Crossed gear cables

[Cuchilo]

Youre not married are you

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I had similar thoughts when they re cabled my bike like this..it's weird..but seems to work...they said its to protect the frame from wear from the cable outers. It's a PITA when trying to re index the rear gubbins though as you have to keep reaching around the headset to reach the cable adjuster on the blind side when it's up on a bike stand and its easy to forget which barrel adjuster is front/rear mechs.

But you get used to it.

 

[I like Skol]

Hope so, broke the GF scandium after 3.5years, circa 24,500miles; loved the bike but I was dubious one would fail on me again just out of warranty and decided to go Ti, which fingers crossed will last forever. This is perhaps a better pic
View attachment 30727

Those trousers are very black, I nearly didn't see you stood there....... and all because, a lady loves Milk Tray!

 

[Sterba]

The crossover looks like a bugger's muddle to me. It defies logic, they have to be fouling each other at the crossover. An adjustment nightmare. I suppose it might make the cable curve out of the handlebars a little wider radius, but you could let them out of the handlebar tape a little earlier to achieve the same effect. Another example of the manufacturers using us as guinea pigs to see if something works.

 

[TheDoctor]

Yes, they're fouling each other, but compared with the friction as the cables run around the bars, it's neither here nor there. There's only rubbing when you change gear, after all...

 

[HLaB]

I've only had it running on the rollers for a mile;I didn't want to stress my calf anymore than that but I must admit it was changing sweet. As the saying goes if it aint broke; I'll leave it until it is;-)

 

[I like Skol]

Another example of the manufacturers using us as guinea pigs to see if something works.

Hardly. I suppose the practice has been around for as long as there have been handlebar mounted shifters? I imposed it on myself in the mid 90's and it hasn't been an issue so I don't think this can really be described as the work of the evil manufacturers!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Let's not all get our wires crossed on this one

 

[Pale Rider]

Sheldon Brown explains why, but I'm not sure I grasp it:

Most bicycles with handlebar-mounted shifters run the rear cable on the right, the front on the left. This causes some awkwardness in routing the length of housing from the shift lever to the frame stops. Due to the need to allow these housings to be long enough to permit the bars to be turned all the way back and forth, the housings often wind up making a reverse bend--for instance, the rear will go from the shifter, which is on the right, swing forward and cross over past the centerline of the bicycle, then back over to the right side of the top tube, before heading down the down tube. These extra bends increase friction, and the fairly forcible contact between the housing and the side of the top tube can damage the finish.
A neat solution to this is to run the cables "criss-cross" style: The rear runs from the lever, (on the right) around the top tube, and to the cable stop on the left side of the downtube! The front cable crosses over similarly from the left side of the handlebar to the right side of the down tube.

The bare cables then cross one another under the middle of the downtube, making an "X". The cables may touch where they cross, but they will do so very lightly, since they are both straight...the tiny bit of friction at this crossing is more than offset by the reduction in friction in the smoother-flowing cable housings.

This technique does not work with over-the-bottom-bracket cable routing, but is doable with most newer bikes that have under-the-bottom-bracket cable routing and cable stops mounted toward the bottom side of the down tube.

 

[andrew_s]

Functional difference:
With non crossed cables routed under the bar tape, the housings will wear through the paint on the side of the head tube if you don't put some protection on where they touch (I use Park instant puncture patches). Non-crossed STI "washing lines" are generally OK.
With crossed cables, the cable will slap on the underside of the down tube more on bumpy roads, so you have to make sure to fit cable do-nuts and make sure they stay in place near the crossover.

You pay your money and you take your choice. I certainly wouldn't bother to change it.

 

[goo_mason]

When I had the frame replaced on my SCR2 with a Defy one, it came back with the cables crossed. I just assumed it was a Halfords screw-up, and uncrossed them last month when replacing the shifters & cables!