Originally Posted by
msu2001la
Serious question here - do new bikes really come from the factory to shops with shifters/brakes attached to the drop bar? Are they pre-wrapped too?
I've always assumed that shops were installing shifters and cables on new bikes.
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The answer to this is..... it depends. I have assembled hundreds of bikes from dozens of manufacturers. I have seen brake levers not installed on handlebars. I have seen the levers installed but the bars not taped. I have seen bikes come in that have the bars fully taped ready to go. My son's road bike arrived with the hydraulic brake hoses not connected. I used to work for a bike distributor whose bikes came in as bare frames, the customer could then order any build kit we stocked and the shop would build the bike from a bare frame. I certainly would not expect the manufacturer to install frame protection to protect the head tube from cable rub in advance, depending on setup, the rub area could change from one build to another. When I received my Canyon Grizl, there was no frame protection installed, but it was supplied with the parts needed to assemble the bike. I have a couple of road bikes that don't have any protection on the head tube because none is needed, they are both over 15 years old with no hint of cable rub damage in that area