2 questions: brake/shifter cables and chainstay protector

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

1. Is it ok if a bag is pushing against brake/shifter cables? The brake and shifter cables interfere with positioning of my Ron’s Bikes Fanny. They must either go in front of (where they interfere with the flap closing) or behind the bag. If behind, they are pushed up against the head tube. I’ve included photos so you can tell me whether this is dangerous or terrible in any way. They are in the next post because GG wants to turn the images sideways…

2. My sticker - is it a chainstay protector? - on my raspberry Platypus began to bubble up. I started fearing that water would get under there and rust my bike, so I pulled that sticker off. There must be a great reason this sticker was put there, and now my lifetime favorite bike is without one. Is this something bike stores have or will they look at me like I have a green head if I ask to buy a new one? Also, what is this sticker really protecting my Platypus from? The chain slipping and marking it up? Does that even happen?

Up next: photos.

[Leah Peterson]

On Apr 3, 2022, at 7:23 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

1. Is it ok if a bag is pushing against brake/shifter cables? The brake and shifter cables interfere with positioning of my Ron’s Bikes Fanny. They must either go in front of (where they interfere with the flap closing) or behind the bag. If behind, they are pushed up against the head tube. I’ve included photos so you can tell me whether this is dangerous or terrible in any way. They are in the next post because GG wants to turn the images sideways…

2. My sticker - is it a chainstay protector? - on my raspberry Platypus began to bubble up. I started fearing that water would get under there and rust my bike, so I pulled that sticker off. There must be a great reason this sticker was put there, and now my lifetime favorite bike is without one. Is this something bike stores have or will they look at me like I have a green head if I ask to buy a new one? Also, what is this sticker really protecting my Platypus from? The chain slipping and marking it up? Does that even happen?

Up next: photos.

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[Ben Mihovk]

Hey Leah,

1. My opinion is that it's not hurting anything having the cable housing behind the bag. If you don't feel a degradation in brake performance, it's probably just fine. 

2. The sticker is a protection for chain slap, a phenomenon where the chain smacks the chainstay. In theory, if it happens repeatedly on bare paint, it could chip or damage it similarly. Riv sells thm, but they're out right now https://www.rivbike.com/products/chainstay-protector?_pos=2&_psq=chainstay&_ss=e&_v=1.0. I'm sure a bike shop would at least know what you're talking about if you asked about chainstay protectors. 

Have a nice night!

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[J]

That is exactly how all of my bike have been set up with a front bag, never though twice about it, never had a problem. I guess if your cables/housing were cut too short reducing their maneuverability it could cause some friction tension but yours look perfectly trimmed.

The chain stay sticker protects from chain slap when you are bouncing around a bumpy trail (especially in a gear that leaves you chain lower and closer to the stay) the chain could smack your chain stay and mark it up. It happens on all my bikes but I ride rough trails and jump off curbs and such, if you keep things smooth and casual it would be a rare occurrence. I've replaced a few when they've become chewed up and just left them off of other bikes. YMMV

[Joe Bernard]

Echoing what the others said, plus addressing a concern I think I picked up about the cables: 1. Yes it's fine as long as the bends aren't so sharp that you feel like the brakes or shifting are sticky, like you pull a lever and the wire inside the housing doesn't snap back. Based on the pics I don't think you'll have that problem. 2. Is it dangerous? Only in the event that you pulled the brakes tight and they stayed that way. But then you'd just stay stopped so I guess that's not really a danger anyway. Basically if everything is snapping back fine then you're good to go. 

Chain slap protector: Nice to have and easy to find but you're not mountain biking and bouncing your chain all over the dang place, you're probably not getting chain slap anyway. On the Mermaid you have what's called a clutch derailer, that chain doesn't slap at all! 

Joe Bernard

[Joe Bernard]

BUT...it would drive me crazy. I always cut my cables long in anticipation of exactly what you've discovered: too short and they block the bag in front so they gotta get jammed up behind. If you ever get tired of looking at your current solution you can have the bike shop put on longer cables. Like this! 

[John Hawrylak]

Re bags pushing on the brake cables and shifting cable.   When you push on the housing, the cable inside may be forced to take a longer path and hence the tension in the cable increases.  

Increased brake cable tension would cause the brake shoes to move towards the rim, just like if you would pull the brake lever a small amount, the shoes close a small amount.  If the brakes shoes are not rubbing or appear closer to the rims, then I would not worry too much,

Same is true for the shifter cable housing.  A small increase in cable tension results in the jockey wheel moving inward a small amount and starting a shift to a larger cog.   If shifting is not affected with the cables pushed, again I would not worry about it.

My 2 cents

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[Leah Peterson]

Whew, thanks everyone. I’ll get a chain stay protector for the raspberry bike (I really hate to think of it being chipped up - that bike does have a front derailleur. I did not know what a clutch derailleur was or that I even had one, so that’s something I’ll be looking up online. 

Since the consensus is that the cables are ok tucked behind the bag, I’m leaving them there. I don’t like them interfering when I open/close the Fanny, and it looks cleaner to have them disappear behind it. So there.

Thanks, everyone!

Leah

On Apr 3, 2022, at 7:51 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Echoing what the others said, plus addressing a concern I think I picked up about the cables: 1. Yes it's fine as long as the bends aren't so sharp that you feel like the brakes or shifting are sticky, like you pull a lever and the wire inside the housing doesn't snap back. Based on the pics I don't think you'll have that problem. 2. Is it dangerous? Only in the event that you pulled the brakes tight and they stayed that way. But then you'd just stay stopped so I guess that's not really a danger anyway. Basically if everything is snapping back fine then you're good to go. 

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