Motolegs

Any experienced hands know of a trick? I just can't seem to get the front derailleur cable to drop through the tiny hole @ the bottom of the down tube. Any sanity savers?

xenologer

details and situations vary
but in general a good trick is to attach the new cable to the old one (before removing it from the frame) and use it to thread the new one through

Jon T

Tape a long piece of string to end of the cable and then suck out the string with a vacuum cleaner. Next time, put the new cable thru the old housing. Pull out the old housing. Slide new housing along new cable.
Jon

FBinNY 

Yes, the first step is to plan ahead, and use the old wire to pull the new wire.

However, if you've already gone too far, there are a number of tricks that folks have used.

If it's a non steel-frame, You can straighten a paper clip, tape it to the end of the cable and use the magnet to guide it to the hole.

Others have used string, led it through, then blown the end out with compressed air. The string is then used to pull the cable.

In some instances, I've threaded a cable up the wrong way, and once it's through, used it a pull.

The key is to think, be creative, and most of all be patient.

Motolegs

Excellent ideas, I'll give it more thought before going at it again tomorrow- thanks. This is a new bike in a box, it's sort of disappointing the FD cable wasn't installed. The rear one was however making it even more of a PITA- having to loosen it enough to remove the cable guide.

3alarmer 

.
...I've had good luck with a piece of baling wire. It bends easily, and it's stiff enough to poke it where you want it to go.

So you can bend a little outward slant onto the end you want to come out at the bottom, then twist it around until you spot the end of it through the hole.


Once you have the baling wire in place, you can use a piece of heatshrink to fasten the cable you want to pull onto the end of the baling wire and pul it through. Usually. Mostly.

rosefarts

I've had 100% success by slightly bending the tip of the cable and fishing.

Bend it about 30 degrees at about the last half inch. Fish it through and spin it with your fingers until it pops out. Use thin plastic tubing as a placeholder if you ever have to remove it.

79pmooney

I always thought the term "internally routed cable" had a misspelling. Isn't it "infernally routed cable"?

Ben

Motolegs

It ought to be. Had to just walk away from the thing to reset, get a new perspective.

wschruba

A galvanized steel cable can often be successfully guided through a frame using a moderately-sized rare-earth magnet. Some bicycles require you to access the bottom bracket guide from inside, some do not, though cable fishing is usually easier with the cranks removed (unless the bottom bracket shell is a continuous metal sleeve).

Once through, you can use the bare cable to thread whatever you need to--housing, liner, etc. Jagwire sells liner in 10 meter rolls that is good for this.

Remember to install any ferrules, noses, adjusters, etc, before installing the correct cable... You can't usually rethread an already crimped shifter cable.

Schwinn me

I use a steel wire, feed through the frame one end of one hole to other. Slide the wire into the cable housing then push the housing through the frame tube while guiding it with the steel wire until it emerges out the other side.

Motolegs

No go on the magnet trick, I seemed to "lose" the thing whenever I got down lower on the tube, perhaps because the carbon gets thicker?

I'd rather mount a hard to seat tire with broken thumbs than do this again. FBin NY has it right with the patience thing, if you start to lose it, walk away for a while.

chorlton

I've just made this up, haven't tried it... Take a cable and, assuming it is too long, chop part of the end off or use some spare left over from elsewhere. Bend it or rather flex it in half and push it through your exit hole such that it expands as a loop inside the tube. Stick the cable you want to fit through the entry hole and work it down the tube just past the exit hole. The assumption is that it will pass through the loop you already have in place. Pull the loop out and it will hopefully drag your cable out with it. Sorry if the description is not very clear.

Motolegs

Finally got it by taking a small stiff wired hook, and grabbing onto it just as it passed by the hole. A little upward force and it popped right out. Now it wont go through the tiny hole below the derailleur. Really?

Haven't been in this many time outs since I was seven.

Edit: After a break the cable dropped in like magic. That much closer to being able to ride the thing!

chorlton

Frayed end or... I know that cables are normally supplied with the ends welded but sometimes the weld is lumpy and that stops them going through small holes. Smear impact adhesive over the end and cut the weld off with the right tool.

Motolegs

Almost done. It's shifting well, after a lot of fooling around and ultimately a trip to the friendly LBS. One more inquiry- there is what looks like an oversize spacer stacked below the actual spacers above the head tube. This is what's used to take the play out of the fork I'm certain, but wanted to check with the experts. Comes with a tiny wrench. It is a carbon bike.

bikeman715

Like to see a photo of it , but in most cases the top cap have a bolt running thou it when is use to tighten or take the play out of the headset , once that is done then then you tighten the stem bolts .

Troul 

Remove the seat post and poke down the cable using a dowel rod.
Or what works best for me if the old cable is not able to be used to coach the new one in-place...
Starting from the exiting end, feed in some 12g single strand wire or trilene fishing string [big game] and once routed to the entry point, grab the helper line with needle nose pliers. Affix the new cable to the helper line then pull thru the new cable.

Prepare the channel in advance by blowing out any stagnant debris. I like to inject molten wax from the top down when tugging thru the cable. Few times in the process i also blow out any excess wax before it solidifies.

SquidPuppet

Classic.

oldbobcat

A j-headed spoke works excellently as a small stiff wired hook. Other tips: always thread from the smaller hole to the bigger hole; attach thin plastic tubing to the old cable before you pull it through, then thread the new cable with the tubing; use gravity; be patient--if you feel resistance pushing the cable in, pull it back a bit, jiggle it around, and try again. And understand that it gets easier with practice.

FBinNY 

This is maybe the handiest tool for those who deal with infernal cable routing.


You thread it through the far hole and let it open inside the tube. Push the wire down and with any luck you'll send it through and trap it in the threader. This isn't a first time every time deal, but it's not hard either.

Test to see if the wire is trapped by trying to withdraw the tool. Once you've trapped the wire, pull the tool back to hole it against the hole while you carefully pull the wire back until just the end is trapped. Then pulling on the tool , push the wire forward, and with any luck (and it does take some luck) you can guide the end out the hole.

stevoo

On new builds I use a piece of .045" TIG filler wire. Fish it thru the frame. Shrink tube the end to the new cable. Then pull thru.

For replacements just use existing cable and shrink tube new one to it. Draw new cable into frame from top down.

Motolegs

It threw me because I'd never seen one, and there weren't instructions, just the tiny 2mm wrench and a pictogram of how to adjust it. Weird but it works.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...drQ2dt0ydoqexZ

Edit: it's a tiny torx wrench. I had to max out the adjustment to finally eliminate the bearing play, at which time the thing stripped

evan326

Magnets

thumpism 

The first time I ever had to route cables like this was on a Klein and both cables practically fell through the holes in the frame. I should have suspected at the time that something was very wrong, but every attempt since has been challenging, maddening and time consuming. I've tried most of the tricks mentioned so far and most work to some extent but I prefer the method that worked for me the first time.