When did cable stops on the head tube first start to appear? Asking for a friend.

Can't say I've ever seen one. :shrug:

Richard Sachs and Waterford are probably the most notable for their current use of them in the brifter era, but I'm sure someone did it in the bar-end era.

For those wondering...


image from Ceeway's website.
This one's cast into the bottom lug. I'm sure someone must have brazed them on prior to availability.

I'm going to guess it was sometime in the 90s after the introduction of brifters. I don't recall seeing them ever during the bar end era (which in reality was the DT shifter era).

However, it is very possible some custom builder brazed on head tube stops long before that. In fact I'd be surprised if someone hadn't. I've worked on a lot of bikes, but haven't seen everything.

I've got them on a 2000 LeMond, though obviously they appeared earlier than that. Frankly, they're a bit inconvenient even with brifters because they tend to put a shift cable in conflict with the front brake cable.

Specifically centerpull cables, including cantilevers. Bad combo -- the centerpull cable kinks the shifter housings at the braze-on, when the bars swing to the extremes on either side. You never do that while riding of course, but it'll inevitably happen while transporting, parking etc.. No so much of a problem with sidepulls, including dual pivot.

Late '70s, early '80s, place I worked put them on a few custom racing bikes that were going to use bar-end shifters. Obviously the customer had to be pretty sure they liked bar-ends. We knew not to do it if the brake was a centerpull.

Advantage was the bar-end cables don't rub the paint on the head tube when you swing the bars from side to side.

A variant was stops on the DT, but rings on the HT to corral or guide the housings, again preventing paint rub. Still a no-go with centerpulls.

Mark B in Seattle

Maybe Trek just brazed them too low on these LeMonds or maybe it’s how high the cable arm is on modern Shimano brakes, but I’ve specifically had problems with dual pivots. I had the same issue with a ‘99 Nevada City and a 2000 Buenos Aires.

My Argos has bell shaped head tube cable stops. The idea is that it allows the ferrules to pivot when one turns the steering. I'll try to get some close-up photos soon. I haven't ridden the bike much as I had intended to do some updates on it.

This is an older photo from when I bought it.

Found this pic from a 1989 Sancineto, so at least the late 80's!

^^^^^ Except those are more guides, than stops.

My 2003 Serotta. Both my Serottas came with them. No brake cable interference. I just had some put on my new Gunnar. The cables don't wear the paint on the head tube the way they do with downtube stops.