Cable stop options.
 

I just put down my deposit for a custom steel bike. One of the options was for the cable stops to be on the downtube or headtube.

I opted for the head tube, for two reasons:
(1) i won't have to worry about cables rubbing on the head tube
(2) if i end up running an electronic group at some point, it would be cleaner - I could run the wires through the head tube cable stops, join them on the downtube just behind the head tube, and conceal them with an external wiring channel.

Agree? Right decision?

right. who are you going with?

Giovanni Pelizzoli, aka Ciöcc :)
Corsa GP (pelizzoliworld.com)

So you finally heard back from them?

yes. I'm glad I asked for the forums opinions...user "mrjav" got on the phone with me and talked through my concerns, gave me a lot of good advice, helped me make my order sheet correctly.
then the Italians got back to me, and I put down the deposit.

metallic blue front triangle, metallic gray rear triangle :thumbsup:

Sounds pretty. I went through the same thing with my build -- just got it recently (see separate post).

In my case, I was heading that way but changed my mind in part in talking to Ira Ryan, who built mine. Idea was a combination of a classic look and the ability to "go retro" in the future and use DT friction shifters. As much as I like modern mechanical gear sets, I am more likely to go to friction shifters than electronic, and even if I did the DT posts are pretty enough.

It's all a matter of taste, though. Keep in mind that even though it's YOUR bike, it's also got their name on it. A custom bike, based on my experience, is more of a collaboration than ordering up exactly what you want.

That said, sounds very pretty. Don't forget to show us when it arrives.

BTW, if you are worried about rubbing, jag wire makes cool "bumpers" that slide over the cable housing to protect the frame. And if you are as OCD as I am, you can also put some clear plastic on the frame.

well re: collaboration...
I sent him a very detailed build sheet, with a pic of my current bike, setup measurements, and geometry, and a description of my riding style. told him I wanted an aggressive, race-able bike, etc.

I don't know how their process will go from here, but I have a feeling that a guy with this much experience will just kind of know what works. I'm going to send him some more pics of me and my bike for reference.

assuming everything goes well, I'll do a write up in a few months documenting the process for others who might be as unsure as I was about this.

Cool. Send me a PM if you want another sounding board of someone who went through it recently. A long, drawn out and complicated process. But also great fun.

thank you - i think i'm stable for right now. I was initially very worried that the bike would be too "custom" and be very weird compared to the geometry of my Cervelo. I just have to chill and have faith. Oddly enough most of the bikes i've owned have been bought online without trying them (just getting geometry close to what i'm used to), i should have faith in the guy.