Zip tie as cable-guide trick

That's the ticket

Thanks...I've got them looking just like I wanted, and the picture helped. Cheers!

GMCTTR- Whats the piece of tubing you used? Shrink wrap?

stumblemumble said:

GMCTTR- Whats the piece of tubing you used? Shrink wrap?

Click to expand...

As I stated, the photos are not mine.

The tubing looks too thick to be shrink wrap. A hardware store should have a selection to choose from. I have used clear tubing a few times because I already had it.

I use shrink tube on my exposed cables now. I used to run full cables but this setup keeps the crap out but also retains the crisp shifting with the cable stops.

I'll post the info later

GNR said:

I CAN'T remember for the life of me where I saw this, but I'm wondering if anyone has seen how you can combine a couple of zip ties to make a clean-looking cable guide. I looks like one zip tie attaches to the frame and another makes a small loop through which the housing and cable passes.

I've searched here and googled, bing'd and every other search to find it...come up empty.

I just usually just zip tie the cables right to the frame, but I've contracted with a buyer to build a bike and want it to look clean and neat.

Any help would be great. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Feeling like a fool here even after seeing the pics. Can someone expand a little? It looks like there's a piece of rubber or a small piece of hose between the frame and where the hose goes through the tie/hose in the tie?? Or is it electrical tape?? I played around with a tie on a frame and couldn't get it right. Again... feeling pretty thick today...

A.:madman:

neex...run a zip tie through a short piece of tubing, wrap it around the cable and back through the tubing. Wrap both ends of the zip tie around the fork/frame and zip together. Clear as mud right?

pagey...I have no idea what your post has to do with this thread.

neex said:

Feeling like a fool here even after seeing the pics. Can someone expand a little? It looks like there's a piece of rubber or a small piece of hose between the frame and where the hose goes through the tie/hose in the tie?? Or is it electrical tape?? I played around with a tie on a frame and couldn't get it right. Again... feeling pretty thick today...

A.:madman:

Click to expand...

To everyone:
It is vinyl and/or acrylic tubing - NOT HEAT SHRINK!!
This tubing can be found at any decent hardware store - or even at a major aquarium store/supplier.( smaller stores carry smaller tubing - pumps/filters etc... - but it's the same idea).

The tubing doesn't have to be clear, but it HAS to be supportive.

- Cut a length of tubing to the height/ spacing you want.
-On the opposite side of the frame of the cable, feed the zip-tie around the frame and through the tube (opposite side).
-At the exit of the tube, where the cable is positioned, exit and wrap around and enter the tube again.
-Feed the zip tie thru the tube until it passes the frame and is connected w/ the 'locking' end of the zip-tie.
-Zip it up!!

i ripped off the idea too. used about 10mm of vinyl hose i had laying around. works good, nice and secure and looks better than just a crappy ziptie around your fork leg.

Thanks SteveUK...it's nice to know whose pictures I ripped off a few years ago.

sweet! mini project for the weekend.

gmcttr said:

neex...run a zip tie through a short piece of tubing, wrap it around the cable and back through the tubing. Wrap both ends of the zip tie around the fork/frame and zip together. Clear as mud right?

pagey...I have no idea what your post has to do with this thread.

Click to expand...

gmcttr: Flawless explanation. Thank you. If would appear that some folks are getting carried away and 'threading' their brake hoses though a second piece of hose (which looks like it will fall out of the loop anyway). Great idea! I remember on a shxtbike I used pieces of a tube in strips to 'tie' the cable to the frame. Yup. That was a sexy bike.

Thanks again for all the sharing and explaining.

A.:thumbsup:

Easy now..."some folks" is the guy that I got the idea from in the first place and he stated that the extra piece of tubing was for a very specific application that he also explained. Very useful info.

There was a thread somewhere around here a couple of weeks ago (maybe the Turner forum?) where the poster did the same think with a zip tie and a valve retaining nut (you know, that little threaded ring thingy you throw away when you install a new tube).

I'm pretty sure it wasn't on the weight weenie forum. All that extra metal...

If would appear that some folks are getting carried away and 'threading' their brake hoses though a second piece of hose (which looks like it will fall out of the loop anyway).

Click to expand...

If you take he time to read instead of just looking at pictures, you'd have realised that the extra loop is for holding the hose on a triple-clamp fork. The reason for this addition is that it holds the hose entirely away from the both fork crowns/clamps, the upper stanchion and also the headtube of the frame, stopping it from wearing away the finish/paint.

If the cable tie is tightened as tightly as it would be for the normal set-up, the extra piece of tubing will not move. The whole point of using the little piece of clear tubing (on both set-ups) is that it works with the tension of the cable tie to grip whatever is pulled against it.

D- for comprehension. :thumbsup:

this needs a bump for spring

A follow-up here. For the spacer/tubing piece I used a small section of bic pen housing. Just snip a piece off using wire cutters, blue, black, or red.
Looks very clean.