Inner cable routing - pros and cons?

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Inner cable routing - pros and cons?
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flag sorenwrang
Posted: Sep 8, 2014 at 14:29 Quote
Hi guys

I have often considered pros and cons of inner cable routing, and what I am most concerned about is getting water inside the frame. I guess there is some sort of rubber washer sealing the entrance of the cable into the frame - but I guess it can't keep the water out in all situations..? Isn't this a pretty significant disadvantage?

I am thinking of waiting for the new Scott Voltage FR 710, which has inner cable routing - but I am really not sure if I like it.

What do you think of inner cable routing with regards to water in the frame?
flag Facescab
Posted: Sep 9, 2014 at 1:32 Quote
Frames have drainage holes - usually situated on the BB shell. Threading the outers and brake lines through the frame can be excessively fiddly, but it does make the bike look clean!
flag Gabber
Posted: Sep 9, 2014 at 1:32 Quote
My frame has inner cable routing and I don´t have water in my frame. Most frames have bores in the frame where the water can flow out. Inner cable routing looks better imo and the cables are protected better when you crash. Only disadvantage is maybe the installation.
flag Ploutre
Posted: Sep 9, 2014 at 4:45 Quote
Pros of inner routing:
- looks better
- cables/hoses are protected from elements and rocks

Cons:
- pain in the fcking arse if you have to change them (bleed the brakes, struggle getting the cable out...)

If I had the choice, I would go for external routing on all of my bikes. Sadly, on the Orange five they haven't welded cable guides on the rear end, so I'm stuck with internal routing. And that is a biiiiiiiiiig drawback to me.
flag sorenwrang
Posted: Sep 18, 2014 at 7:16 Quote
I guess I will leave cable maintenance to professionals, so inner cable routing being more of a hazzle is not the biggest issue for me. Unless the service cost is significantly higher Razz
flag mikekazimer
Editor O+ FL
Posted: Sep 30, 2014 at 12:18 Quote
The past few seasons have seen internal cable routing come back in fashion, for no real reason other than achieving the clean, sleek look that hiding shift and brake lines inside the frame allows. Luckily, most bike manufacturers are using some sort of internal guide or sleeve to make housing installation and replacement easier, a welcome change from the earlier attempts at internal routing that required the hand and eye coordination of a bomb squad technician to deal with. While it is easier slightly easier for water to get into the frame with this design, I wouldn't say it's that much of a detriment. As you mentioned, many bikes use a rubber grommet of some kind to help keep moisture out, as well as to prevent the housing from rattling against the frame. Also, there's often a drain point located on the bottom bracket shell that will give water a place to exit. If you do happen to go on an extremely wet ride, or got a little zesty with the pressure washer, removing the seatpost and turning your bike upside down will allow most of the water that entered the frame to drain out. Even here in the Pacific Northwest, where riding in wet weather is a fact of life, I haven't run into any major problems with water collecting in frames due to the internal routing.

As far as Scott's new Voltage FR 710 goes, the amount of internal routing on that bike is fairly minimal - the housing is routed externally on the downtube, with only the rear derailleur housing entering the frame briefly on the driveside seatstay.
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