Re: cleaning the commute bike

Wolfgang Strobl <news51@mystrobl.de> wrote:

Am Mon, 20 Jan 2025 07:35:58 -0500 schrieb Catrike Ryder
<Soloman@old.bikers.org>:
 

On Mon, 20 Jan 2025 13:14:22 +0100, Wolfgang Strobl
<news51@mystrobl.de> wrote:
 

Am Mon, 20 Jan 2025 06:39:30 -0500 schrieb Catrike Ryder
<Soloman@old.bikers.org>:
 

On Mon, 20 Jan 2025 08:38:18 +0100, Wolfgang Strobl
<news51@mystrobl.de> wrote:
 

Am 19 Jan 2025 14:33:37 GMT schrieb Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com>:
 

In slightly disappointing news I’ve discovered that the Old school roadie
commuter does need to be cleanse or shifting becomes hit and miss!
 
Unlike the old MTB who’s cables run safely out of reach of muck and grime
the roadie runs the shift cables around the bottom bracket, which collected
salt/grime which eventually stopped it shifting reliably to the big ring.

 
Wireless shifting might come to the rescue. :-)
 
I avoid these conditions nowadays, so I can't report on how the rear
derailleur deals with dirt and especially salt. Most probably not worse
than a mechanical one and perhaps better.
 
Years ago, when commuting around the year, I had both spare cable guides
and cables in my toolbox.  Using a a little bit of grease helps, but
can't help with corrosion on salted roads, in the long run. Replacing
both the inner cable and the cable guide after winter is a more reliable
solution. These parts are cheap.
 
 
<https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=derailleur+cable+guide+bottom+bracket&iax=images&ia=images>

 
Full length housing pretty eliminates those problems, and it's easier
to install and replace.

 
Depending on the frame, it might be difficult to route the housing
through the bottom bracket.

 
Through the bottom bracket?  I wasn't referring to running it through
the frame. Just full length cable housing. Maybe I have the wrong
term.

 
Maybe you are refering to your nonstandard frame. Roger was talking
about his "roadie", so most probably about a diamond frame.
 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_frame>
 
The cable routing for the rear derailleur is usually like this: The
cable is routed open along the down tube on its underside and from the
cable guide under the bottom bracket further to the end of the chain
stay. So there are only two short cable housings, from the shifter to
the headset or top of down tube and then from the end of the chainstay
to the rear derailleur.
 
See <https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/dm/RD0004/DM-RD0004-09-ENG.pdf> page
4, "cable guide" M-SP17/SP1 and
<https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-spares/shimano-smsp18m-bottom-bracket-shell-fitting-double-cable-guide>
 
 

Indeed certainly with the roadie which is “old school” so apart from rim
brakes and so on, has mostly external routed cables, in that it’s internal
only on the down tube where it’s routed around the bottom bracket, using
the cable guides with both cables from there on be largely exposed to the
elements.

The Gravel bike bar the bottom bracket guide the internal cables are
largely that, or at least enclosed, it also runs the rear mech via the top
tube, which as a MTB brand makes sense.

It’s largely fairly tolerant of mucky conditions.

As is the MTB though that’s internal routing gave ample opportunities for
muck to get in, so has an external but fully enclosed cable, which has just
worked for years now!

I think I see the housing refered to as cable guide. Our
Catrikes have no bare wire except right at the deraileurs.

 
 

Roger Merriman