drop bar cable routing

Quoted message said:

My current bars have a single groove (on the front). I am changing
from STI to Ergo levers. Is it worth thinking about swapping to a
double groove bar or will it be just as easy to route both cables along
the one groove. I am interested in objective reasons primarily but
will listen to stong preferences or predjudices 🙂

It does not matter if your bars have one groove or two grooves or no
grooves. When you put cork tape over them, it all blends into a
roughly round shape. With bike gloves, you won't be able to tell if
there is a groove or not in the bar.

I run one Ergo cable along the front and one along the back. There is
less of a severe bend in the cable along the back than if you bend it
to go along the front. I've tried it with both cables in front and one
cable in front and one cable in back. If you look at the Campagnolo
equipped pro bikes on the Cycling News website, you will usually see
the cables routed along the front and back of the bars. Not always,
but usually the pros have their bikes set up this way. I doubt if its
just random chance.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My current bars have a single groove (on the front). I am changing
from STI to Ergo levers. Is it worth thinking about swapping to a
double groove bar or will it be just as easy to route both cables
along the one groove. I am interested in objective reasons
primarily but will listen to stong preferences or predjudices 🙂

It does not matter if your bars have one groove or two grooves or no
grooves. When you put cork tape over them, it all blends into a
roughly round shape. With bike gloves, you won't be able to tell if
there is a groove or not in the bar.

I run one Ergo cable along the front and one along the back. There is
less of a severe bend in the cable along the back than if you bend it
to go along the front. I've tried it with both cables in front and
one cable in front and one cable in back. If you look at the
Campagnolo equipped pro bikes on the Cycling News website, you will
usually see the cables routed along the front and back of the bars.
Not always, but usually the pros have their bikes set up this way. I
doubt if its just random chance.

Single cable on non-grooved bars is just plain annoying. There's a big hard
bulge where there should be a large radius... I just can't stand it.

For the original poster, I would try double-cabling in the front to see if
you notice. Wrap the bar tape loosely to get it off easily. The two peaks
of the housing will make it a bit bulgier, but at least it won't be as bad
as a single housing on a non-grooved bar. Then in one year when the bar
might need replacement, spring for a double-groover.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

I have single groove on one bike, no groove on another. In both cases I
have the brake cable and the bar-end shifter cable in front of the
handlebar. Works great. I don't think a cable in front would work,
however.

Michel

Michel said:

I have single groove on one bike, no groove on another. In both cases
I have the brake cable and the bar-end shifter cable in front of the
handlebar. Works great. I don't think a cable in front would work,
however.

You have two brake cables in front, yet a cable in front won't work?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Michel said:

I have single groove on one bike, no groove on another. In both cases I
have the brake cable and the bar-end shifter cable in front of the
handlebar. Works great. I don't think a cable in front would work,
however.

Campagnolo Ergo levers have a groove across the top to route
both cables in front. Some riders with single- or un-grooved
bars prefer that alternate setup.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

My tourer has seperate aero brake levers and Bar-Con (formerly called
bar end) shiftlevers. It also has a single groove handlebar.

I have both cable housings routed all the way to the stem (Campy dual
control style) with no problems. Just tape the housings together at a
few strategic points and wrap.

- -

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

"May you have the winds at your back,
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

In article <[email hidden]>, Chris

Zacho 'The Wheelman said:

My tourer has seperate aero brake levers and Bar-Con (formerly called
bar end) shiftlevers. It also has a single groove handlebar.

I have both cable housings routed all the way to the stem (Campy dual
control style) with no problems. Just tape the housings together at a
few strategic points and wrap.

Your setup mirrors my touring configuration (drops w/barcons and aero
brake levers), but I opted for a different cable routing.

My frame features MTB style top-tube cable routing (shifter and rear
brake cables run atop the TT). Initially the shifter cables, after
exiting the bar wrap a hand's width from the bar ends (just as the
drops curve upwards), curved backward to engage their cable-stops
without crossing the headtube: the rear derailleur shift cable in the
right cable stop; the the front (top pull), in the middle.

But, more for esthetics than any other reason - how the two shifter
cables overlapped downstream of the rear TT cable stops bothered me!, I
rerouted the shifter cables so that they crossed the head-tube - and
each other. Now the rear shift cable engages the middle stop from the
left side of the headtube; and the front, the right most stop from the
right side of the HT. I have encountered another tourer that employed
the same setup - it's always reassuring to realize that another shares
your idiosyncracies.

Frankly, I'm not entirely thrilled with either option. Though both
function well enough (there's no binding), the cables' bend between the
front TT cable-stops and the head-tube seems excessive. Unfortunately,
there's nothing to be done about that.

Luke

Well, I just now happen to be doing the same thing. I don't like the
angle the cable takes when routing both cables along the front (even
though there is a slot in the lever to allow this). It would also have
a cable running right under where my hand spends most of its time.

I've not put on the cork yet, but I've noticed that where the cable runs
along the back (sans groove), the heels of my palms make almost no
contact there.

Quoted message said:

My current bars have a single groove (on the front). I am changing
from STI to Ergo levers. Is it worth thinking about swapping to a
double groove bar or will it be just as easy to route both cables along
the one groove. I am interested in objective reasons primarily but
will listen to stong preferences or predjudices 🙂

best wishes
james

richard said:

Well, I just now happen to be doing the same thing. I don't like the
angle the cable takes when routing both cables along the front (even
though there is a slot in the lever to allow this). It would also have
a cable running right under where my hand spends most of its time.

I've not put on the cork yet, but I've noticed that where the cable runs
along the back (sans groove), the heels of my palms make almost no
contact there.

I find that with a bit of finagling you can get the effect of a wider, flatter
bar top. Especially if you add a strip of last years cork along the top and over
the cabling.

Ron