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Hi all
What's the internal routing like in the Free Ranger? Â
Vintage about 2021 I think (inside of creme egg era). Â
Are there internal guides? Or can I just take off that plastic guide thing on the down tube?
Since I need to retape the bars soon I plan to put a fresh cable and outers on. Just trying to grasp whether it's a four or forty expletive job before I start. Â
I also think with no tape on I might be able to get myself enough slack in the hydro hose to pop the fork out and do the headset bearings at the same time without disconnecting the caliper.Â
So if anyone happens to know the headset bearing specs (standard Selcof one it came with) that'd be useful. Â
I've just replaced gear cable on my Free Ranger with one with a single outer rather than the standard 3 pieces. There's no guides only the bit under the bottom bracket to hold the inner in place. I just used the old cable inner to thread the new outer. I just drilled out the port by the headset and the one in the chainstay to suit. Easy job.
I also had my headset bearings out by removing the bars and just dropping the forks, just about enough slack on mine but my brakes are the wrong way round (euro style)
Thanks windysurfer. Â
I've tracked down my graunch now. It was a fraying cable outer so I can leave the headset for now and just think about the gear cable. Â
Putting a full outer through is an interesting idea.  I'll have a think about that before I do the job. Â
The answer on the cables for anyone who might be looking later was. Â
- There are no internal guides other than to take the cable past the BB axle, which is a small plastic thing under the removable BB cover. Â
- There's a point in the chainstay where it's quite constrained and my attached thin line I was pulling through on the old gear inner became detached 😖
- I should have taken the plate under the BB off first to remove the guide. That might have helped not dislodge my thread.Â
- Cable in from top end to BB opening was easy (hook out with paperclip/similar through the slots) and then into the cable guide plate, which I left hanging out while I ...Â
- Solved the chainstay problem by tipping the bike front wheel down and threading a spare gear inner from dropout to BB. I then used it to pass gear sleeving (not outer) back up the chainstay. This thin sleeving is thin enough to pass through the cable stop in the frame. Â
- Withdrew the spare inner and threaded the rest of the new inner through the sleeve then pulled the sleeve out from the dropout end. Â
-  Attached, tuned up and job done (apart from retaping bars and other faff). Â