CONTEST....Who Has The Longest Cable Housings?
04-18-20, 09:19 PM
#26
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04-18-20, 10:03 PM
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04-18-20, 11:13 PM
#29
Strong Walker
As a matter of fact, many of the bikes in contemporary catalogues have quite long loops.
I think this was customary because the quill stems allowed height adjustment, so cables were set up that way in case the future owner of the bike wanted a high setup.
I think this was customary because the quill stems allowed height adjustment, so cables were set up that way in case the future owner of the bike wanted a high setup.
Last edited by martl; 04-18-20 at 11:23 PM.
04-21-20, 06:24 PM
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I admit to having too long housings on my touring bike. There is a reason for it though. If needing to adjust cables while touring you can always shorten the housing and get some more cable to use. Looks ugly though. And I have never had to use that extra cable - yet.
04-21-20, 07:33 PM
#31
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@obrentharris, that's a really nice tandem. What is it, and have you posted about it?
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04-21-20, 08:46 PM
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@obrentharris, that's a really nice tandem. What is it, and have you posted about it?
It didn't fit me well so I ended up donating it to the Marin Museum of Bicycling and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame where it is now on display.
Brent
04-21-20, 10:03 PM
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They were invented in Sweden as a safety device before the war. In the 1960s Volvo adopted the idea into their cars as a safety cable/belt in the event of a head-on collision. They thought the bicycle full harness (pictured above) was too much and went for the single cross-body belt/cable. Ford soon followed in the 1970s.
Nothing new under the sun.
Nothing new under the sun.
04-21-20, 10:03 PM
#34
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I was trained in the fashion of the day to make the cable housings as short as possible. The method is as follows: do the rear brake first. Adjust housing length so the handlebars can be spun around both ways to the top tube without starting to pull out the housing. Add a small amount of extra for safety. I usually added an inch. Others stuck to the bleeding edge or even less. Match the front brake housing so the rise is about the same.
Catalog bikes were often set up really stupidly by people that didn't know what they were doing. I wouldn't go by catalog pics to get the idea of best practices from BITD. Race pictures are a better source.
I consider these a bit too long, but I still totally lose.
Eddy is the biggest loser.
Catalog bikes were often set up really stupidly by people that didn't know what they were doing. I wouldn't go by catalog pics to get the idea of best practices from BITD. Race pictures are a better source.
I consider these a bit too long, but I still totally lose.
Eddy is the biggest loser.
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04-21-20, 11:16 PM
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I like 'em short and pro-looking too, but I start with the front. Easier to find that perfect, minimal, circular arc with the front and then match the rear. If I do it the other way, the front doesn't look right or it takes me too long to get 'em right.
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04-21-20, 11:23 PM
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Not C&V and not a road bike, but...there's a lot flapping in the wind on this pint-sized beast, just to keep the folding bits happy.
The big irony is that the porteur bar I chose - which causes the straight-out cables in the first place - prevents it from folding properly
-Kurt
The big irony is that the porteur bar I chose - which causes the straight-out cables in the first place - prevents it from folding properly
-Kurt
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04-22-20, 01:04 AM
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Not C&V and not a road bike, but...there's a lot flapping in the wind on this pint-sized beast, just to keep the folding bits happy.
The big irony is that the porteur bar I chose - which causes the straight-out cables in the first place - prevents it from folding properly
-Kurt
The big irony is that the porteur bar I chose - which causes the straight-out cables in the first place - prevents it from folding properly
-Kurt
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05-12-20, 02:57 PM
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05-12-20, 05:33 PM
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I was trained in the fashion of the day to make the cable housings as short as possible. The method is as follows: do the rear brake first. Adjust housing length so the handlebars can be spun around both ways to the top tube without starting to pull out the housing. Add a small amount of extra for safety. I usually added an inch. Others stuck to the bleeding edge or even less. Match the front brake housing so the rise is about the same.
Catalog bikes were often set up really stupidly by people that didn't know what they were doing. I wouldn't go by catalog pics to get the idea of best practices from BITD. Race pictures are a better source.
I consider these a bit too long, but I still totally lose.
Eddy is the biggest loser.
Catalog bikes were often set up really stupidly by people that didn't know what they were doing. I wouldn't go by catalog pics to get the idea of best practices from BITD. Race pictures are a better source.
I consider these a bit too long, but I still totally lose.
Eddy is the biggest loser.
I'm with Eddy
. Race bike handlebars don't need to spin as far as the top tube. When is that gonna happen during a race? You're supposed to be going forward, not sitting around, flipping your wheel back and forth
. The rest of the time, your mechanic will hold the handlebars. Besides, that's how those pesky dents happen, the bars hitting your top tube, (or the front brake arm, banging the down tube).If your front brake cable goes past vertical, and has to curve forward just to get back to the brake, your cable is too long. See Masi above. Hey, at least you know it's too long.
Chas, I never woulda thunk it
... French élan can be carried too far. Or in this case, cut too long.
05-12-20, 05:47 PM
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05-12-20, 06:20 PM
#45
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I'm with Eddy. Race bike handlebars don't need to spin as far as the top tube. When is that gonna happen during a race? You're supposed to be going forward, not sitting around, flipping your wheel back and forth. The rest of the time, your mechanic will hold the handlebars. Besides, that's how those pesky dents happen, the bars hitting your top tube, (or the front brake arm, banging the down tube).
If your front brake cable goes past vertical, and has to curve forward just to get back to the brake, your cable is too long. See Masi above. Hey, at least you know it's too long.
. Race bike handlebars don't need to spin as far as the top tube. When is that gonna happen during a race? You're supposed to be going forward, not sitting around, flipping your wheel back and forth. The rest of the time, your mechanic will hold the handlebars. Besides, that's how those pesky dents happen, the bars hitting your top tube, (or the front brake arm, banging the down tube).If your front brake cable goes past vertical, and has to curve forward just to get back to the brake, your cable is too long. See Masi above. Hey, at least you know it's too long.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Actually it wasn't originally too long but I slammed the stem a couple cm when I was in college and didn't bother to clip my cable housings. That was the LeMond era. Also the ends are bit mangled and need to be clipped and trimmed. Better not lose those Campy ferrules. At least I know which brake lever the front brake caliper should be connected too.
I get your point about it not really being necessary or even a good idea at all for the bars to swing around fully. Just reciting the old school ROT. That said, I never really liked them super short like Eddy, cuz I tend to squirm around a lot and I like a little more room for my hands.
Last edited by Salamandrine; 05-12-20 at 06:37 PM.
05-12-20, 06:20 PM
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And to think I had delusions of being a contender.
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05-12-20, 06:51 PM
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05-12-20, 08:50 PM
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Yeah, yeah, I know. Actually it wasn't originally too long but I slammed the stem a couple cm when I was in college and didn't bother to clip my cable housings. That was the LeMond era. Also the ends are bit mangled and need to be clipped and trimmed. Better not lose those Campy ferrules. At least I know which brake lever the front brake caliper should be connected too.
I get your point about it not really being necessary or even a good idea at all for the bars to swing around fully. Just reciting the old school ROT. That said, I never really liked them super short like Eddy, cuz I tend to squirm around a lot and I like a little more room for my hands.
... yeah, but then again, I'm left handed. Between misplacing (losing) the ferrules and thinking they looked "too busy" I only have a few in a baggie somewhere. along with some of those paper tags.
05-12-20, 10:45 PM
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You upright riders got nuthin' on a long-wheelbase recumbent.
This one's not vintage... it replaced one that was 20 years old and broke. I have another recumbent that's 30 years old, though.
This one's not vintage... it replaced one that was 20 years old and broke. I have another recumbent that's 30 years old, though.
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05-13-20, 05:13 AM
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