front brake cable routing with suspension stem and cantilever brakes
03-15-09, 11:43 AM
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front brake cable routing with suspension stem and cantilever brakes
I converted an old Diamondback Sorrento mtb into a singlespeed, b/c it has horizontal dropouts.
The frame doesn't have clearance to run a suspension fork, and I found that riding with no suspension wasn't very comfortable, so I sprang for a suspension stem (no pun intended). The stem is an early-1990's Softride (with parallelogram and coil spring) that I got on eBay and is the same dimensions (150mm extension, 15-degree rise) as the unsprung stem that I'd originally put on the bike.
In the bike's initial build, I'd routed the front brake cable over and around the stem to go into the cable hanger attached to the upper headset race, as shown in this picture (click for larger).
But the Softride stem is much thicker and also flexes downward by design, which makes the front brake cable routing trickier. I'd appreciate feedback on options. 1 and 2 are easiest, 3 and 4 may be optimal but I'm not looking for this bike to be a big-money project.
1. cable over and around the stem as with the original stem. Puts the cable housing at a weird angle entering the cable hanger, but not too bad.
2. cable under the stem. This also puts the cable housing at a weird angle entering the cable hanger, but again not too bad.
3. get a different cable hanger. either one that sits lower or one that attaches to the fork crown.
4. use a v-brake-style noodle to enter the cable hanger. might be a pain to fix up but should work well.
The frame doesn't have clearance to run a suspension fork, and I found that riding with no suspension wasn't very comfortable, so I sprang for a suspension stem (no pun intended). The stem is an early-1990's Softride (with parallelogram and coil spring) that I got on eBay and is the same dimensions (150mm extension, 15-degree rise) as the unsprung stem that I'd originally put on the bike.
In the bike's initial build, I'd routed the front brake cable over and around the stem to go into the cable hanger attached to the upper headset race, as shown in this picture (click for larger).
But the Softride stem is much thicker and also flexes downward by design, which makes the front brake cable routing trickier. I'd appreciate feedback on options. 1 and 2 are easiest, 3 and 4 may be optimal but I'm not looking for this bike to be a big-money project.
1. cable over and around the stem as with the original stem. Puts the cable housing at a weird angle entering the cable hanger, but not too bad.
2. cable under the stem. This also puts the cable housing at a weird angle entering the cable hanger, but again not too bad.
3. get a different cable hanger. either one that sits lower or one that attaches to the fork crown.
4. use a v-brake-style noodle to enter the cable hanger. might be a pain to fix up but should work well.
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"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
03-15-09, 11:57 AM
#2
mechanically sound
I've used a rollamajig in a similar application that worked well. BTW bar-ends on risers?...really?
03-15-09, 12:04 PM
#3
hello
I would get a lower hanger instead of the noodle here. Even a 45 degree noodle will add at least an inch of height and may cause interference.
03-15-09, 12:17 PM
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I'm 6'5" and most bikes are too small for me. The risers get my hands in about the right spot. So bar-ends are as if a normal person had bar-ends on a flat bar 
I like the rollamajig idea.
I might just try one of the cable-routing options first and see how it works before buying something else.
I like the rollamajig idea.
I might just try one of the cable-routing options first and see how it works before buying something else.
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"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
03-15-09, 03:54 PM
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Food for thought: if you aren't dead by 2050, you and your entire family will be within a few years from starvation. Now that is a cruel gift to leave for your offspring. ;)
https://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/arti...ger-photos.htm
Food for thought: if you aren't dead by 2050, you and your entire family will be within a few years from starvation. Now that is a cruel gift to leave for your offspring. ;)
https://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/arti...ger-photos.htm
03-16-09, 01:19 PM
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https://www.tektro.com/02products/accessories.php
get the long one for 1" steerers.
get the long one for 1" steerers.
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"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
03-16-09, 02:45 PM
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Get a straight bar and raise the stem to compensate for the lak of bar rise. Also get a longer cable hanger.
03-16-09, 04:50 PM
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Hey Tim,
I'm in the same situation. I bought a used Softride susp stem to put on my old rigid Diamondback Apex. I currently don't have a solution but am probably going to go with a fork crown hanger since I want to be able to put my stem as low as it will go.
Probably this one https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1805
But this one looks kinda cool
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-T...akes-14032.htm
I'm in the same situation. I bought a used Softride susp stem to put on my old rigid Diamondback Apex. I currently don't have a solution but am probably going to go with a fork crown hanger since I want to be able to put my stem as low as it will go.
Probably this one https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1805
But this one looks kinda cool
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-T...akes-14032.htm
Last edited by Gonzo Bob; 03-16-09 at 04:56 PM.
