Routing through downtube is ok imo. Through the headset is completely unnecessary, not worth the aesthetic appeal, and creates all kinds of extra hassle.
External for sure. An unbuild/clean/rebuild "overhaul" takes like HALF the amount of time, just because you're not mucking about with feeding dental floss through frame tubes and all that nonsense.
Specialized (and some other brands') internally guided cable routing with a tube inside the frame to guide cables in and out is BY FAR the best solution I've had to work with so far. It's the best of both worlds being easy to guide without fidgeting for ages with magnets and what not, and it quiets down the rattling a tonne. Otherwise, still a big fan of full external OR internal routing through the main frame and an external routing exit at the back of the front triangle allowing the rear gear cable to be external along the rear triangle. This is especially good with ebike motors which are just the worst when trying to fit cables above/around the motors...
I personally LOVE external cables both brake cables and shifter cables. Makes the bike look minimalist (like a cafe racer /naked motorcycle vs full fairing sport bike) AND doing maintenance is a BREEZE
I prefer external routing as long as the seat tube has an entry point for the dropper. But, im okay with internal routing as long as it’s channeled properly. But I HATE handle bar, stem or headset routing!!!
Purists would correct you - hydraulic braking uses "lines" rather than "cables". It's like if you go on a sailboat, the skipper will tell you "it's not a boat, it's a yacht, and they're not ropes, they're lines." 😀
Brake hoses are only integrated when they are integrated like in Magura's MCI cockpit. I don't like it. I even want non-aero brake levers on my next bike. It looked good on Ferrah Fawcett.
Is this really what bike content has become? Endless debates on the same nonsense year after year with the answer always being subjective to the rider.
Hate cables, so has much integration a bike can have, it's a yes for me. I'm not routing them, yes it costs more to repair, but the clean looks is a much
My 2012 frame has both internal - gear , and external - brake hoses , I added a dropper post and routed the cable internally by re-purposing the front mech routing (1x setup) , do I win a prize ? Cabling through the headset/stem is a deal-breaker for me, fwiw.
Can't recall if Canyon ever did this, but I remember a British brand did. Paneled external routing is a smart idea. Aesthetics of regular internal routing, but with the ease of external routing.
My one and only bike is a Santa Cruz Chameleon with good ol' fashioned fully external routing and as a home mechanic that has never in his 55yrs taken his bike to a LBS for anything, I just love it. If and when I ever buy a new bike, it will not have through the headset routing no matter how good it rides. My money will go to a bike manufacturer that gets it and doesn't chase trendy fads to make a bike look kool.
All the strong arguments for internal routing are about looks. Things like cable rubbing, aero benefits, avoiding snags, are all weak arguments at best if not invalid. The fact that all internal routing without exception is more trouble for servicing than all external routing is just treated as "the price you pay for good looks." I take a hard position on this and I say that aesthetics should never be a specific goal on a functional piece of equipment. If you achieve some other purposeful goal and you just so happen to improve aesthetics in the process, that's great... But the aesthetics shouldn't be the purpose itself. And if that beauty for the sake of beauty carries with it additional costs, then all the more so. You want to hide your cables and protect them from the elements? Here's a simple solution -- external routing with a bolt-on shroud/cover. This isn't some strange idea, either. Giant used to do it on their Roam hybrids, at least up until 2020, IIRC. Yeah, you could argue that the implementation in that particular bike was clunky and not good-looking, but making that part look better doesn't do any harm. This is as compared to circuitous internal routing or having to route sheaths inside other sheaths and going around BBs or even into swing-arms and such. Internal routing doesn't serve any practical function and instead, raises costs and difficulty of servicing. For that reason alone, it should be abolished entirely. I'm being kind in putting it this way.
That’s just not true. I specifically picked a (semi) internally routed bike as my new gravel ride because the freaking cables are a major PITA when installing handlebar bags.
That sounds like something that would happen whether internally or externally routed because it would be a case where the portion of the cables are cut to a moderate length that means they get in the way of the bag... The exception would be routing through the headset. However, the bikes that do have routing through the headset tend not to be compatible with handlebar bags anyway. Either way, the solution would just be to lengthen the cables so that they just go in front of the roll. Not a big deal at all. Not sure why you'd believe that to be such a pain. I mean, if your experience with an internally routed bike was smoother, it means that the lengths of excess cable near the bars was appropriately routed to the hole such that it didn't get in the way. There is no reason why the same couldn't be done with external cables routed along the frame clips.
Integrated internal routing is unacceptable for any bike that's not a road bike and I'm saying this as somebody who's capable of handling this routing configuration. All of my work done with it (ex. one-piece cockpit installation) is done solo. I don't need and want a second pair of hands for assistance.
The simple reason for the headset routing is it is cheaper for companies to make the bike. They don’t need to make holes, add cable guides or install tube in tube, just send it through the adapted headset. That is the only reason, anything else is marketing nonsense and noise.
Hang on a min. Why do we need cables at all. Why can’t it all be wireless , well if sram can do it why not the brakes and fork adjustment. Get rid of all the cables from the bike. .
why is the content quality on this channel either a hit or a miss? sometimes there are good videos with interesting topics on this channel but most of the time I feel like I watch an advertisement on a bike related homeshoping channel.
Remember the good old days when you just got on your bike and rode. Now everyone is concerned about stuff that doesn't matter. 47yrs old been riding for 30yrs, external all the way. Oh ya, just ride your bike and have fun. MTB is getting to pretentious
Unpopular opinion: I would like to see fully internal cable routing on mountain bikes. I've crashed because of branches that snagged on my brake hoses and shifter cables. I've also had to deal with damaged cables from a crash because they were exposed. Fully internal cable routing would solve these problems. Fully internal cable would make bikepacking on my mountain bike so much easier with no cable rub to damage the frame or the bags. Fully internal cable routing was also one of criteria when I chose a gravel bike for bikepacking. Even if mountain bikers don't want to admit it, aerodynamics matter even in mountain biking. That's why the UCI has to ban skin suits for downhill competitions, otherwise competitors would wear them to gain an advantage, and you don't see cross country mountain pro cyclists with baggy kit or even visors on their helmets. Even with the slower speeds associated with mountain trails, the fact that a cyclist is out dealing with headwinds and sidewinds for a longer period of time because of those slower speeds mean aerodynamics matter nonetheless. For non-pros like myself, it's not even about going faster. It's about going through the trail with less effort and more enjoyment. The latest road bike and gravel bike designs have made it easier to pack bikes with internal cable routing for trips overseas. The latest designs even allow changing out spacers at the stem without having to redo the brake hoses. I'm sure those redesigning mountain bikes for fully internal cable routing could do the same. Electronic wireless shifting will also lessen the number of cables to mess with to just the hydraulic hoses for the brakes. Also, the tangle of cables at the cockpit is just damn ugly. Now if they could only find a way to route the front disc brake hose internally through the suspension fork, that would be swell...
Nope! Internal cable looks neat & pro. Not everything are flawless, at least it looks good to me & I’ll leave all the repair & service works to the mechanics. Case closed 😁
Benefits - looks nice Cons - crap routing so the braking feels horrid, more difficult for a novice to work on, so costs more to run. So, would you like a TOWIE girl as a wife? Cos thats what it comes down to. Aesthetics comes with major hassles and financial costs!
internal routing sucks but the bikes looks nice and clean, just like your mustache and beard, its external but it looks messy and annoying, just shave it so it will looks nice and clean..😅😂🤣
