Tandem Cycling - How to wrap with Barcons?

Hi all,

A buddy of mine is building up a bike with barcons. He asked me how to wrap with them. Since I have never mounted them myself I am not sure if the barcons have cabling requirements that necessitate a method different than that used with standard plugs.

He will be using Dura-Ace 9sp barcons. Cable stops on downtube.

Any hints and photos?

Thanks

Ask him to wrap them ergo-style, for a much cleaner look. Shifting performance is not compromised.

Any pics of that? Follow the handlebar curve up to the stem area or let the cable come out around where the bar starts its bend up? Don't put the tape inside the handlebar, leave it all out and secure with tape?

Check this thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=264601&highlight=bar+end+cable+tandem

Thanks, I did not search the mechanics forum.

1. The traditional method: Wrap the tape around the cable housing for about 3 or 4 inches from the bar-end (or to the first "bend" on an ergo bar). Then, let the cable housing come out of the tape, and form a big loop in front of the handlebar, looping back around to the cablestop on the frame. Done this way, both cables will sorta look like a big McDonalds "M" in front of the handle bar. There should be lots of tandem and touring bike pictures of this on the web. Continue wrapping the handlebar normally.

2. The "aero" look recommended by Fixer, where you route the shift cable along all the curves of the handlebar, almost to the stem, where it "comes out" from underneath the tape; the tape completely covers the shift cable (and the brake cable if you are using aero brake levers). I use this method, because it gives a cleaner look. If you do it this way, make sure the cable is new, clean, unkinked, and the shift housing is top quality (i.e., don't use old brake housing to do this), otherwise you may get some shifting problems with the number of curves the cable travels around the handlebar. First, securely tape the cable housing around the handlebar. If your h-bar has 2 grooves (for campy shifters), I would recommend routing the cable on the outside of the brake lever, and let it settle into the groove on the backside of the handlebar. If your h-bar has only one cable groove, run the shift cable on the inside of the brake lever, and tape it directly underneat the brake cable all the way to the stem. Be sure to leave enough housing "loop" from the inside of the handlebar to the cable stop on the frame, to allow the housing to flex when you steer. Then just wrap the handlebar normally as you would any other handlebar. I've built a couple touring bikes and a tandem this way, with no shifting issues whatsoever.

Rich

Years ago, before STI and hidden cables, we routed our barcon cables 'inside' the handlebar.
Drilled a hole about 3 inches from the handlebar end. Then drilled another hole about 2 inches from the stem where the cablehousing/cable would exit.
To facilitate matters we'd sneak the cable housing through first near the stem toward the drop part hole before running the actual cable.
We were told the drilled holes in alu bars would cause fractures and the bars could eventually break. Put 64,000 miles on the setup like that without issues.
Guess we were a bit ahead of the hidden cable idea.

Then again, I had a teammate 'way back in the 1970s who routed barcon cables through holes in his bars -- and had a 'bar break clean through in the heat of competition. I don't think he dumped anyone else, but he and his bike were rather worse for wear. Drilling a hole into a handlebar "about 2 inches from the stem" is usually a Bad idea, as it introduces a significant stress riser in a highly stressed portion of the 'bar. Yeah, handlebars have changed a lot in 30 years, but top quality bars are still about as light as the manufacturers dare make 'em. Rudy and Kay are light, which could help explain their 64k miles without a mishap. Most of the rest of us would do well to route barcon cables under the handlebar tape instead.

Dave

Dave:
We agree with your comments, and *do not* advocate drilling holes in handlebars. However, we did and it worked fine for us. Yes, we are a light tandem team and this was done on our tandem way back in the 70s . . . we were rather competitive riders back then and we did pull hard on the bars.
Need to say, although the bars did not break, we broke that tandem frame . . . twice! Once at 50,000 and again at 56,000 miles.
Friends, who are 'weightier' than us snapped a set of pilot's alu bars on their tandem . . . and no drillings.
There are several choices/looks in routing barcon cables.