Switching handlebars: Solutions for quick cable interchange
 

Hi

This might be a long shot and i'm appealing to the imagination or know-how more than anything.

I'm creating about 3 different handlebars i want to be able to switch between on my bike.
Each already has it's break/gear/grip/bell mounted which are mounted in different locations on what are different length handlebars. That said the differences distance wise is relatively close in terms of toleration of a single cable length.

Is there any way i can keep the brake and gear cables which are permanently mounted on the bike frame in place and switch between my handlebars without having to unwire the cables from the actual brake/gear levers ?

Does some kind of adpator/connector/quick attachment fixture exist which would simply allow me to connect a set of short installed cable lengths coming off my handlebar directly with the cables which are secured to the bike frame ?
If not does anyone have the know-how to propose a hack or mod to achieve this ?

i hope that's clear ! Basically i want to just join the ends of cable together in a snap/close/ release mechanism rather than delve into the guts of handlebar levers each time i switch the handlebars.

thanks for your feedback folks - appreciated
sp

Can't you just slide the brake and shifter levers off the bars without disconnecting the cables?

Then let the cable and levers dangle while you swap bars?

What sort of handlebars/brake levers/shifters are you asking about? It could be an expensive proposition to purchase 3 sets of brake levers and shifters for 3 different handlebars

hi
https://www.ergotec.de/en/products/l...ugel-25-4.html
and H & P type:
https://www.bikefolded.com/brompton-...r-differences/

The sizes are quite close but the shapes vary. On the Toulouse i want the swept back grips to house the gear and brake lever.

One of the issues is that the twist gear handle i want to install on the Toulouse has a different end to the Brompton gear lever housing:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Sturmey-Arc...d=263889502484
and
https://www.rutlandcycling.com/compo...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
So switching the gear wire between these two isn't an option.

It's this fundamental different which is driving me towards this idea.

My main concern is, in principle can it be achieved and if so how ?

sphttps://www.cyclechat.net/styles/def...smls/smile.gif

Jtek Cable Splitter

Components - da Vinci Designs See easy split handlebar kit
See S & S couplers, DaVinci tandems, Rinko bikes

+1 on the cable splitters. I had both shift and brake cable splitters on an S&S coupled Co-Motion travel bike and they worked well. Years ago Bruce Gordon made a bike called the "Rock and Road" that came with two sets of handlebars, drop bars for the road and flat bars for off-road, and used these splitters to make changes fast and easy. BTW, this is not an inexpensive approach.

thanks - cable splitters seem the way forward
wasn't sure what 'not inexpensive' refers to ?

It means equipping two or more sets of bars with shifters, brake levers and cables costs a fair bit. The splitters themselves aren't too costly but you need several of them for multiple bars.

To work best, you would need to buy three sets - one for each pair of handlebars. Otherwise, you would need to release the grub screws each time you changed bars to move the “male” Side of the connector to the new set of bars. This would be hard on the cables and you will have problems with fraying.

I was wondering about cable fraying too. Once the 'grub screw' is tightened does that fray the end of the cable so much that it's impossible to re-insert? Therefore requiring the frayed end to have to be cut, and eventually rendering the cable too short to use?

Dan

The DaVinci "handlebar" kit includes an extra pair of the handlebar side connector and for his third set it can also be purchased separately, so there would be no need to be removing the ends once installed on the cable.

IIRC, [MENTION=392125]79pmooney[/MENTION] does this with one of his bikes, or used to.

Cable splitters are typically installed on a cable once and left in place for the duration of the cable's service life. They are not removed and replaced multiple times.

thanks folks - v useful

1. I agree - one piece for every cable
2. I wont be changing handlebars too regularly - so i don't fore see any issues around over use
3. Someone mentioned to me i could use something called 'outer joiners' as a budget alternative option ? I havent been able to clarify what this option is on google. Can anyone advise ?

cheers sp

Huh? S&S Machine (the manufacturer of the frame couplers) sells them for bikes that are split apart for travel: Cable splitters for S&S Coupled travel bikes
They allow an otherwise full-size bike to be broken down to fit in a smaller case.

Never heard of cable splitters until this thread. Love learning something new and potentially useful. :)

I know exactly what cable splitters are and I had them on my own S&S coupled bike. What I meant by "not removed" is that the halves of the splitters are permanently installed on the cut cable ends and left in place. The splitters are then taken apart by unscrewing the halves to "split" the cable for bike disassembly or handlebar change and later the cable is reassembled by screwing the splitter's halves back together.

Ah so... I forget to read the post you were replying to. (Poor grammar, I know.) My apologies.