La Vie Velominatus: Cable Obsession

Cable organization perfection: resistance is futile.

I’m fluent in three languages: Dutch, English, and Hyperbole. The third is an acquired talent developed by creative and narcissistic tendencies; the narcissism feeds a belief that normal words can’t properly describe the magnitude of my experiences, and the creativity struggles to cope with restrictive paradigms like “facts” and “reality”. I have also been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder which, when taken with everything else, suggests that my darling partner exhibits some questionable judgement.

I have a visceral response to clutter; when I see things out of order, my insides turn about themselves and cause me physical discomfort. If the clutter escalates to becoming a “mess”, my mood changes and I become irritable. This applies to everything from our house, my workshop, my office, desk space, my computer desktop, my briefcase, and my bicycles’ cable organization. I don’t have to tell you that the last one is the only one that really matters.

The tidiness of the cables on a bicycle are one of several key factors that elevate the Velominatus above the Common Cyclist. The old style of STI shifters and their protruding cables were barbaric; they represented a principle reason for my dislike of Shimano’s system. Campagnolo took a few extra years to produce the Ergo shifters, and I am quite convinced they spent that extra time sorting out how to internally route the cables.

The organization of a rider’s cables and the length to which they are trimmed is a critical detail to which we must all pay close attention. No matter how beautiful the bike, disheveled cables will always bring it down. I hereby give you the V Principles of Cable Routing:

It is of paramount importance that the housing exit the bar tape at precisely opposite points on the bars. This extends beyond the cables taken in aggregate, and applies to both the brake and shift housing meaning that if they are routed together, the brake cable must always be below the shift cable, and if they are route front/back on the bars, they must both be routed in the same fashion.
The housing must be organized such that they mimic and mirror each other’s curves to the maximum capability of the frame and application. This is to say that housing intersections and contact points must be minimized and under no circumstances may a shift-brake cable pair be split by another cable running from its mirrored set.
Cable housing must be cut to the shortest length possible while still allowing full movement of the handlebars. It must, however, be cut long enough to allow that the cables run in a smooth curve at all points, minimizing friction. The shift cables should be cut such that they overlap only slightly; the ideal is that they just kiss each other at the apex of their arch to the frame.
Inner cables must be cut to a length not exceeding 2cm. The ideal length is 1.5 times the length of the cable end.
Cable ends will always be crimped using a crimping tool. Extra points awarded for a diagonal double-crimp. Under no circumstances are frayed cables to be tolerated.

Go with Merckx, and do not violate these principles. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Cables/”/]

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Nate says:

Sep 23 2013 at 8:59 pm

Strong work @frank, although I agree with the sentiment that your statement regarding cable ends is too emphatic. A soldered end is a rare site, indicating true class on the part of the owner and/or mechanic.

Also, I must note a significant lacuna regarding proper housing trimming technique:

(1) Housing must be cut in a manner to prevent the cutter from collapsing the housing, for instance, by cutting it with a small sacrificial piece of cable inside. Any residual damage that might impair the free movement of the cable shall be repaired with an appropriate tool.

(2) The cut end of the housing must be square and smooth so as to sit properly in the braze on, ferrule or wherever else it is called to duty, and it must be free of burrs, chads or the like that may interfere with the smooth operation of the cables. A file may be employed to deal with any burrs or non-squareness, if, despite due care, the initial cut is not perfect.
roger says:

Sep 23 2013 at 9:15 pm

when building up the c59, i went about the cable housings a bit differently. i scored the outer covering and removed about 2-3mm of it, with the interior of the cable guide exposed. it kept the cable from being pinched and subsequently needing an awl to re-open. might not be the fastest method, but i'll be damned if it isnt clean.

what is the robotic looking housing? is it supposed to be stiffer than plastic housing? lighter?
brett says:

Sep 23 2013 at 9:18 pm

@frank

Oh dear, a blatant Rule #73 violation! The way you've done it there creates rub on the frame and unnecessary bends in the cables, causing more friction. The front brake cable should cross in front of all the other cables also. The 'wrong' captioned photo is in fact right. With Rule #73 compliance there is no need to run the rubber sleeves on the cables to prevent the inevitable frame rub your system creates. The brake cable housing is too long also.

On the orange bike, it looks like you've got the brake and gear cables running through the wrong routes completely... the brake cable usually exits the top tube and over to the cable stop or V-brake lead pipe. That's why the cable is rubbing on the frame and has a big s-bend in it.

http://www.embrocationmagazine.com/online/simple-setup-tricks

@starclimber has it almost perfect, except for the front brake cable running behind the rear.
roger says:

Sep 23 2013 at 9:46 pm

@brett where is the bit of lore regarding front brake cable to the very very front? i run my rear brake cable in a nice gentle swoop around all others, and have the front and rear mech share a slight embrace...so many nuances, so many reason and ideologies to back them up...love these arbitrary articles
scaler911 says:

Sep 23 2013 at 9:48 pm

@brett

@frank

Oh dear, a blatant Rule #73 violation! The way you've done it there creates rub on the frame and unnecessary bends in the cables, causing more friction. The front brake cable should cross in front of all the other cables also. The 'wrong' captioned photo is in fact right. With Rule #73 compliance there is no need to run the rubber sleeves on the cables to prevent the inevitable frame rub your system creates. The brake cable housing is too long also.

On the orange bike, it looks like you've got the brake and gear cables running through the wrong routes completely... the brake cable usually exits the top tube and over to the cable stop or V-brake lead pipe. That's why the cable is rubbing on the frame and has a big s-bend in it.

http://www.embrocationmagazine.com/online/simple-setup-tricks

@starclimber has it almost perfect, except for the front brake cable running behind the rear.

Oh fuck. I can't wait to see how this plays out...........
brett says:

Sep 23 2013 at 9:52 pm
brett says:

Sep 23 2013 at 9:56 pm

@roger

Your rear brake cable is too long... if it were shorter you could run the front cable in front of it easily. I'll post some photos when I get home later.
roger says:

Sep 23 2013 at 10:00 pm

@brett i think it's part illusion...if bars go full lock that cable has maybe 1cm before pulling out
brett says:

Sep 23 2013 at 10:18 pm

@roger

@brett i think it's part illusion...if bars go full lock that cable has maybe 1cm before pulling out

That's what she said!
mouse says:

Sep 23 2013 at 10:30 pm

Soldering cables is the go. One of my first good bikes back in the 80's had soldered cables and I've spent a good deal of time (and money, ha!) in the past year working out how to do it. The key is to get very high sliver content solder (about $40 per 40 cm long anode), good flux and a small butane torch.

It's amazing what a bit of OCD and time can achieve...