Howdy all. I recently got myself a 2007 Trek Soho as I work myself back into biking for commuting and general health. So far, I'm very pleased with this Soho, but already my mind is looking forward to my next bike as I gradually decide what I like and don't like, want, etc.

One thing I like about this Soho is how the cables for the deraillieur and brakes are threaded inside the frame to minimize the amount of cabling exposed on the outside. I've never had a bike like that, and it seems to be a great idea offhand. Less exposed cable means less opportunity to snag on it. If the need arose, I could wrap something around the frame to help carry something without interfering with the cable.

In looking at other bikes, like Cannondale for example, it seems this method of threading the cables inside the frame hasn't taken off with all bike manufacturers. At least in so far as I can tell from looking at the photos of their bikes. So... I'm wondering if there's any downsides to running cables this way? Offhand, I suppose water could seep inside through the openings and lead to rusting from the inside perhaps? Any other thoughts or insight?