Doctor Morbius

I think that all depends on which chain lube was used.

ColaJacket

It was only a few seconds (<10s), but it makes sense, since most of the aero bikes have internal cabling, and the really expensive ones (e.g. Venge Vias) even route the cables through the handlebars.

I didn't bookmark the article, and I can't find it now.

GH

Nikephoros

The real answer is there are a lot of retro-grouches on this forum who hate any bike technology newer than 15 years. Proof: style likes and dislikes thread.

Stucky

My bike has internal routing- I consider it just another needless gimmick/complication that adds no tangible benefit. Simple machines are best when kept simple. I suspect internal routing was invented just so the bikes could be different, and to make older bikes seem "old-fashioned and out-dated"- like most other cycling technologies. I don't hate internal routing....but given the choice, I'd rather have it the old-fashioned way.

SloButWide 

We all crazies.

Fixed that for you.

BoSoxYacht

I don't doubt there is a very very small aero benefit, but a few seconds is no real benefit to most road riders on this forum.

Dave Mayer

I've bought two high-end carbon frames over the last 3 years. One with external and one with internal routings.

The frame with internal routing is outstanding, in terms of weight (<900g), stiffness, ride quality, aero profile ... everything.

But the setup for the internal routing was wretched misery - something that I do not plan on repeating. A few months after getting this bike running, I bust a front derailleur cable, and the fix requires I pull out both cables (front and rear derailleurs) and re-install. I could not be bothered, so a $5,000 bike hangs on a hook. I have a fleet of other bikes.

There are a lot of great bikes out there, but I'll purchase ones with external routing.

redlude97

replacing cables on an internally routed bike is infinitely easier than running them initially if there are no guides. Send it over this way if its such a hassle

Dave Mayer

Don't have a clue what you're referring to. I've built up dozens of bikes from parts. External routed frames have housing terminators attached to the outside of the frame. If they are missing then you take the frame back for a refund.

redlude97

We're talking about the internally routed bike you are complaining about. To replace the cables you just use fishing line/floss to attach to the end of the cable as you pull through the old cable, then use that as a guide to pull the new cable through. It takes no extra time at all.

rpenmanparker 

He means that once you get it put together the first time, after that it is easy to do it again. You can attach a cord to the end of the wire and pull it through as a guide for replacing the wire, OR you can run outer cable liner over the wire, pull it through, and leave it in the frame to guide the wire back in. Both methods work. But if those things fail, or for the initial setup, as I said in my case, with a wide open BB shell, there shouldn't be much problem running the wires. All you have to do is uninstall the crank and BB if they are in place. Not fun, but not the end of the world either.

I <3 Robots

I have two bikes with internal cables. Its hit or miss. Sometimes I can thread the cable just right and it pops out the bottom...other times...I need to bust out the coat hanger and fish for it. The worst experience I had so far is with my mountain bike. I had to route the brake hose from the back of the frame. That took me all afternoon to do.

It's something I don't fiddle with often. It's been two years since I've messed with the shifter cables on my S2 and since April (when I got the frame) on my MTB. IMO...people seem to blow this out of proportion...and it's the guys that don't have internally routed frames that do it.

C9H13N 

On my Cervelo (old Al frame model) the internal routing is as easy as any external routed bike I've ever seen in my life. Both shift cables exit the frame right in front of the guide under the BB shell. The rear brake cable comes out a large opening in the bottom of the top tube and has a fitting for the cable housing ferrule that completely fills the opening.

Psimet2001 

Why the hate?

I can tell you that fishing a replacement inner through a frame blindly with a racer, their father and mother, team members and officials surrounding you while the rest of the field is on the start line all while the official is asking every 30 seconds "how much more time will be needed gentlemen" is a "blast" compared with being able to run an external inner through cable stops in seconds at most.

Why not just follow it with floss or fishing line or a re-used tubing from the frame initially? This was a walk up at a race minutes before the start because his inner snapped in half and was lost in the frame. Shiz happens.

All of the stories in here are always through the reference of a home mechanic with all the time int he world or a chop mechanic who has all the tools and time as well as the nice indoor weather and lighting of a shop.

In the shop I can run most internals in very little time. Internal hydraulic disc brake lines have caused some heartache before, but for the most part all new frames come with routing tubes. I have stacks of those saved so the time it takes to run replacement routings is small.

So is internal routing OK? It can be. It sure has gotten a lot better. Is it the best? IMHO - no. If you're racing I would prefer to see you on external routing as just about any race mechanic can re-run new lines in a minute or two if need be. Do I hate internal routings? ....I guess the answer is yes.

So...that's why I hate them.

rpenmanparker 

Excellent answer Rob, and it is not one bit diminished by the fact that my question was purely rhetorical.

I keed!

Seriously, thanks for the input from the viewpoint of participants in organized events. Most of what you hear on the 41 is griping from amateurs with the implication that it is easy for the pros. It is nice to see a different perspective on this.

Jeremy_S

I've restrung my Podium twice in less than 20 minutes both times. No fishing line no cables no nothing. Out with the old, in with the new. Just manipulate the frame in one hand to make the cable fall where you need it as you push through.

raria

Is internal cabling worth it? I'm particularly interested if its worth it if you don't ride often in the rain. Infact I only ride in the rain if I get caught in it by mistake!

datlas 

LIke most inquiries on here, the correct answer is "it depends."

I don't think rain is really a factor though.

p.s. this is a 3 year old thread, but possibly better than most threads that have been posted since then.

Kimmo 

The main problem with internal routing is that the hard work of doing it properly is invisible, just like the heinous sins of omission that more often occur. There's very little incentive beyond a good work ethic to do it right.

Also, the ways of doing it wrong include not just making maintenance a hassle, but also potentially stuffing up shift quality, an unthinkable proposition with external routing. Giant, of all companies, performed a monumental cock-up on the old Propel, where the shift housing from the bars meets a stop in the top tube, then goes through a couple of lengths of brake housing type stuff, just flopping around in the downtube. This mess, including the top tube stop, is just held in place with cable tension!

What a joke.

str8jakett

Yeah I hate the top tube cable stop on my Propels but it seems (from what I can see) that I have two full length aluminum housings running from those stops all the way to the bottom bracket where the FD cable will route through the plastic guide up through the seat tube and the RD cable into the chain stay. The housing is secured through the downtube as it isn't loose at all. I really appreciate all the internal routing (too the point of upgrading my handlebar to internal routing) but I could definitely do without the two cable loops diving into the top tube right behind the headset. Making these minimal and clean puts a lot of pressure on that top tube stop so it doesn't sit pretty.

Racing Dan

Your experiences may not reflect other ppls experiences. Lots of ppl have complained its a chore replacing cables on internally routed bikes. For instance, replacing the whole outer, brifter to rear DR, when you could in many cases just replace the loop, does seem like a chore to me.

DrIsotope

It's annoying. It's unlikely that to the average person, any possible gains of having the cables inside the frame could ever be offset by the hassle of dealing with installation/removal. Anyone who makes the claim that internal cables are as easy to run as traditional frame stops... is pulling our collective leg.

mstateglfr 

I have 2 road bikes from the mid/late 80s with internal rear brake routing.
both are pretty easy to set up. Just dont pull both the cable and housing st the same time. Keep on in the frame at all times and the other routes easily.
These are both full housing.

on the frame i built this winter, we set it up with internal rear brake housing, but with cable stops. The bare cable is routed inside the top tube with a thin tube of brass thats brazed to the cable stops.

its fantastic. But i dont race or need to replace the internal cables at the last second. That could be frustrating for sure.

WalksOn2Wheels

Man, what a blast from the past. I really talk too much.

But another thought: How often are you changing cables? If once or even twice a year on the extreme end, is the extra hassle really reducing your quality of life that much? If you know what you're doing on an already cabled bike and have the cable sheath stuff to run through the frame, you're only adding like a couple of minutes to the job.

Stucky

It doesn't matter either way. Internal cabling has no practical benefits over traditional cabling- it's just an aesthetic thing- strictly for looks/fashion; a gimmick. And it just makes life more difficult when you need to change a cable. Bicycles are simple machines. They were perfected decades ago; the marketers keep coming up with new gimmicks and adding new technologies which often add nothing to the cycling experience (and often detract from it) just to have new features to tout, and to try and shame the fashion-conscious into buying the latest bikes.

So choose what you like. If you do your own maintenance and repair, the internal cabling will prove to be an unneeded headache, especially if you plan on keeping your bike for many years.