External Brifter cables vs. Internal routing?
On my 2007 Specialized TriCross, I'm switching from the stock SRAM Rival derailleurs and shifters to Shimano. Long story, but I have the CX70 crank and it's great, so swapping out the entire drive train. The SRAM derailleur is plastic on the back, and I'm concerned about it for the upcoming CX season (I expect a few crashes). So I have an Ultegra RD, and need advice on brakes/shifters. I have Shimano 105 5600s I can put on it, with external shift cables that loop out in front of the bars and into the downtube cable stops. My current SRAM shifters are internally routed. I've heard that external is smoother operationally, but for CX I'm concerned that the cables out in front of the bars will get tangled in a crash or when I try to shoulder the bike. Anyone tried both with CX bikes? Am I paranoid? Or are shifters with internal routing just the standard now for everything and especially critical with CX?