Rear brake cable routing

[NeilM]

Tradition ?

You're not still wearing wool cycling shorts/tops are you ?

Joking aside , I run all my bikes with left/front right/rear set up . Using the brakes evenly , it makes no odds which way around they are , but makes for a more natural line for both cables .

If you insist on tradition , around the headtube and into the left works best , on my mtbs , the gear cables are that way around , and the steering feels lighter as a result . So with brake cable outer being more flexible , should be easier still mate
Hope this makes sense

Mike

As circumstances would have it, I have just bought a nice wool top. :mrgreen:

I am sure all you left hand fronties are correct when it comes to smooth lines etc... and then you slap a 15 st wrinklie on top of your creation and all of a sudden it's not looking so smooth and aero.

Mike: I have, inadvertently, set my road bikes up with both left and right hand cable routes, but two of them have cable stops, under the top tube and two have full cables front to back, with cable guides on top of the top tube.

I am now in a 50/50 situation with my Concorde brake cable running to the right of the head tube (viewed from the saddle) and my new project cabled to the left, albeit the new bikes cable is not yet cut and fitted, as I came to this august forum for the definitive answer before applying the cable cutters.

 

[foz]

I think whichever lever you run the rear brake to, if the tt cable guides are central then the cable should cross the Ht. Makes for a smoother curve - better braking and it won't be pushing against the steering action. Most frames with tt guides to one side have them off to the nondrive side, as they were designed for front-right, rear-left, routing. So standard uk routing on one of those frames doesn't work so well. Brake calipers are designed for front-left, rear right.

 

[Mike Muz]

Excuse me ! I'm only a 12 stone wrinkly I'll have you know !
Smooth lines for cable run , the fewer bends , the better it will work . Nothing to do with aerodynamics .
I reckon around the right of the h/t would be best . Why don't you just build a track bike and forget all this nonsense !

Mike

 

[NeilM]

Why don't you just build a track bike and forget all this nonsense !

Mike

Hmmmm, sounds like a plan.

 

[Old Ned]

IF you have three cable guides on the crossbar, When sat on the bike left will be for rear brake, centre for front mech right for rear mech. You could use centre for rear brake andleft for fron mech but it could look messy round the seatpost.

I think they are in a line along the top tube for a single brake cable not like an MTB with 3 cables along the TT.

 

[NeilM]

I think they are in a line along the top tube for a single brake cable not like an MTB with 3 cables along the TT.

You are quite right Old Ned.

For now, I have gone with a longer cable route, but with a smoother line, around the right side of the head tube, as observed from the saddle.

Now, with much insulation tape applied to the cables, all is ready for the dreaded bar tape. :facepalm:

 

[stringfellow1946]

How many times does this same old question come up? It has nothing to do with what nationality you are, the way all quality modern brakes are designed, for a smooth cable runs (no tight bends) is for the front brake lever to be on the left & the rear brake lever on the right. Center pull brakes (Deltas, Mafac etc) it makes no difference regarding the cable run.
By way of a side note
The only Top Pro riders that quickly spring to mind that had the front on the right & the rear on the left are Gianni Bugno, Lucho Herrera & Fabio Parra also the only two riders that I ever worked for that used them that way around were Malcolm Elliott & Dan Lloyd no doubt there are a few more.
But I suppose at the end of the day its your bike & down to your personal taste & what ever floats your boat.

 

[chipper]

This is how I do it , everything Italian , but I like to keep a little British idiosyncrasy , so right front for me

 

[Bats]

I don't think pulling on the wrong brake lever when you need to stop in a hurry is perfect.

I just don't understand how people cannot get to grips with having a brake lever on the other side of the handlebars? I recently went to France and had to drive a car with the steering wheel and gear lever on the other side to what I was expecting, and all the other cars were in a different lane on the road, and guess what, I didn't crash, I didn't have a problem, you just do it.

Has no one ever made the shift from downtube shifters to STI's, same thing, gear levers are now on the handlebars, you get used to it, very quickly!

Thanks for letting us know muscle memory isn't real, How many people bought your biology books?

 

[originalshinkicker]

I don't think pulling on the wrong brake lever when you need to stop in a hurry is perfect.

I just don't understand how people cannot get to grips with having a brake lever on the other side of the handlebars? I recently went to France and had to drive a car with the steering wheel and gear lever on the other side to what I was expecting, and all the other cars were in a different lane on the road, and guess what, I didn't crash, I didn't have a problem, you just do it.

Has no one ever made the shift from downtube shifters to STI's, same thing, gear levers are now on the handlebars, you get used to it, very quickly!

Thanks for letting us know muscle memory isn't real, How many people bought your biology books?

Bats, this is a good discussion on cabling, lets try and keep it that way.
Cheers