Tech Tuesday - Replace Plastic Zip-Ties With Safety Wire

While I was assembling a Santa Cruz Tallboy test bike recently, I questioned why we still use plastic zip ties to hold the cables and housing in place on bikes? Not that Zip-ties are bad, but I am tired of seeing them sprouting from every corner of the bike. The idea came to me that I could replace the plastic ties on my bike with aircraft safety wire. Having worked on airplanes for a few decades, I had the tools and the talent, so that's what I did. The result was a bit retro, but it looked pretty sharp, so I continued on and also safety wired my Pivot 5.75. The advantages of safety wire are that one size fits all and that It comes in 25-foot rolls or one-pound cans, so you'll never run out of the stuff. Of course, there is always the factor of NOT owning a ubiquitous-looking bike - which counts for something.



Safety wire is normally used to keep bolts and parts from falling off of important things like aircraft engines or racing car suspensions, and it is a required application in many forms of motor competition. The wire is very pliable, which makes it easy to use and also helps it to resist fatigue failure. The special pliers that are used to twist and manipulate the wire are not necessary, but are extremely helpful. A professional safety wire tool costs nearly $100 USD, but cheap Chinese safety wire pliers that retail for 12 to 28 dollars at tool outlets and online motorcycle stores will do fine for cycling applications. A small roll of wire runs about $1.25, with a one-pound roll costing around 25 bucks, so this Tech Tuesday is quite affordable.

What you'll need:
• .032 or .041-inch stainless-steel safety wire
• Safety-wire pliers
• Small needle-nose pliers
• Safety glasses

Words of caution
Cut wire can be sharp, so anytime you are working with it, you should treat the cut ends as if they were needles or knives. Clipping short strands of steel wire can send bits flying into your eyes or to unknown places where only your mom's new vacuum cleaner or your girlfriend's tender feet will find them. Work where you can easily find and dispose of the cast-off wires and bits, and use safety glasses at all times.

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How To Safety Wire Cable Guides

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Alternative Suggestions

Many frames have sets of two or three guides running parallel to each other, so you may want to group them together in one continuous length for a different effect. You can also use this technique to join hoses or housings at specific distances apart to route them cleanly in front of the handlebar, or where they pass to the rear suspension.







Watch a how to use safety wire pliers video. (Ghetto alert!)

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