Keeps the cable from striking the frame if there’s not enough cable tension. You can break that one into three pieces and spread them along the length of the cable.
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A one-time mechanic job when buying a new bike shouldn’t be a good reason to keep cables external in my opinion.
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Thanks! I never knew that.
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I’m curious if you would extend this to “youtubers”
How dare you! (Looks away in shame)
I also have no desire to deal with all that crap when I’m replacing shift cables and brake housing or doing any other routine maintenance. It’s just needlessly complex for a minimal, if any aero gain. Its real purpose is selling you more expensive bars/stems/components and to get you into the bike shops for all repairs.
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Same has been said since 1925. Electronic shifting, disc brakes, etc
I avoided them for ages (due to cost) but my eyes would sting for hours after rides. So I have to disagree, although that’s kind of the point of this thread…
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except it is not a one-time job…cables / housing needs to be replaced at some point, repairs need to be made, etc.
But my main point was that for many riders, integrated systems make bikes exponentially more expensive because the stock spec is wrong.
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My 2 opinions:
-
Electric gear shifting is a total waste of money unless you’re competing at an elite level. Cost/benefit trade off is awful unless shifter use is limited due to a disability
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Internal cable routing is similarly totally unnecessary unless you’re optimizing aerodynamics for an elite athlete
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You are wrong, so I guess you are right? Best upgrade ever is AXS on the MTB. My thumbs stop working at the end of a race and just pushing a button is way more better.
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Yeah, for guys like me that prefer integrated parts, the algorithm is:
- Know your fit
- Buy a bike that fits you
- If it doesn’t exist, build your own.
Which is exactly the problem…I know my fit and my fit is not available for integrated systems and it is prohibitively expensive to therefore buy the bike that “fits” me. I need to buy another set of HB (if they are even available) which will cost ~$500, and then pay the shop to swap them (another few hundred $$) or spend hours wrestling with it myself.
Many riders face this dilemma.
So I opt for bikes with exposed cables. Makes like much easier.
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Yeah, it is mostly the clickbait-y YouTube tropes that turn me off more than the cyclists themselves. They all do that to some extent, I guess the algorithm kind of demands it. But I do like Rick Beato and Paul Davids for music, Tom Scott for random science stuff, Alan Thrall for lifting, Shiey for crazy European vagabondery and GothamChess (in small doses) for… chess.
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Here’s another one that many cyclists don’t want to hear: your saddle is way too high!
Pointing out rocking hips or pointing toes, knee angles of upwards of 160 degrees just gets a scoff out of people. I have since stopped saying anything
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This idea of pointed toes as “sign” of a high saddle height needs to die….it does not necessarily indicate a saddle that is too high. Some people simply have a toe down pedaling style.
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I do too. But pointing down your toes in the downstroke at 6‘ o clock and simultaneously rocking your hips is definitely a sign. Coupled with way too high knee angles, voilà your saddle is too high.
I‘m not a bikefitter, but does this look right to you?
I’m not a fitter, but drawing conclusions based on 1 static photo isn’t the best idea.
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Yeah, you’re right. He might be coasting. his leg is almost fully extended, knee angle between 170-180 when it should be for most folks around 140. there is nothing else to conclude. saddle seems way too high for me. if this is how this guy pedals what muscle groups does he activate? seems like a deadspot to me, maybe the hipflexors and lower back are working with the leg extended like that but other more knowledgable people might know better. AFAIK you should have power troughout the stroke and not just from 1 to 4…
this is maybe anecdotal and not applicable to where you ride but I see lots of folks on group rides (“cyclists” not casual commuters) with rocking hips, pointing down toes in the 6 o’clock position and overextending their knees (like the guy above). You’re better off with a saddle that’s too low than too high. and many people certainly run high.
I had a retül fit 3 years ago which put my saddle at 80.5cm. had numb nuts on the ride home and have since lowered it by 2cm. feels much better and I feel stronger troughout the pedal stroke. you can easily just try it out and go back if you don’t like it.
Heel is down and looks like he’s settle into that position. I just jumped on my trainer next to me to test and its easy to settle into that position when not peddling. We can’t draw any conclusions from one pic with zero context. 