Cross your cables.....

rolf_f

Cross your brake cables.....

Why? Well, despite what people might tell you, there is only one reason; your bike simply isn't cool unless the cables are crossed. All the cool kids are doing it. You want to be cool too right? Well, hopefully not. I don't which is just as well as I am definitely not but, as I was stripping the Ribble down anyway, I thought I'd give it a go.

Incidentally, coolness aside, there are at least three more reasons to cross your cables.

1) You get a nicer cable run - this might, just might, give you ever so slightly nicer shifting. Probably not - probably it is just in your mind. But even if it is just in your mind, that's all you need if you think about it!
2) It avoids cable rub on the head tube. Well it might do but don't count on it. It depends on how close to the head tube your cable stops are - on my Ribble they are pretty close and the cable rubs on the tube even with the cables crossed. The helicopter tape has to stay.......
3) It looks neater round the head tube - well it does. Very much so. See below - admittedly, my Ribble is helped by left front braking but you have to admit my cabling looks so much better than yours. See - I'm almost cool. Or at least my bike is. And therefore so am I by association!

Negatives - not sure the crossed cable under the down tube is really a correct engineering solution but please don't worry that the cables will wear each other out there. And it makes it slightly more annoying cleaning the underside of the downtube (if that is the sort of thing you ever do). Otherwise it is a few minutes work to try out - you probably won't even need to alter the cable outer lengths.

pinarellokid

always front brake right hand for me !!!

rafletcher

"Crossing" the brake cable like that is the way all continetal (including pro racers) are set up. And in the US too. We tend to put the rear on the LH so that when signalling a right turn you can use the rear brake to slow. But if you want to swap them, and get on with it, then do so - the front brake calliper is after all designed to be cable up this way. And crossing the gear cables (with them crossing back under the down tube) is also frequently done for appearnces

nigeldoyle

I get better shifting with cables crossed. I tried having them uncrossed and there was a noticeable difference.

wishitwasallflat

nigeldoyle wrote:

I get better shifting with cables crossed. I tried having them uncrossed and there was a noticeable difference.

Me 2 it's the way my Spesh bikes gear canles came - I see Spesh call it the Californian Cross! - I changed it once but swapped back pretty quick cause it just wasn't as slick.

rolf_f

I've noticed the shifting is better too but, since immediately before swapping the cables and completely stripping and rebuilding the bike, it was so clogged up with Sussex mud and dead plants that the brakes were sticking, the rear mech had lost full travel and the hanger was bent this was hardly surprising!

wishitwasallflat

The Sussex Cross sounds dirtier and altogether less attractive than the Californian Cross when you put it like that!

crankycrank

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Me 2 it's the way my Spesh bikes gear canles came - I see Spesh call it the Californian Cross! - I changed it once but swapped back pretty quick cause it just wasn't as slick.

I wonder if Specialized will now sue any shop in the UK that sets up their bikes this way seeing how they have probably trademarked and patented the "Californian Cross". :evil: I'm a lifelong Californian and have never heard this term used and crossing cables certainly didn't originate here.

wishitwasallflat

I expect you will get a PM from a Spesh lawyer very soon over your claim to be Californian (unless of course you actually are a sentient set of crossed cables).

littledove44

I agree that looks much better. Cant see how i can do it though.

From a brake standpoint no problem, I don't care which side is which. But, I like the shifters on the sides that they are.

So, where do you cross them?

wishitwasallflat

littledove44 wrote:

I agree that looks much better. Cant see how i can do it though.

From a brake standpoint no problem, I don't care which side is which. But, I like the shifters on the sides that they are.

So, where do you cross them?

The first cross is the outers which cross in front of the head tube before they meet the frame's cable stops (so right shifter outer is going into left cable stop) and then you cross the inners wires under the down tube (crossing them back). Ergo shifters stay the same place they always were cables cross and then un-cross so end up in the same place i.e. right rear left front. Simples as they say in Californ ...

proto

littledove44 wrote:

I agree that looks much better. Cant see how i can do it though.

From a brake standpoint no problem, I don't care which side is which. But, I like the shifters on the sides that they are.

So, where do you cross them?

Under the down tube.

RH (rear) shifter psses through the LH down tube cable stop.

Th LH (front) shifter passes through the RH cable stop.

The inner cables cross under the down tube and resume their 'normal' routing to their respective mechs via the BB cable guide.

littledove44

Thanks. Clearly this is an OCD sport.

rolf_f

littledove44 wrote:

I agree that looks much better. Cant see how i can do it though.

From a brake standpoint no problem, I don't care which side is which. But, I like the shifters on the sides that they are.

The shifters are always on the side they are - the mechanisms are different so you'd have to be very good to be able to swap those round and make them work!

Incidentally, as well as it being visually obvious that the calipers are designed for left front, right rear (in the old days you could get right hand drive calipers for the UK market and that when it didn't matter so much as non aero cabling has a fairly gentle bend anyway), going left front means that you have the left shifter controlling front brakes and front mech and right shifter controlling rear mech and rear brakes. Doesn't really mean anything but it's another nice touch of OCD!

philwint

That does look very pretty Rolf, and as you say, it's a cleaner curve too.

I'm not sure I could get used to swapping my brakes over (L <> R) though. Have you always used the r = rear method? and if not ho easy was it ti become accustomed to it?

rolf_f

philwint wrote:

That does look very pretty Rolf, and as you say, it's a cleaner curve too.

I'm not sure I could get used to swapping my brakes over (L <> R) though. Have you always used the r = rear method? and if not ho easy was it ti become accustomed to it?

The gear cables make a bigger difference than the brakes but the whole package is neatest.

I've not always done left front. My MTB was right front but when I bought my Look I decided to go straight to left front for the better brake cable run. Since then I've gone left front for all my road bikes but I didn't change the MTB til earlier this year. I didn't find the change or swapping between the two a problem at all but at the worst I'd have thought it a bit like going clipless - a short while and its second nature.

It helps if you have an old road bike with non aero cables - then you can swap them over in about 30 seconds and see if you like it and change back in another 30 seconds if you don't! You may find there is enough cable length to swap the inners over without touching the outers. Even if it isn't optimum it would be a way to try it without having to partly unwrap the tape.

dyrlac

I swapped to left hand front brake and thoroughly recommend it, not least because it is a heck of a lot easier to downshift and effectively brake simultaneously. The classy cross (although mine is not nearly as tidy as Rolf's) is a bonus.

smoggysteve

Is there a form I can fill in to claim back to 5 minutes of my life wasted reading this?

rolf_f

SmoggySteve wrote:

Is there a form I can fill in to claim back to 5 minutes of my life wasted reading this?

Not specifically, but there is one you can fill in to claim back the 10s of thousands of hours of your life you've wasted on BR as a whole.

If you are feeling a bit depressed I'll post another wheel thread if it would cheer you up. I'd do that for you. I'm like that!

smoggysteve

Rolf F wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

Is there a form I can fill in to claim back to 5 minutes of my life wasted reading this?

Not specifically, but there is one you can fill in to claim back the 10s of thousands of hours of your life you've wasted on BR as a whole.

If you are feeling a bit depressed I'll post another wheel thread if it would cheer you up. I'd do that for you. I'm like that!

Nah. not wheels. Can we have a thread on if helmets make you safer instead? that doesn't get done enough!!

markhewitt1978

Dyrlac wrote:

I swapped to left hand front brake and thoroughly recommend it, not least because it is a heck of a lot easier to downshift and effectively brake simultaneously. The classy cross (although mine is not nearly as tidy as Rolf's) is a bonus.

I'd never really noticed that issue before it was mentioned here but now I really do notice when I'm braking for lights etc that I'm doing Brake, Downshift, Brake, Downshift.

I'm giving my bike a full overhaul for spring (new cables, bar tape etc) so I might swap levers at the same time.

I rode a road bike in Mallorca with this setup and took to it fine.

wishitwasallflat

SmoggySteve wrote:

Is there a form I can fill in to claim back to 5 minutes of my life wasted reading this?

Yes, of course - please download and complete form BR56/RetrieveT%%23.pdf/Word/Inputignore@loop in triplicate and have it counter signed by a GP, Member of Parliament, JP (or other responsible member of society) who can verify that you would have spent that five minutes productively and the Committee will review your application and get back to you.

dyrlac

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I'd never really noticed that issue before it was mentioned here but now I really do notice when I'm braking for lights etc that I'm doing Brake, Downshift, Brake, Downshift.

Sorry about that. A warning to you all who haven't seen the light on correct brake lever positioning: Don't read this thread.

chrisw12

Not to start a left or right brake debate, but I always though that the reason for me to stick to right front brake was because I also ride a motor bike. So my question is, anyone ride a motor bike and also ride a bike and have switched to left front braking?

Also, I've crossed my gear cables as my sram system was draggy and needed a clean cable run. Once I switched over, gear changing definitely got better.

ilm_zero7

Right front brake - its the way the bike guides are set up for a smoother routing on most of my frames

rolf_f

ILM Zero7 wrote:

Right front brake - its the way the bike guides are set up for a smoother routing on most of my frames

Can't really see how that works. No matter what the guides do for the rear brakes, they aren't going to compensate for the tighter bends on the front. Unless you use ancient calipers with the cable mounts on the opposite side to current convention. My Look, Ribble and Scott all have the stops for the rear brake on the left side so, again, that favours left front braking.

Edit - as does your Wilier Cento Uno and Imperiale for a start! (Or at least the examples of those I found pictures of!). You like Italian bikes - they are designed for left front. They wouldn't stay in business long if they weren't!

littledove44

Went to LBS today. Spesh dealer. Asked them to swap my cables so they look right.

Couldn't do it.

Only one cable stop and it's on the wrong side for the front brake.

So much for the Californian Cross.

rolf_f

littledove44 wrote:

Only one cable stop and it's on the wrong side for the front brake.

As per my previous post - same applies. This doesn't make sense. There are no cable stops for the front brake and the rear brake cable stops are on the left which is where you want them. The whole point is that bikes are designed to have the cables the other way round.

Can you post a pic?

littledove44

Bad explanation my side. Front brake left side no problem.

Guy at the bike shop spent ages explaining how the lead angle to the stop on the left hand side of the top tube was too tight to get the right, rear brake working.

Just realised what a muppet he is. The lead is in front on the bike, not behind the steering tube.

Fortunately I have an appointment at a specialized Concept store next week. They will sort it for me.

My faith in LBS now totally destroyed.

rolf_f

littledove44 wrote:

Just realised what a muppet he is. The lead is in front on the bike, not behind the steering tube.

LMAO. Oh dear!

ilm_zero7

Rolf F wrote:

ILM Zero7 wrote:

Right front brake - its the way the bike guides are set up for a smoother routing on most of my frames

Edit - as does your Wilier Cento Uno and Imperiale for a start! (Or at least the examples of those I found pictures of!). You like Italian bikes - they are designed for left front. They wouldn't stay in business long if they weren't!

but that is the point, the bends are smoother RH front brake, LH traverse