I am looking for a full suspension bike with dropper seatpost, mechanical shifter cables. With the current hardtail MTB (which has traditional internal routing) I have I do night rides and long distance rides as well. I also plan to do multi-day bike packing. One issue I face according to my internet research, is how much weight to give to integrated vs traditional internal cable routing. Especially considering it from a bikepacking/touring/headlight/headbar bag point of view besides the usual mechanics/maintenance pros/cons.

I wonder if your bike has integrated headset cable routing or the traditional side ports on the frame or no internal routing at all, and how you deal with it. Was it (or would be if you bought a new bike) a deliberate choice to pick this type of cable routing?

Here are my thoughts:

From experience I know that the cockpit cable jungle can have a bad effect on:
- headlight (shadows)
- handlebar bag

From what I read on the net I understand that bike mechanics hate integrated headset routing, it adds complexity, maintenance time & price, maybe even waste. Also if things go bad during a trip, then it's a much bigger issue to fix in the middle of nowhere with integrated routing.

From the AI generated responses to my questions (not sure how reliable) I see that there are both pros/cons for both routing types:

Integrated:
+ no headlight shadow
+ less cable clutter
- top tube bag's strap around the head tube/stem spacers can push on the port, cables
- maintenance nightmare

Traditional:
+ easier repair, maintenance
- cable clutter, paint chaffing

And I'm not sure if either type is better for handlebag bars...

Please share your experience, which handlebags work well with your cockpit.

Go look up the Berm Peak guy on YouTube about headset routing. He has a very good piece on how it adds significantly to the cost of repairs. One example is of someone who damaged a dropper post cable that was a $30 part but required somewhere around $600 in labor to replace it. I’d pass.

I’ve used handlebar bags on various bikes from traditional handlebars to a Revelate Design harness. to a metal rack that replaces a spacer on the steer tube. All of them work and I’ve never really had an issue with the cables. I don’t (nor would I) own a bike with internal routing of any kind. I especially don’t want one of the headset routed bikes.

Here’s some examples. Early on I tried using V-brake noodles on 9 speed shift cables. They worked but the cables eventually twisted through use.



Here’s a Revelate Design harness that just presses down on the cables. Never was an issue but it doesn’t feel right.



I found this rack on Etsy. I did reroute that yellow cable behind the rack.




Here it is in use with a Revelate Sweet Roll bag.



Same set up with a different bike.



And this is how I use my handlebar bag on my road touring bike currently. I just have slightly longer shift cables than would normally be used.




All of these methods work and I have zero issues with the cables. Even the Revelate that squishes the cables down a lot has never interfered with shifting nor braking.

I don’t use a light while touring and my bikes for commuting were set up differently so I never had any issues with shadows with lights.

Internal routing is only really useful on a high-end road racing bike, when aerodynamics decide races, and you're aiming for a prize pool.
Everywhere else it's an extremely expensive pain in the ass, and touring is the last possible place to have it.

For mounting things on handlebars, there are many solutions that don't cause issues with cables, by pushing the bag out a bit.

• Bags with integrated standoffs - like the Ortlieb Handlebar bags - the mount itself clamps to the bar and pushes the bag out.
• Rigid harnesses for dry bags - like the Tailfin Bar Cage, a rigid system that clamps on to the bars that lets you strap on your own dry bags to tents. Most have an elevated light mount.
• Bolt on rack - like the Carradice Bagman, a bolt-on shelf to support a bag, works best with one of their bags.
• Strap on rack - like the Jack the Bike Rack, similar to the Bagman but straps on, so you can move it from bike to bike.
• Rando rack/bag combos - like the Gramm Diamond Rack/Bag, a system like Carradice, but mounted to the fork crown and blades instead of the handlebars, and provides a low light mount.

I'm not even getting into baskets, wider front racks, etcetera.

Internal routing looks nice but makes repairs significantly more expensive and pain in the ass. I would say they might make you a tiny bit faster but honestly they are just a bigger pain for a mechanic and a massive headache in the field.

Schnee said it best with, "...touring is the last possible place to have it."

THE LAST PLACE!!!

I will never purchase a bike with this abomination. Doubt I'd even take one for free! Yes, Seth's Berm Peak video is worth watching. Owning a bike with this would be horrible to service in a pristine shop environment. But out on the road touring? Assembling your bike in an airport or train station? A roadside repair? And some proprietary part disappears or snaps? NO WAY! NEVER!

Touring and bikepacking rely on simplicity and ease of repair. Readily-available replacement parts too. Integrated cable/stem/cockpits are the ANTITHESIS of this idea. If I had my way, I'd outlaw this stupidity on consumer bikes. Let the pros who ride a bike for a season or less and have pro team mechanics servicing these things will all the proprietary replacement parts on hand "enjoy" this "technology." But Average Joe? Crazy!

If you're THAT worried about shadows cast from your handlebar light, add a helmet light to your setup. This will eliminate this problem without creating a nightmare. Or if using a dyno, mount your light in a better place.

This video by Bike Sauce is also really good. He's an engineering teacher, and goes into the impracticalities of it clearly and quickly.

I think internal routing is only used for really expensive bikes where the owner is willing to spend lots to have what they think is the best looking bike around. And maintenance costs do not matter to people like that.

Or those people that regret getting it on their first bike, never to be gotten again.

Touring, internal routing would create more holes for water to get inside your frame.

If you are bothered by any shadow from your cable when your light is on, move the light or cable. But a good light with a good reflector should not have any shadow from a cable.

My touring bikes have fork crown mounted lights, or no installed headlamp. My heavy duty touring bike, when I am riding near home I put a dyno powered light on the fork crown.



And as you can see above, I have plenty of cables too, including two shift cables on the twist grip shifter on the bar end. And I have plenty of wires for the dynohub power source, the headlamp, a wire to the taillamp, and a wire to the USB charger that is powered by the dynohub.

But when touring on that bike, my light is one that I strap onto the handlebar instead. The light has no battery, only a USB cable, below:



When touring on that bike, the only wire on the bike is from the dynohub to the USB charger. No other wires.

My rando bike, below, has a real spaghetti bowl of wires and cables behind the handlebar bag, below. But I live with it.

Well no. Today even when I am in the market for an ALUMINIUM frame mid-range mountain bike, half of the bikes come with cables through the headset. See for example: but here are some more:

aluminium: Scott Spark, KTM Scarp, Obrea Oiz, Merida One-Twenty
carbon: Merida Ninety Six, Polygon Syncline
and the list goes on...

In my opinion you should probably stay away and actually look at new old stock of the older model, just don't tell the sales man you don't like the cable routing on the new model.
And if you do like it then it doesn't matter what anyone else says get it. I have a friend that bought an aero race bike because he loves how it looks but he can only ride it for an hour at most because of the ride position. That still doesn't stop him loving his bike. He got it cheaper than list price as it was a new old stock also.
Anyway my point is if you like it and can live with the extra work involved on maintenance then go with it.
Oh and I definitely believe that this is a movement much like electronic shifting that is not required and only further moves bicycles from a mode of transport to hobby