How to hide the cables under the handlebar tape?

[faster]

The shifters you have are the best system because they exit straight off the reel inside the shifter and take a gentle curve. Shifters after this had cables following a more tortuous route and the shifting is stiffer and less precise. All in the name of fashion.

Typical Cyclechat comment.

It's difficult to use a bar mounted light without getting back scatter from the cables on the old 'washing line' style shifters. This has a significant impact on night vision. Also, as someone has already said, it makes use of bar bags tricky.

Whilst I can't speak for early under tape shifters such as 5700/6700, the more modern ones work perfectly with no stiffness, loss of precision or any reduction in cable life.

Like almost everything else in cycling, new technology is better than old with very few downsides. Not much better, but better.

As an aside, a friend of mine used to have a bike with old style shifters that had been converted to under bar tape using what looked like short lengths of flexible v-brake noodle. Seemed to work fine.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Lovely looking bike @LemonJuice

It looks as if the seller has done a proper bodge job.

Please don't be rude - it's his brother's bike, and his brother is giving it to him afaik. And anyway, in what universe does gear cables exiting from the sides of STIs suggest a 'bodge job'? Conceal your ignorance.

Am I able to buy different shifters so I can hide the cables under the handlebar tape?

Yes. See other comments. Recommend you stay with 8sp though (or you'll have to change the chain and the cassette (which you've just changed)).
So: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/claris-r2000/ST-R2000-R.html
"SHIMANO CLARIS SUPER SLR - 8-speed DUAL CONTROL LEVERS offer a clean cockpit thanks to the hidden brake and shift cables."
And having installed new shifters, also replace bar tape with some of a more sensible colour. If in doubt: black, to match the cable outers.
The bars are tilted down. Unscrew the 4 bolts on the stem (which secures the bar) and tilt them up so the sections of the bar heading forwards (to the shifters) are close to horizontal. This will give you a more comfortable hand position on the hoods.
What tyres have you got on there? You owe it to the bike to have really good ones, and they roll faster

 

[Ajax Bay]

It's difficult to use a bar mounted light without getting back scatter from the cables on the old 'washing line' style shifters. This has a significant impact on night vision.

I'll be guessing you have not ridden far at night this decade with a bar-mounted front light and washing line gear cables. I have (numerous long overnight audaxes including LEL and PBP), and I have a 'different view' (he says politely) - the effect of (black) cable back-scatter and any effect on 'night vision' is minimal.

 

[CharlesF]

@LemonJuice From your picture, it looks like your brifters are Sora R3500, the older version. I had them on my Genesis CdF.

Part of my upgrade was to replace them with the new version R3000. Look on eBay, often cycle shops sell a pair that were removed from a bike.

I was told that I would need a new RD, but I haven’t replaced it and the shifting, front and rear, is as good as ever. I love the clean cockpit with any flapping cables.

A vanity project, but well worth.

 

[si_c]

@LemonJuice From your picture, it looks like your brifters are Sora R3500, the older version. I had them on my Genesis CdF.

Part of my upgrade was to replace them with the new version R3000. Look on eBay, often cycle shops sell a pair that were removed from a bike.

I was told that I would need a new RD, but I haven’t replaced it and the shifting, front and rear, is as good as ever. I love the clean cockpit with any flapping cables.

A vanity project, but well worth.

The specs above indicate that they are Claris 8 speed shifters rather than Sora.

 

[cyberknight]

The shifters you have are the best system because they exit straight off the reel inside the shifter and take a gentle curve. Shifters after this had cables following a more tortuous route and the shifting is stiffer and less precise. All in the name of fashion.

I found this out recently ,i have tiagra 4700 and the design means the cable frays inside the shifter so i had to take a panel off the shifter to get the cable out as ithad stuck inside the shifter and i couldnt get it in the right gear so the holes lined up to get it out.
It must be a newer design issue as i have read a number of similar cases but older under tape designs i have used seem to be ok.

In short just enjoy the ride !

 

[LemonJuice]

Instead of changing the shifters, is it possible to use a couple of zip ties and then just keep the cables hidden under the handlebar tape? Or, will that cause too much strain/tension on the cables?

Thanks

 

[Globalti]

Far too much. The kink would jam the cable.

 

[vickster]

Just tie the cables together as mentioned up thread which will make the front end tidier 👍

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sorted

 

[Brandane]

Instead of changing the shifters, is it possible to use a couple of zip ties and then just keep the cables hidden under the handlebar tape? Or, will that cause too much strain/tension on the cables?

Thanks

See post #7 .

 

[iluvmybike]

My touring bike, which is about 15 yrs old now, has the 5600 10spd shifters with cables out of side. They work very well. The person who said they had never seen a bike with that style must be very young! The 5700 series shifters which were the first to go under bar tape, I found, in comparison, had quite a lot of cable drag and awkward to fit a new cable. The 11spd series shifters are excellent - very smooth so they ironed out the cable routing. With the 11spd ones though it is best to change the gear cables annually as they tend to wear at the curve in the shifter and eventually break - this can make it hard to get the old one out - especially if you shift with it broken in an attempt to work out why your gears are not working. Other than that cable replacement I find is easy. If you try to tuck those old style cables under the bar tape, or zip tie them etc they will not work properly as they are simply not designed to do so

 

[Dave Davenport]

I run 10 speed dura ace with side entry gear cables (think it's 7800, but anyway, last ones before they went rear entry) and they still work/shift perfectly after 13 years. I remember some of the pro's who'd been using Campag and switched to a Shimano equipped team having the cables curled back under the tape using an articulated(?) outer.

 

[the_mikey]

Typical Cyclechat comment.

It's difficult to use a bar mounted light without getting back scatter from the cables on the old 'washing line' style shifters. This has a significant impact on night vision. Also, as someone has already said, it makes use of bar bags tricky.

I made the mistake of installing white cables on an old bike with Tiagra 4600, I didn't realise my error until I went out one winter evening... Yeah.

 

[boydj]

View attachment 528819

Is it possible to hide the cables under the handlebar tape?

The cables seem to come out of the shifters.

Are those cables the gear cables or brake cables?

You would be a lot happier if you spent more time riding the bike than you do moaning about things you want to change on a bike that you selected.

You have a very good bike for a beginner cyclist, so just get yourself out there riding and building up experience to use to guide your next buy.