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Eliminate Cable Slap – BikeCo Tips & Tricks

BikeCo Tips and Tricks Eliminate Cable Slap blog

Eliminate Cable Slap – BikeCo Tips & Tricks

Some internal cable routed frames have tubes between cable ports while others are open. One isn’t necessarily right and the other wrong and each can have unique considerations. Open frames may suffer from cable slap which this video and blog will address.

 

Eliminate Cable Slap

These steps are often taken at time of build. If your bike is already built drop the fork for access to the downtube.

If required route the cables through the frame.

Cut a length of plastic wrap approximately the length of the frame’s downtube. Cut the width so that when rolled up the radius will fill the downtube.

Using a flexible poker drive the plastic wrap down the headtube. Ideally your poker is approximately the length of the downtube.

Shake the cables to ensure you have positioned the plastic wrap to eliminate or minimize cable slap.

If you still have noise you can add additional lengths of wrap, or if you prefer pull out the wrap and insert a larger one.

To remove the plastic wrap simply drop the fork and insert a hook. Grab and remove.

 

We suggest plastic packaging as opposed to other options as it is extremely light and will not absorb water. It’s shape generally allows water to flow through minimizing issues.

If you aggressively wash your bike or ride in a lot of wet weather you likely want to check and replace this wrap to minimize the science projects you may have in the frame…

 

If you prefer not to remove the wrap you can replace cable housing using a tandem derailleur cable. (some frames with rougher inner molding, deep bolts for downtube protection / water bottle cages, etc may be more difficult to remove)

Cut an oversize length of new housing. Then remove the cable and ferrules from the old housing. Run a tandem derailleur cable (you need the extra length) through both the new and old housing. Pull the old housing and tandem cable out which will fish the new housing through the downtube and plastic wrap.


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