Chris9

How do most people route a wired computer and cadence sensor? What is the best way to make it look clean? Pictures are welcome.
Thanks

JayC

Use tape thats close to the same color as the bike to hold the wire in place. If it's a black frame, you're in luck. If its not, you can still get colored electrical tape.. kind of the luck of the draw as to how well it matches.

Grambo

Use zip ties ..... available at any hardware store / variety of colors. One tie where your head tube and down tube meet. Another tie where your seat tube / down tube / bottom bracket meet. Run the wire along the underside of the tubes / bottom bracket and out to the seat stay.

Ironic Mullet

I've used a combination of clear packing tape and zip ties with good results.

sestivers

I am very anal about my cyclometer. I don't have a cadence sensor, but I do it like this (and if I had a different colored bike than black, I would buy colored electrical tape and zip-ties to match):








I am also very particular about having a stem mount. I think it looks 1,000,000 times better than a bracket on your handlebar. Funny I am stating all these OCP things and am showing pictures of my bike in such dirty condition.

Also note that I run the wire on the rear edge of the fork with the sensor on the rear as well for a cleaner look. However, most would not recommend this because if the spokes or magnet catch the sensor, it will be pulled into the spokes and will likely damage the wheel.

SteveE

Are you running Campy or Shimano?

With Campy and black cable housing, I use black electrical tape to run the wire along the underside of the rear derailleur cable housing. At the cablesboss, run the computer wire underneath the downtube and hold it in place with electrical tape and run it under the bottom bracket. Take up the slack in a little bundle and fasten it to the left-side chainstay with a zip tie right behind the seat tube.

Chris9

I'm running shimano. I'm just exploring my options between wired and wireless seeing if its worth the extra money to have no cables. My college team may be getting a deal on garmins, but if not i'll probably go in the opposite direction and get an astrale 8.

JayC

If you were really OCP, you'd put the extra cable underneath your bar tape

Pictures coming soon

sestivers

That's not extra cable... it's a lanyard for my ferry pass. I leave it hung on my bike so that I don't forget it when I leave for work.

But I should have a black-lidded water bottle!

San Rensho 

I start with the cadence sensor, fix that to the frame, then move back and fix the speedo sensor. Pull the wire taught between the two. Then I attach the wire(s) from the sensor to the downtube near the BB.

Then I mount the display to the bars and fix the wire, leaving enough slack for bar rotation, to the downtube near the headtube with a zip tie.

There now remains a bunch of loose wire between the zip ties on the downtube near the BB and the zip tie near the headtube. I now make one or two loops (depending on how much slack there is), pull them outward so all the wire is now taught and then zip tie each end of the loop to the downtube.

You can run the wire on the underside of the downtube so it is out of sight.

redfooj

my trick is to use small colored zip-ties
so a few red zip ties on the down tube, and the slack i gather and tie up with zip tie under the left chainstay

inconspicious... except the big white speed sensor on the chainstay because i ran out of Reds

"Fred"

I start out like San Rensho Then I run the wire up the down tube securing it with electrical tape. Use elctrical tape it is flexable thin and easy to remove without damaging your finish. Then wrap the extra wire around your cables leaving enough slack to turn your wheel. Finally mount the head unit and wala your done. This is backwards from the instructions and you have to be very carefull and patient when weaving the head unit inbetween your cables. However it creates the cleanest look you will get with a wired unit. No ugly zip ties that leave wear marks on your frame.

Pictures of the downtube as you can see I have a black frame that turns silver and you cant see the tape when done.


Pictures of the transition between downtube and wires.


pictures of the cables. Dont forget to leave enough slack to turn. I also use a little tape to secure the wires to the cables.


As you can see (or can't see) the finished product.

CrimsonKarter21

I've seen the cadence cald routed along the FD cable on the downtube, and the speed senson wrapped around the front brake cable housing. it looked good.

Chris9

Thanks a ton guys. Guess if I am to go the wired route i need to pick up some white zips and electrical tape.

SteveE

The way Redfooj shows is the cleanest looking method, IMHO. Wrapping it around the cable housing looks ugly. Other than that - nice bike "Fred".

Chris9

Redfooj- you used cable housing to run the wire to the downtube correct?

slvoid

I used to have it twirled around the FD cable, it looked pretty neat.

NuckingFuts

Sweet setup, but what happens when you need to change out the cable? I'd hate to keep doing that over and over again...

slvoid

Ideally you shouldn't be using your FD that much. I know I stay in the big ring most of the time on long flat rides and with a lot of climbs, I'm in the little ring anyway.

But, it's not that hard since the cadence cable (at least on the specialized turbo's) is a very very thick cable (about 3x thicker than the flimsy cateye ones). It holds the spiral shape pretty well and you can just thread a new cable right through it.

redfooj

yes, i ran it down parallel with the RD cable housing (no looping) using electric tape

roadscrape

For my computer wire, I stick to the inside of the fork with 3M Clear Tape 3/4 in. wide. It sticks far better than electrical tape, isn't bothered by heat, and being crystal clear is excellent for any frame color, esp. if you have a color fade paint job.

I run the tape over the length of the wire - that way nothing can catch on the wire and pull it loose. Plastic ties leave the wire exposed to catching on something and thus pulling the wire.