installing cables/housings.

There is nothing wrong with your cables IMO. You need the cassette and chain installed to keep everything tight when you shift into your largest cog in the rear.

As a test, shift into your largest. Now use your hands to position the rear derailleur into the position it would be if you had the cassette and chain installed. The act of moving the derailleur should take out the slack in the cable.

 

I'm going to go against the grain here and contradict what many have said so far (waiting for all the tools/tomatoes/etc to get thrown at me ).

You do not need to install the cassette and chain at this point to troubleshoot your particular problem. Actually, it is better that you don't as this will allow you to shift back and forth without having to pedal.

To me it looks like your cable guides were either designed for full length housing or, if it's used, they have been drilled out for full housing. The stops should have a hole just large enough for the end cap nipples to fit through just like the stops in the rear triangle. I would just run full housing all the way back to the rear triangle stops. This adds a little weight but keeps the cables cleaner longer.

You should also make sure that your cuts are square and the inside jacket is not pinched in. I like to use a dremel to cut it quickly then open up the inside sleeve with a box cutter blade.

If you need help you can either swing by my place or I can go to you. I'm on the DL so anything bike related will help me keep my sanity. I've got plenty of spare housing (not the cool yellow like you have though) and all the tools to do the job.

Duc

 

Thats what is supposed to happen, just run it...

JK i would first try to clean out the part of the cable where you cut it. i have only done this once so im not an expert.

i used a pointy object(pick, or large needle) to make sure that it would not bind on the cable.

also are you using the inserts you are supposed to put on the ends of the housing where you cut?

 

If you don't have tension on the cable (end locked down on derailleur with the der's spring providing the tension) it's possible for the housing to move around.

Looking at the pic it does appear the cable stops may have been drilled out for full length housing. Can you take a pic of the stop from the front wothout the housing in there?

C

 

we have a wiener here.... on the front triangle you feed the full housing and cable through those mounts.. if you look carefully it does not the the slotted cable stop that there seat stay has

 

Looking at the photo of the cable "stop" on the top tube it does look like there is a potential the cable stop has been drill (though I doubt it on a what looks like a new frame) or was designed for full cable housing. However the cable stop on the chain stay is a true cable stop and not designed for full cable housing. I would be surprised if they mixed full cable housing for the front triangle and not in the rear.

Any updates from the OP? At this point why not try installing the cassette and chain. Seems like less work to me.

 

Not a personal attack here or anything so please don't take this in the wrong away, but how would installing a chain and cassette help to isolate the problem at the main triangle? Wouldn't the main triangle be isolated from the influences of the derailleur wrap around the cassette by the rear triangle stops? Just my personal opinion.

Please explain this to me. Honest request here since a lot of people have suggested it. I am not a professional mechanic so any insights will help me out in the future.

Duc

 

yup, that front triangle is similar to my reign which had the same "stops" on the front triangle. its made so you run full cable housing all the way until the seat stay stop. the seat stays never get dirty, but the front triangle sees a lot of mud/dirt that gets kicked up from the front tire.

 

Hey everyone thanks for all the replies I didn't get a chance to bmess with it yesterday, as I didn't get home till really late and just didn't have the energy to mess with it and get frustrated...one thing I did when I started this projct was to go down to my LBS and look at other Giants and how they were set up but with my limited knowledge I did not stop to look at the frame cable stops...the new Giants did not run full housing so I just followed suit...

A few things:

1. This is a used frame, the previous owner is a member of STR but not too active. I wil be contacting him shortly.
2. I will look at my options again and probably end up getting new housing starting over(chalk it up to a learning experience)
3. Duc and Nam I think are on the right track, but I will also install the cassette and chain, if it doesn help its one less thing to do(not that its alot)


overall Im enjoying the learning process and appreciate all the help Im getting thanks guys!!

 

wanna do full housing?

I asked about it a month ago or so, and with no experience I did it myself without the use of zipties or anything else you can see. just an option

 

No offense taken at all. That's the point of these forums is to share ideas. My thoughts are based on building my bike over the last two weeks. I had all the cabling installed, the derailleur installed, basically everything but the wheel and chain. When I shifted through the gears my cable became slack because the derailleur was not pulling the cable tight. I think this might be causing .8down's cable to be backing up. I also have been doing my own cabling for years. Once you have the process down it's pretty straight forward.

 

Ahh! Gotcha! Now I know what you guys are talking about.

I don't think I've ever installed the cable and tested it without the wheel, cassette and chain installed before so I've never encountered this. Derailleur cables are usually the last thing I install when building a bike.

Thanks for the info.

Duc

 

I really need to start working on my bike so that i wont be so damn lost on threads like these...#-o

 

\
in a way now that I think it though, this does make sense, the chain does stretch out the Deraillluer into its proper position. I will give all these things a try, probably after deadlines are over with at work...

 

I think this is only true for the last loop of the cable as it enters the derailleur. That is, unless you are running full length housing. In your case though, I think the cable stop at the seat stay will isolate this influence from the main triangle which is where your problem is.

Duc

 

the way things are going looks like a no brainer for me, one run full housing(Im gonna need more now) two put the rest of the stuff on, while it may not be a factor, its not gonna hurt either....

 

I only ran full length housing on FS bikes. Helped with ghost shifting as the wheel moves through it cycle. The cabling on my 575 was very non-standard. Yeti wanted the cable going under the bb. I didn't, and my routing was a straight shot from the headtube to the rear derailleur. Used zip ties to keep it all together.

 

if you live anywhere near fullerton I can fix and show you how to work with your shifter cables.

I can think of many possiblities that may be wrong, but I really don't want to be typeing all day giving you step by step instructions. At least not right now I can't.

other than that. I would take it to a bike shop and more than likely they will adjust it for you. Only then you can probably ask them what they did so you'll know the next time.

 

do both

I think cable housing was the very last thing I did (first build) on my bike that just got done a month or so ago

though I went at my frame with a dremel to go full housing, it was a joke in terms of difficulty and i'm no genius. However, I remember playing with the shifting forever once I got it all together and ultimately had the LBS adjust the derailleurs once I got the housing on.

 

ya I kind of built my last one, well more transfered a bunch of parts and ended up having the LBS adjust the D's, but Im gonna try my best to learn how to this time around....