Cable Routing Kit

[love2fly]

Howdy

I've just changed the cables and housing on my Cannondale Supersix Evo and the rear brake cable is a real pain in the....

The cable, without housing enters at the head tube, along the top tube and exits above the seat stays.

The issue is the inner routes through the frame and there is no guide to help so it's the worst job to do on the bike.

Routing kits come with magnets etc and seem expensive and hard to find.

A thin, hollow PVC tube would also likely do the job as I could thread the inner with that's using the old cable as a guide.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

[openmind]

You could try the vacuum cleaner + dental floss trick - tie a long piece of dental floss to the cable, feed it into the head tube and then hold the vacuum cleaner hose over the hole you want the cable to come out. The floss will get sucked through and then you just pull to bring the cable through. Might be tricky if. the hole is small, but you could maybe tape the vacuum hose to the hole to seal it. I've routed internal dropper post cables this way. 

[Martin PJ]

I use thin PVC tube when I remember to thread the old cable. Works very well and cheap.

[love2fly]

1 hour ago, Martin PJ said:

I use thin PVC tube when I remember to thread the old cable. Works very well and cheap.

This is what I'm really after. I will keep the previous vacuum cleaner trick for backup.

Where can I buy this PVC tubing? It needs to be thinner than housing to fit in the hole....

[Martin PJ]

3 minutes ago, love2fly said:

This is what I'm really after. I will keep the previous vacuum cleaner trick for backup.

Where can I buy this PVC tubing? It needs to be thinner than housing to fit in the hole....

I think builders sells it. It is very thin.

[love2fly]

30 minutes ago, Martin PJ said:

I think builders sells it. It is very thin.

Thank you, I'll go and have a look

[love2fly]

https://leroymerlin.co.za/pipe-clear-pvc-pipe-waterhouse-3mmx4m-81441601?sfdr_ptcid=32806_617_517034381&sfdr_hash=1cfe0d1485fe633d0a25f0cc6c274ab9&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17335597113&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy6vMBhDCARIsAK8rOgn7CQ28ezPrtE8w4niADTHXLIKAaaj0uhDYDOGaNq4dd-M4ci1W33UaAuO7EALw_wcB

[Barry]

This little item from Temu works well about R20.  But you need the old cable in place to pull the new cable. 

[Dusty]

21 minutes ago, Barry said:

This little item from Temu works well about R20.  But you need the old cable in place to pull the new cable. 

These are a must have in any bike workshop!

[Martin PJ]

11 hours ago, love2fly said:

Thank you, I'll go and have a look

I checked the pipe I have, it is 3 mm OD and 2 mm ID.

[love2fly]

3 hours ago, Barry said:

This little item from Temu works well about R20.  But you need the old cable in place to pull the new cable. 

I think that works for the housing but not the cable? My frame keeps the cable on the outside to push against when you brake.

Nice idea though.

[Barry]

24 minutes ago, love2fly said:

I think that works for the housing but not the cable? My frame keeps the cable on the outside to push against when you brake.

Nice idea though.

"Okay, I understand what you're saying. The thin tubing will work, or you could overlap the new and old cables by 30 cm and tape a thin layer in several places to hold the cables together before pulling the new cable with the old one."

Just push the lever end of the cable slightly through the lever and cut off the solderd head before joining so you pull from lever to caliper. 

Edited February 11 by Barry

[Barry]

If the old cable is still in place, you could try twisting some fishing gut onto the cable about 20cm. Then, use small drops of super glue to hold the gut to the cable. After that, pull the gut through; just reverse the process for the new cable and cut the excess with the glue on it.

[love2fly]

3 minutes ago, Barry said:

If the old cable is still in place, you could try twisting some fishing gut onto the cable about 20cm. Then, use small drops of super glue to hold the gut to the cable. After that, pull the gut through; just reverse the process for the new cable and cut the excess with the glue on it.

That sounds like a good plan. I tried taping but maybe it's the Teflon as the tape didn't want to stick....good suggestion!

[droo]

There should be a removeable cover where the cable exits the frame. Cables are made of martensitic stainless, so they're a bit magnetic - a pencil magnet will pick up the end of the cable and you'll be able to pull it through the hole at the end of the run.

Otherwise pull the seatpost out and see if you can get in to the top tube from there to proctologist the cable through.

I have owned quite a few internal routing kits and they're all a bit useless. You'll get a few uses out of them if you're lucky, but the swaged ends will either snag inside the frame or come adrift way sooner than you'd like.

[Mongoose!]

If you take an old outer gear cable and cut (with sharp carpet knife) away the black plastic insulation , underneath are some very thin (and sharp) hard wires. The remaining plastic tube is actually very handy ( for routing a new cable or even replacing the existing inner cable routing inside frame)

 

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