5 Bike Hacks for Internally Routed Cables - MTB, Road, Carbon, Pressfit BB

[@g.fortin3228]

Nice job..very resourceful ! I thought you would be able to hook one wire end with the other hooked end.. but the vac works ..nice. Two thumbs up.

[@MakerOner]

Five years later, you still give the only answer to that question! That's GREAT JOB!

[@LoveMTB]

Glad to help😊

[@no0bftw]

I also used a hoover, started with cotton, then moved onto floss, then thin electrical cable, then the dropper cable. It all worked a treat. Far better than removing the bottom bracket, which I was dreading doing lol.

[@a8f235]

I pushed the cable housing down from the seat tube and with a bit of wiggling it wanted to be pushed all the way up through the downtube. Then I just fished it out the hole in the frame. It's way easier to do it this way because you can see the trouble area down the seat tube, so that's my best tip. I did this yesterday and I hadn't done it before. Depending on the size and shape of the hole in the frame where the cable is going to pass through, you might want to do a loop with a ziptie into the frame, and when the cable housing enters through it you can pull it tight so you got a way to pull the housing out with. Just think of a lasso.

[@S3rinox]

The vacuum cleaner method actually worked out pretty well for me. Big thank you, saved my day!

[@DSTRuKT444]

You're a life saver dude! Installing a fox transfer on my Scott Scale was a complete PITA but with this hack I finaly did it! God bless you!

[@markknowles8480]

I have a 24" to 36" flexible claw grabber purchased at home supply or auto parts store for $10. Pushed the cable housing down to the bottom bracket then snagged it with the claw grabber. Slowly pushed cable in from the top of down tube and pulled it up the seat tube. Quick and easy.

[@thebdceigal]

Cool stuff. We used to use vacuums to suck a pull cable through conduit back when I did phone work years ago. Helps if you tie something like a small piece of tissue to the end. Also a small chain tied to the end of a string, drop it down then grab it with a hook works very well.

[@LoveMTB]

@@thebdceigal great ideas thanks🤘

[@emilycs8823]

Sometimes you can stick a peice of pipe (whatever is handy like maybe a smaller diameter seat post) down the seat tube, and use that to coax dropper cables into going up when you push on them.

[@th_js]

I know the feeling man. I had a lot of trouble with my old Giant Anthem and like everyone says, once you're having trouble with internal cable routing, that's when your creativity is the at the best! (No one says that, but still)

[@BVilM]

Before buying my dropper post last month. Was trying to find ways on how to install it Internally. Was facing the same problem. Decided to buy an external dropper instead. Next time I know what to do. Great video. Cheers

[@jiw71]

4 bikes.........4 external dropper post cables for me. So much easier to install, maintain & repair. Most of the cable is hidden and 'out of the way' under the top tube.

[@davidfong4811]

For a dropper housing, I found it easier to push the cable down the seat tube as the bend into the down tube is not as sharp coming from that way. Goes right up the down tube!

[@johnkpoehner]

I have been preparing for over a month to install internal dropper post, both mentally and gathering the possible necessary items. I have pondered all of your ideas also. My plan was to avoid the BB altogether by exit frame and reenter seat post tube. I was concerned about the tight radius that the crank would cause cable and housing. Also concerned about crank rotating on cable housing. My bike is 2010 Trek Fuel EX8. I will be machining all three oval holes with help of Dremel right angle attachment to get holes as low as possible in the “V” above BB. I do have the grommets. Thank you in advance for your reply. No matter what, today’s the day!

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

....... this made me love my Magura Vyron even more!

[@DnL703]

Dude you rock. I was able to get it with the thread and shop vac. Thank you so much.

[@EDMLuigiRS]

Love your videos brother now I know a new trick for my next build, keep it up the good work!!

[@sneakyjaguar5982]

Thanks for this video. The vaccum worked out! Finally installed my dropper post.

[@skcyclist]

Very very helpful I will try the vacuum dental floss method. Motobecane to titanium with all external routing and caliper For my money, internal routing sucks. My main road bike is a Motobecane titanium with all external routing and caliper brakes I love it.

[@jonienglish3231]

Thanks !!! the DENTAL FLOSS and VACUUM CLEANER Tip WORKED !!!!!! Shifter Cable and Brake Hose BH90 ( Although NEED to GET NEW ONE ! Hose Too Short )

[@whitest_kyle]

Going to replace my brakes soon, will have to grab some of those quick barbs for the hydraulic lines, thank you for the tip!

Thank you very much. The dental floss and vacum cleaner saved my day 🙏

[@LoveMTB]

It works most of the time!😉

[@Blockchen]

Incredible. You save me. In specialized epic full the only nethod suggested by expert people is remove fork and BB because geometry make very difficult cable routing. With dental floss and vacum i solved. Thank you so much

[@NonLegitNation2]

I bought a generic cable routing kit on Amazon for $17.00 but the only thing I'm iffy about is routing my hydraulic brake hose. I don't want to have to bleed the brakes after installing it so I'm thinking of removing the hose at the lever instead of the caliper and fishing the hose through the frame from the bottom up. The cable routing kit I got has a tiny metal piece that screws into the end of a hydraulic hose and tehn a piece of thin cable with a piece of metal screws to that so I can fish the thin cable through the frame and pull the hose through after it I'm just hoping it fits my hose and it essentially plugs the hose so I don't leak mineral oil all over the place and have to bleed the brake. Wish me luck, I'm going to watch atleast 5 or 6 more cable routing videos before I attempt it on Monday with my new frame.

[@LoveMTB]

Instead watch my brake quick bleed video? 😎 very easy to do and need to learn that anyway- kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5aYYXZ7bJl0aJIsi=zGMwGv3m6hrRr7vh

[@NonLegitNation2]

@@LoveMTB i'm going to do that right now. I have a funny situation right now. I have a rear Shimano MT200 brake that has a hose that is too short. If I bought a new hose and a bleed kit it would be almost the exact same price as just buying a whole new rear brake, lol. I know I need the bleed kit for my other bike incase i have to bleed that brake after routing it but then again i might not need it. It's really crazy, and awesome that you can get a set of shimano MT200's for like $50.00 now, especially considering during c0v1d they were going for around $100.00 if you were even able to find any.

[@tl924]

Braided fishing line works good, its alot stronger when you need to pull it around a corner or something.

[@LoveMTB]

Good point!

[@jamestrost8412]

I literally have been stuck with a 50% built bike because I had no clue how to route the dropper thank you

[@TrailFeatures]

Great tips! I've heard of the vacuum trick before, but not some of the other onea. Honestly, internal routing may have caused more problems than it solved (what were they trying to fix anyways?).

[@richardb7093]

So now that you have the floss thru the seat post how do you pull thru the cable using the floss?

[@Stonehenge81]

Thanks for the shop vac suggestion! It took a few tries, but I was able to suck a length of thread from the inlet of the frame to the seat post in order to set up the dropper housing / cable on a 2021 Stumpjumper.

[@farrellvaughan4472]

Just used this on a Santa Cruz Nomad seat post. OMFG that was EZ! Done in less than ten minutes.

[@KennyMinigun]

Thanks for the great tips! Definitely will keep in mind for the next bike build. As for methods of my own: first of all, I stay away from press-fit bottom brackets. I know, it may be tough task with carbon-fiber frames, but there are some options. Secondly, I am really glad about that bike parts are getting wireless connectivity (hello, SRAM AXS). And lastly, when it comes to actual routing, it is just the matter of using properties of housings and cables themselves. Housings are usually pretty stiff, so you can push on them. Cables are pretty agile, so you can do turns with them. Both cables and housings can serve as guides for each other. So cable routing is basically a matter of combining those properties and interchanging them when needed to. For hydraulic hoses it is straightforward as well: route a cable, attach hose to he cable (e.g. using strong tape), pull the hose using the cable. E.g. for your scenario, I would first push a housing into the downtube until it reaches bottom bracket. Then I would use it as a guide to route a cable. While having enough slack, should be able to catch/direct the cable up the seat tube. This can seem tricky, but it is only about directing the cable upwards with some long object (like a stick) and pushing. When cable finally reaches to top of the seat tube, just hold it there tight and push on the housing, so it that follows the cable. Done.

[@nathanricetalks]

I have tried all of these.. I have no problem fiddling the inner cable through the frame, but the housing always gets stuck somewhere in the middle of the frame. I have even tried to tape inner cable and housing together and to pull the inner cable back towards the handlebars. Nothing, but now the tape is inside my frame. I don't know what to do anymore.

[@Curvelz]

@@nathanricetalks I got the same exact problem. I got 2 weeks worth of dental floss in my frame and 2 zip ties I’m probably just gonna route it externally until I take it to a shop or something. Glad to know I’m not the only one having such a big problem about it.

[@alanr4263]

I have P.K.Ripper D.J. Jump bike just was wondering if u can give a suggestion on how to run the back cable to back breaks with out using a Gyro & make bars spin with out tangling?

[@mikelafferty5253]

I'm trying to run housing for some dropper now. What a nightmare. I can run wir thru easy but the angle between Seattle and downtime is tight and the sharp edges on the inner holes shredded by first attempt. I'm gonna try the Jagwire Pro kit today. The housing is 3mm so smaller and the housing also sounds more flexible, fingers crossed 🤞

[@mikelafferty5253]

I took my bb out too, thought it would be easier 😂

[@LoveMTB]

It is easier with the BB out...patience!😂

[@sepehrlotfi9274]

Hi I'm trying this on a Rockshox Reverb Stealth on a Scott Scale carbon frame. There is room exposed that I don't have to take the BB out but I'm having a hard time still. My dental floss ran out because I had too little, and also sewing string snapped on me when I was trying to pull the cable in. I'm not sure what else I can do. Any suggestions?

[@Foxtrottangoabc]

Good tip thanks

[@TheFlyingMechanic]

Slide cable to bb then use a magnet on a string to pull it up.

[@JonatandelaTorre]

Hi, is there any rubber or similar part (gasket) to seal this frame inlet/oulet holes around any passing cable or any empty hole? I can't prevent entering some water when I wash my bike even carefully. Thank you

[@dae3xt]

Where can I buy the rockshox barb wire connector from mentioned here @4:53 ? thank you.

[@dae3xt]

Never mind. i found it. thank you..

[@catsup1308]

magnets stick better to each other than metal alone so you could tape a magnet to the cable housing and then have a magnet on the outside of the frame to guide it

[@catsup1308]

@@LoveMTB thanks

[@mmmmaruuuu]

Thanks mate for great hack with vacuum cleaner and dental floss!

[@RonaX]

how about the frame cover for the cable? I have a Norco Search 2017 and cannot find it on Internet. One of them passed away and need to replace it :(

[@MGL83]

I have the same problem right now with Nukeproof Scout. The version of the bike that comes with dropper as standard routes the cable on outside under the bottom bracket, which for trail bike seems kinda dumb. But now I need to figure out how to lead the damn thing 90deg bend. fml

[@l1u1c1k]

Duck tape new and old cables Together before you take old cable off then simply pull new cable through with the old simple I do it with sash cords on Windows just make sure you have 5 to 6 inches of tape on each cable at the joint

[@l1u1c1k]

LoveMTB You’re right I just had to take my motor out pedals and all to get my derailleur cable in

[@ricardoalves8313]

Does anyone know of a derailleur cable housing bellow 4mm?

[@juliocampos1116]

Dud, let me tell you something, YOU ARE A FUCKING GENIUS, thanks so much

[@trevorwillis8131]

Best option is to never fully pull out the wire tie dacron fishing braid to the brake or gear end of wire an then pull the old wire out via the brake unit pulling through the braid then when u need to rewire the new brake cable just reverse the pull.

[@trevorwillis8131]

@@LoveMTB true

[@trevorwillis8131]

Or just run external cabling, how do they do it on brand new bikes ? Its puzzling me now

[@royayersrules]

What is fishing tape?!

[@royayersrules]

@@LoveMTB Ah, now I get it!

[@ramird.castro3500]

Bweee set!

[@reggin_spelt_backwards]

I vaccumed some dental floss though tied to wire and pulled it through...

[@maciej.s23]

Just make a loop with the dental floss at the end of your housing then you could catch it with your hook...

[@LoveMTB]

Not a bad idea. however loops can get caught in other bolts or bosses in the frame so it might not work as well as you might think.

[@strokenumber3]

Made me think again about putting a dropper post on my bike. Is there a dropper post that has no remote to operate, rather just a small lever under the seat that you lift with your fingers and the post can operate? I thought I saw something like that one time, but not really sure if that is exactly what it was. Maybe someone out there knows.

[@brendonnoble5227]

Yes they exist and are cheaper and lighter too. BUT taking your hand off the handlebars can be a bit sketchy at times and I have had two of them seize because that area gets a lot of mud from the wheels.

[@JasonLiske]

Ridgid FTW!

[@themostwntedeh8367]

It didnt work, i think i need 4 HP more so the hoover could suck the thread

[@paulenston459]

Dental floss and vacuum cleaner worked at treat first up…woo..hooo

[@mentho101]

Why not just use the cable and scoop it up with something?

[@mentho101]

@@LoveMTB try to do it from the seatpost or put something on the end like electrical tape

[@mentho101]

@@LoveMTB ahhh okayyyyy

[@DamonMedekMusic]

Could've put it in and flipped the bike upside down, string might've fallen out.

[@LMurphy789]

Putting droppers on the aluminum Levos are fucking terrible

[@Hawlkeye-e9p]

Better much easier solution. Tape off the cable ports and use zipties. End the nightmare permanently.

[@Hawlkeye-e9p]

Ya its great idea but practicality...its just not there.

[@battistaverardi1240]

Why would anyone want to route their cables through the frame? I have seen it first hand the amount of dirt, mud, water, dust etc.. that can find it's way into the frame. And trust me the amount of damage this causes on a aluminum or carbon frame is ridiculous! Their is a reason why cables are routed on the outside of a frame so you you can clean them after every ride. On top of this, this grime solidifies itself inside the frame with the cables and just rots away and the rubber grommets they use or what ever you want to call them don't work. We have literally cut an aluminum and carbon frame in half and seen the atrocity! I would never ever buy a frame with internal cabling. I would post pics but I don't know if I should, I don't want to get in trouble.

[@battistaverardi1240]

@@LoveMTB It's just a fad that will fade away because I can almost guarantee these bike manufacturers will run into major problems and complaints from consumers that this is a stupid idea. Only a matter of time. Never ever want to mess with the integrity of a frame by putting more holes in it, common sense. It's seems to me these days it's all about fashion and looks instead of science and efficiency. But I could be wrong only in that regard. Sometimes it's best to leave an original design instead of messing with it because nothing can top it.

[@c.albicans940]

is that frame not dropper post ready ( i mean internal routing) ?

[@c.albicans940]

@@LoveMTB im wondering if you can do it on a hollowtech 2 bottom bracket as well?

[@c.albicans940]

@@LoveMTB im thinking routing the cable housing inside the down tube then passing above the black plastic thing (tube)of the bottom bracket (shimano hollowtech) and then going up the seat tube. Sorry for the confusion

[@c.albicans940]

@@LoveMTB thanks man. Im gonna try fitting cable housing first before buying a dropper post. Take care man appreciate your help

[@c.albicans940]

@@LoveMTB hey I’ve tried routing the cable housing above the bb and it fits. Now i need to save up on buying a dropper. Thanks man

[@c.albicans940]

@@LoveMTB btw i have another question. I have new xtr shifter and shimano sp41 cable housing. Is it okay to put some silicone spray lubricant inside the cable housing? Thanks again