Installing an integrated handlebar

pangolin · May 2022

Fitting one of these on my bike: https://cycletowork.wiggle.co.uk/prime-doyenne-aero-handlebar

Bike is a Cube attain gtc pro disc 2017. Bars do not currently have integrated cables.

However the frame does, both for the disc hydraulics and the gear cables.

Is there a most straightforward way to go about this? Shifter cables will have to come out completely right? Can the disc hydraulics just get unscrewed from the shifters and stay where they are in the frame?

N0bodyOfTheGoat · May 2022

I've got the Primavera bars version on my Cube and the only cable I've threaded through the bar voids so far is the rear mech cable, because I was fitting a new cable anyway. I've not even looked at how simple, or otherwise as I suspect, it is to get the hydraulic lines through the bar voids.

Let us know how you get on, good luck!

pangolin · May 2022

Haha, that is not what I want to hear. @MattFalle one of you has done this right?

MattFalle · May 2022

Ciao!

Yup - Primavera and Doyenne but only with mechanical set ups and not hydraulics.

I ran both sets of cables (brakes and gear) through the 'bars with no problem at all but can't comment on hydraulic lines.

Sorry!

Happy to pop 'bars off and post piccies of cable routing if that helps at all.

pangolin · May 2022

Nah don't worry, cheers dude

sungod · May 2022

you may find you need the cables a bit longer with internal routing, depends how much slack you have at the moment

if the cables are able to move within the bars they can rattle, which gets annoying, you can prevent this by sleeving the cables

in the past i've used spiral cable wrap, but there's also foam sleeving available...

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-internal-routing-anti-vibration-foam

you need to fit this during assembly

btw the link shows normal bars with internal routing, 'integrated' usually means one piece bar-stem, integrated ones also need the cables to be a bit longer, with enough slack to permit removing the bars from the steerer

MattFalle · May 2022

pangolin said:
Nah don't worry, cheers dude

no worries - anything any one of us can do to help just shout anytime.

pangolin · May 2022

@N0bodyOfTheGoat do they look ok with that much cable not routed through the bar?

N0bodyOfTheGoat · May 2022

It's OK, but lots of room for improvement, I'm using some tape to secure lose cables to bar either side of stem. No doubt spoiling a lot of aero drag reduction but my 58cm is an aero brick with just 3cm saddle to bar top drop with default stem as low as it can be, but I find the carbon Primavera bars very comfy, been perfectly happy not taping them at all and using thin padded gloves.

super_davo · May 2022

I did exactly what you're doing on my Ribble, same bars and all. They are not integrated bars which are a whole different ball game!

I reused the cables and hoses that came with the bike, but I needed to slice off the olive & barb from the hoses to fit through the holes. Once you do that, no harder to route than a cable.

You will then need to fit a new barb & olive, which I sourced from Amazon for a couple of quid plus a needle driver / hose cutter (this tool was absolutely essential). Once all installed I then needed to bleed the brakes (using Comma mineral oil which is way cheaper than Shimano).

It sounds faffy & like it needed a lot of tools, but I just took it as part of the learning curve & tools required to run disc brakes. Good luck - happy to answer any questions.

pangolin · May 2022

Called it a day after swapping over wheels, bars and stem, and cutting down the steerer. More tools required to route the cables so just running underneath for now.

MattFalle · May 2022

pangolin said:
Called it a day after swapping over wheels, bars and stem, and cutting down the steerer. More tools required to route the cables so just running underneath for now.

sweeeeet! keep us updated dude.

super_davo · May 2022

Here is the stuff I used (or currently availble versions):

Use this tool to chop the very end of the hose off with the olive & barb:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/GSDGV-Pushing-Bicycle-Insertion-Upgraded/dp/B09H7BV142/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=needle+driver+insertion+tool&qid=1652593442&refinements=p_76:419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sprefix=needle+drive,aps,142&sr=8-11&th=1
Set aside the hex nut that screws into the shifter.

Route the hose through the bar. Stick a bit of masking tape over the end because there will be oil spewing out however much you clean it, and masking tape keeps that under control (masking tape good because it can soak a bit of oil up).

Once you've got the hoses through, connect the bars, shifters etc. Work out the length of the hoses / cables and chop down more if necessary. Then you need a new olive / barb:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brake-Insert-Connector-Shimanos-Replacement/dp/B07X9MZ5V9/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=shimano+olive+and+barb&qid=1652593607&refinements=p_76:419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sprefix=olive+and+bar,aps,77&sr=8-8&th=1

Insert the barb first, then the hex nut, then the olive. Don't worry that the olive flaps about, when you screw the nut in it crushes it to fit tight. Screw in the nut - I wrapped the threads in PTFE tape to stop any chance of leaking.

Once all connected, you will need to bleed the brakes because you will have inserted air into the system doing all this. I just got a cheap bleed kit like this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092Z8NZPC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B092Z8NZPC&pd_rd_w=Fh6Rq&pf_rd_p=ddff78c0-ae4b-4055-ab52-ed29dcec9faa&pd_rd_wg=ZlLzs&pf_rd_r=B2E1DKHCHVZQ1A5SYGT2&pd_rd_r=5b59c874-7ae4-4956-b4d2-5829c034cfca&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFUVEowWlIyQUkzMEEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4OTI4NDIxVVg2OVMyT0FZT0M0JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMDIzMjNKMUVOSVRHSFNJRjgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWMmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

and used car mineral oil which you can get a litre for the price of 200ml bike spec bottles (MTBers have been doing this for years). When bleeding brakes after a while, you'll want to completely flush the system but for this use you can just top up.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-LHM1L-1L-Hydraulic-Fluid/dp/B003BPSVQG/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=comma+mineral+oil&qid=1652593889&s=sports&sprefix=comma+min,sports,140&sr=1-10-catcorr

So should be £50-£60 all in, but this then gives you basically all the tools to service hydraullic brakes. Since I did this last year I've also switched over the bars on my Orro using a similar process & serviced another couple of bikes, and still have over half the oil left.

trevor.hall12 · May 2022

Integrated is great but uts a pain in the arse to do the headset bearings

This is what I had to do on my F12 .
Happily I managed to save the hoses by cutting off the old olives .

trevor.hall12 · May 2022

sungod said:
you may find you need the cables a bit longer with internal routing, depends how much slack you have at the moment

if the cables are able to move within the bars they can rattle, which gets annoying, you can prevent this by sleeving the cables

in the past i've used spiral cable wrap, but there's also foam sleeving available...

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-internal-routing-anti-vibration-foam

you need to fit this during assembly

btw the link shows normal bars with internal routing, 'integrated' usually means one piece bar-stem, integrated ones also need the cables to be a bit longer, with enough slack to permit removing the bars from the steerer

When you reconnect the hoses you can push them back enough that when you connect them up it's jammed in the bar void ,most bars I've done you could never fit that foam sleeve in.I use foam inside the frame but never inside bars .

Installing an integrated handlebar

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