Shimano cable routing question

proto

Every road bike I've put together over the (many,many!) years has been Campag equipped, but today I'm attempting a Shimano set-up for the first time. 105, 5600 with washing lines, cable exit from shifters at the side.

It seems to me that the obvious way of routing the gear cables is to cross them over to the frame down tube adjusters, i.e front changer to the right and rear to the left, then cross the inner cables again as they head towards the bottom bracket cable guide.

Makes a much smoother cable run, and avoids cable rub on the head tube. Can't see a downside to this. Am I wrong, or does everyone do this way anyway?

Advice please.

nicklouse

thats how I do it.

keef66

Well mine came set up the other way round with the inner cables running parallel to each other and the downtube. The outer is rubbing the paint on the headtube though.

John.T

Providing the cables do not touch the down tube where they cross then this does make a neater and smoother cable run. It depends on where the cable stops are on the D/T. I have my Madone this way and there is no cable rub and no rattle.

andy_wrx

The usual way is to have them running parallel, I'd never seen the crossing method until my wife got a Sirrus a few years ago.

Depending where the cablestops are on the downtube or headtube, it can certainly make a neater angle though

Can't see any issue with it, so long as it doesn't touch anything, as John says above.

- it could be a problem with the Sirrus though, as it has 3 sets of bottle cage mounts, including one underneath the downtube, exactly where the cables cross - doh !

John.T

No reason not to do this with Campag or new Shimano cables if you can. It makes a better cable run and prevents the outer rubbing the head tube.