Took me 6 years to figure out I was routing my brake lines all wrong

I used to run my rear brake housing down the top tube and zip-tie it every 4 inches. Looked clean enough. Then I worked on a buddy's Trek last month and noticed he ran it along the downtube instead. Took me about 5 minutes to see why - less cable friction, cleaner bends, and no housing kinking near the head tube. I went home that night and redid all three of my bikes. Has anyone else found a routing path that totally changed how your brakes felt?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_skyler21d ago

Zip ties every 4 inches for 6 years? That sounds more like overkill than a real problem. Honestly the difference between top tube and downtube routing is pretty minor for most people unless you're racing or have some super stiff housing. Bet you could have left your bikes alone and never noticed a thing.

terrymitchell21d ago

Fair enough, honestly. I used to think that too but swapping my setup changed my mind completely.