I’m surprised that it’s only now that we see internal cable routing becoming kind of mainstream. Cables is what I always hated about bikes. Hiding them is not rocket science. And it’s neither overrated nor underrated. Hidden cables should have been the default for years now. IMO we need more integration. In the real world, every bike that’s ridden outside of races needs to have front and tail lights - these should be seamlessly integrated into the bike, with removable batteries where you could choose the battery size that suits your needs. The lights themselves should be removable too so that you can disconnect them for races to shave off those 200 or 300 grams.

Realistically, how often do you need to fiddle with those cables? I’ve built my first bike with internal cable routing in March this year. Haven’t touched the assembly since. I will probably do a quick headset bearing maintenance before spring. It’ll take me like 5 to 10 minutes longer than usual because I can’t disconnect the cables to remove the bearings. Otherwise I don’t see this maintenance argument as valid. Was it a pain to do the initial routing through the cockpit? No. I’ve used a dedicated cable routing kit so it was a breeze.

@@pogoking4000 I think when Jimmy talks about internally routed cables, in "the modern sense," he doesn't mean just running something down the inside of a downtube. My guess is that he is talking about integrated controls that run cables and hoses through the bars and in and out of the headset. I've seen and heard quite a few shop mechanics on KZfaq complain that integrated controls turn simple jobs, like swapping handlebars, into a half-day project. One of my riding buddies said the same thing after he built up a very nice new aero bike. Accordingly, that's something I plan to avoid like the plague. Personally, I'm not convinced about regular, run-of-the-mill internal downtube routing routing either. I have a road bike and an MTB, and my three sons all have bikes. We've mixed and matched quite a lot of running gear in the last last 2-3 years. For example, I've swapped out three drive trains (including shifters) for 1x set ups, and switched or installed new brakes a few times. Not to mention changing stems and upgrading handlebars. External routing has made it all much easier. I haven't had to fish cables or disconnect, refill or bleed brakes. If you are racing, or riding fast with a club or hard core mates, then the gains from integrated cockpits and internal routing make a lot sense. So do aero socks, which my aero mate is now wearing. But, I still reckon that internal routing adds complexity that the majority of people who ride bikes for fun or to commute, or who look after their family's fleet, don't need. Cheers

@@BrianRPaterson I am talking exactly about cables routed through the cockpit too 🙂 Swapping handlebars is indeed much harder with this kind of setup because you are forced to disconnect the hydraulic hoses and then bleed the entire system. But my point is - how often do you swap handlebars? I don’t, at all. I knew the exact dimensions of everything on my bike before buying, there are geometry charts available for every single part. Even if you don’t know your specific bike fit beforehand - you’ll at most swap your handlebars only once, after your bike fitting session 🙂

@@BrianRPaterson unless, of course, someone is like yourself and swaps shit on their bikes weekly. In this case I agree - internal cable routing will give you lots of headaches 😀

@@pogoking4000 We'll have to agree to differ on this. Like the rim vs disc folks! I think if you are a fit-and-forget kind of person, and you know exactly what you need and aren't likely to change anything, then integrated everything is probably perfect. But, if you like to, or have to change things, at least from time to time, internal routing can be a hindrance. For example, my current CX/road bike has had four different bar set ups -- drops (which I didn't like), bull horns (better), a narrow Ti flat bar with some rise in it (interesting but not ideal), and most recently (i.e. for the last year or so) a flat no rise Ti bar with long Cannondale bar ends wrapped in bar tape for more comfort. That's just about perfect for me. Plenty of hand positions for long distance and also for climbing. The frame takes canti brakes like MTBs used to do, and I've gone back and forth using brakes with hood style levers and flat bar ones. That's just me. My boys are all growing, so we've done quite a bit of stem swapping to adjust their reach, and trying out wider or narrower bars. My point is that all that would be a nightmare on bikes with integrated cockpits. Downtube routed brake hoses and shifter cables also add some faff to the process. Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying the new integrated tech. But I'll be giving it a wide berth as long as I'm doing the maintenance. Live long and keep pedalling.

It was me 🙂

@@d7jab Haha ! The worry on Francis' face when he thought it was me.

Come back when you inevitably need to remove your fork and can’t do it without having to cut your hoses

@@KILLTHEREDDITOR it's worth the extra expense and time for me to having an integrated cockpit

@@KILLTHEREDDITORexactly ! these folk have no idea 🤗🤣

All these folk on these plastic bikes …none of them can actually ride them….sort your diet out first 🤣🤗🤘🏻