Originally Posted by
canyoneagle
Yep, I agree. I also wrenched in the 70's and 80's. The main issue with the front routing is that on smaller frames with stems longer than 70mm or so, the cable to the front brake can get a bit sharp. Not so much an issue on larger frames. The rear cable does not matter nearly as much.
Most C&V folks tend to stick with the rear routing to maintain the "preferred" set up for "most" of the racers in the day.
+1 on small frame sidepull setups, also on almost any size frame with front centerpulls or cantilevers, especially with the casing stop on the headset stack. You can't get smooth cable travel routing in front of the bars unless you're using a noodle, or a casing stop that mounts like a reflector bracket, through the fork crown brake hole.