside the frame but under the BB shell (older Santa Cruz Highball) which helped. The block itself was also a relatively easy to cut plastic so used a hacksaw to widen it and a bit of bodging with a handheld drill bit to round out.
Not sure what the routing on the Synapse is like though - does the cable actually go outside under the BB?
Westbrook cycles do spares of the grommets and guides if you get it wrong the first time!
Parts And Spares For Cannondale Synapse Bikes | Westbrook Cycles
Yes, I’ve done it to my Ridley Fenix.
Drilled out the ends of the caps, now has one piece outer from shifter to rear mech. The outer may need a little assistance around the bottom bracket 1st time around.
Makes changing cables super easy.
Not sure what the routing on the Synapse is like though - does the cable actually go outside under the BB?
Thanks!
It has a housing and cable going into the head tube/ down tube area. The cable goes through the frame onto the bb the over a wee plastic doober. Like a small plastic plate, then on to the dropout/ round to the seat tube
