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Calling OCD mechanics: best way to tape cyclocomputer wires

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Calling OCD mechanics: best way to tape cyclocomputer wires

Old 11-03-08, 01:26 PM
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Calling OCD mechanics: best way to tape cyclocomputer wires

I have a wired cadence cyclocomputer (Cateye Strada) with the speed sensor and cadence sensor on the left side chainstay (usual setup). The wire goes from the sensors along the chainstay, up down tube, up my head tube, and wraps around my cable until it gets to the mount.

I am looking for a clean, durable way to tape the wire on the chainstay and up the downtube.

Right now, I've used 1 inch strips of clear packing tape (the mylar stuff) taped every four to six inches. I have one zip tie on the chain stay, one on the downtube, both near the BB. The wire is still secure enough for now, but the tape is getting dirty and a few of the strips have already peeled off from the dirt.

What is the best, most durable, and clean-looking way to tape the wire?
1. strips of clear packing tape, like I have it?
2. one long strip of clear packing tape?
3. something other than packing tape?
4. some other mystical technique?

Thanks for any suggestions!
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Old 11-03-08, 01:31 PM
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Zip ties. bk
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Old 11-03-08, 01:46 PM
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the packing tape gets dirty quite fast where it's not in direct contact with the frame, but it's hardly noticeable if it's on the underside.

I did both the packing tape and zip ties.
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Old 11-03-08, 01:49 PM
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I have used clear electrical tape. I route the wires like a want and hold them in place with scotch tape and then make it permanant with the electrical tape. You can also sometimes get a close color with the colored tape and "hide" the wire.
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Old 11-03-08, 02:03 PM
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Originally Posted by JustChuck
I have used clear electrical tape. I route the wires like a want and hold them in place with scotch tape and then make it permanant with the electrical tape. You can also sometimes get a close color with the colored tape and "hide" the wire.
Where do you get clear electric tape? I've seen colored electric tape (white, red, blue, green, etc.), but not clear. Home Depot or a specialty place?

Does electric tape resist dirt and moisture better? I usually wash the underside of my down tube when I'm washing my bike.
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Old 11-03-08, 04:32 PM
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I got it from RadioShack. It has stayed clean for me, but it does age. It is easier to clean up after removing(and way easier to remove.) than some other clear tapes.
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Old 11-03-08, 05:02 PM
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There's always the Cateye Strada Wireless, which is way I chose. But the sensor on the fork is bad enough in my book. A couple of wires wouldn't have hurt - and saved me a couple dollars. How about some strong rubber-bands - like the one's used to keep lobsters from getting even? Or something similar. They all come in many colors as well.
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Old 11-03-08, 06:49 PM
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Don't know what color you are looking for, but fusable silicon electrical tape is some pretty indestructable stuff. In the air force we used to call this stuff F-4 tape because those planes were held together with the stuff. In that case it was almost always rust red, but I have seen it in black, green and grey. When this tape over-laps itself it fuses together; forever. Have to cut it to get it off after it has had a day or so to cure.
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Old 11-03-08, 08:58 PM
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Wired cadence computers are kind of a PITA as there is no elegant way of running the cadence wire from the sensor to the computer head bracket. That being said ...

Do every thing with ty-wraps. Start by mounting the sensor on the chainstay so that you can also mount the magnet on the crank so that you can get a tight tolerance between them. Now, use one ty-wrap where the wire leaves the chainstay. Run the cable under the bottom bracket tube and then up the bottom of the down tube. Use one ty-wrap close to the bottom of the down tube (very close to the BB tube) and then another up near the top of the down tube. Tighten these three ty-wraps and then pull any slack up towards the top of the down tube. At this point you need to figure out which control cable you want to follow up to the computer head bracket. Sometimes it's the FD shift cable and sometimes it will be the rear brake cable. The way to figure out which one is to turn the handle bar from extreme left to extreme right and see which of those two cables is moving the least. Once you make this decision, then start winding the excess cable (of the cadence sensor cable) around, and around, the control cable until most of the excess is gone and you can get the two plug in wires connected to the computer head bracket. Plug in the two wires. Now, retest the handlebar side-to-side and see if you are not stretching the cadence cable in any way. If you are, take a revolution, or two, off the cadence cable and retest. Rinse and repeat until it all looks good. To finish the cable run use two more ty-wraps. You want one where the sensor cable starts up the control cable and then one more where the sensor cable leaves the control cable. This keeps the sensor cable in place on the control cable AND makes sure that the slack between the downtube and control cable, and between the control cable and the computer head bracket, remains constant. That's it. You are done with the cadence sensor cable. Having two ty-wraps on the downtube is ugly, but this is really the right way to do it.

Ok, I might as well cover the speed sensor while I am at it ...

First, mount the sensor on the fork. It is important that the sensor should be pointing forward from the fork leg. If it's pointing backward and gets a slight bump, it will end up in your spokes and all kinds of bad things will happen (think about it). If it's pointing forward and gets bumped, the spokes will just knock it back out of the way and it will make some noise. Ok, so mount the sensor and then mount the magnet on a spoke. Make sure they will pass very close to each other. It does not make ANY difference where on the spoke you mount the magnet, as long as it will pass very close to the sensor (usually 1-3mm will do the trick). Now that you have the sensor mounted (using ty-wraps or o-rings supplied with the computer), it's time to start up towards the handlebars. Depending on how far down the fork you are, start wrapping the sensor cable (which will usually have the computer head mount attached to the end of it) around the fork leg, up toward the top of the fork. Somewhere near the top of the fork leg you will need to make the jump from there to the front brake cable. Don't use the shift cable. Usually it will take one, two, or three wraps around the fork leg to get to where you will make the jump. When you get to this point put a ty-wrap around the fork leg to secure the sensor cable. Pull it tight and take the slack out of the sensor cable. Now make the jump over to the brake control cable. You just want a little slack between where you leave the fork and where you start wrapping around the brake control cable. Test with the side-to-side test of the handlebar. You will see that that slack cable does not get stretched in any way (this is why you use the fork>brake_cable routing!). Now, at the point where you will start wrapping around the brake cable, put a ty-wrap to secure the lower point of the sensorcable/brakecable wrap. This, along with the ty-wrap you put on the fork, insures that the slack cable stays consistant at all times. Now start wrapping the rest of the sensor cable around, and around, the brake cable until you get near the handlebar (or stem) where you plan to mount the bracket. With a bit of trial and error, decide where your last wind around the brake cable is and mount the computer head bracket. Make sure, once again, that you have enough slack between the bracket and the brake cable when you operate the handlebars. Now go back and install one last ty-wrap at the top of the winds around the brake cable. That's it.

Some people install computer brackets starting by installing the bracket and then winding down towards the sensor. I don't like this as it limits where, on the fork, you can mount your sensor. On many bikes, the distance between the fork leg and the spokes changes and you need to get close to the hub to make sure the sensor and magnet are close enough to each other. This is why I start at the bottom.

And now for an historical note on why I say "ty-wrap", instead of cable ties, or zip ties ...

These were originally designed and manufactured for NASA and the military and were made by a company called Panduit. "Ty-wrap" was their trade mark and they protected it vigorously. Other companies that later manufactured similar type products were forced to come up with new names. A lot of these other products are not good and will break when you tighten them (i.e. Chinese zip ties). But, I can say, for sure, that I have never seen any inferior quality Panduit ty-wraps. Yep, they are more expensive, but, if you are going to launch your bike into space, then use Panduit ;-)))))

OK, now time to watch the Skins beat the Squealers. Haha.

This will be my last post - ever - on mounting wired computers with cadence ;-)
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Old 11-03-08, 09:41 PM
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I agree with starting from the sensor(allowing for checking to make sure it will reach, an issue with very large frames) and I use zip ties on my road bike, because they were easy. Taping looks way better, unless the bike is black
I flat refuse to use a computer on any of my other bikes just because I hate how it looks and the only point(for me) is curiosity about mileage.
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Old 11-03-08, 09:52 PM
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Another good technique: Use a small amount of silicone adhesive under the wire, hold it in place with electrical tape, peel when dry (usually after 24 hours).

It's clean, hides well and can be peeled right off later.
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Old 11-04-08, 03:27 PM
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Not sure about the cadence sensor, but for front fork cyclocomputer sensor mounting on a road bike, i make a wide rubber band out of an old road tube, and use that to wrap the sensor- holds tightly, easy to adjust, and conforms to the shape of the sensor for an "aero" look. Thin rubber bands for the upper part of the fork. As far as the upper part of the wire, just the coil-around-brake-cable method, with tiny zip-ties at the ends if needed.
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Old 11-04-08, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by cascade168
First, mount the sensor on the fork. It is important that the sensor should be pointing forward from the fork leg. If it's pointing backward and gets a slight bump, it will end up in your spokes and all kinds of bad things will happen (think about it). If it's pointing forward and gets bumped, the spokes will just knock it back out of the way and it will make some noise.
You can avoid this issue by using Si adhesive like GOOP where the sensor contacts the fork leg. Use the tie-wraps, too; the sensor won't move if it gets bumped.

This way you can point it backwards where it will be less likely to get bumped in the first place and it will look much better, too.
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Old 11-04-08, 07:52 PM
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Thanks for the good suggestions, guys. But those of you that use zip ties only, I don't know how you get them tight enough so that the wire doesn't sag on the bottom side of the down tube.

I like the silicon adhesive idea. GOOP can be peeled off (by me) relatively easily so I think I'll try that. I think I'll try that under the wire as Wordbiker suggested. Any other suggestions for a silicon adhesive that's more rigid than GOOP but just as easy to peel off?
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Old 11-04-08, 11:24 PM
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Never tried it(for this) but hot glue might work.
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