Cable Routing, Bash Guard, Direct Mount Der

[duffmander]

Hi Guys,

Recovering roadie here; my wife and I just got our first mountain bikes.  We got them from Performance, and it looks like the cable routing is pretty jacked up.  It’s functional, but it just annoys me knowing it could be done better – so that’s what i’m working on here.  I’ve got three questions that I can’t find a straight answer on while I re-route the cables.  Unfortunately I have to wait for some small parts before I can trim down the brake lines.

1) Front Derailleur – Can you guys take a look at the pics below; is the cable supposed to go through this extra little hole on the FD?  Is there supposed to be cable housing that ends there, or a ferrule or something?

FD Pic 1, FD Pic 2, FD Pic 3

2) Front Brake – I saw a couple of articles that said that the front brake should be routed inside of the fork, not outside as pictured; but I couldn’t find anything definitive.  Does mounting it inside protect the cable from damage?

Front Brake Pic 1

3) Dropper cable – where the hell am I supposed to route this? – or at least how long should this cable be, i’m scared to cut it too short.

Also, Can someone take a look at the picture of the rear derailleur and tell me if it’s “direct mount” or traditional?  I’d like to get an extra RD hanger to keep in my toolbox, but direct mount and traditional take different hangers.  I’ve looked at a few articles, and they all look the same to me still.  I think it’s direct mount, but i’d like someone to verify if possible.

RD Pic 1

Finally,  I have a 2 chainring crankset.  Does this mean I can add a bashguard on the outside? Or would I have to remove the bigger of the two chainrings?  It looks like a triple that they just left the big ring off of.

Crank Pic 1

Thanks everyone!

(Apologies in advance; first post and I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do images.)

[schwim ✓ supporter]

FD:

That ring would have been used for your cable sheath if your frame hadn’t had one. You can still use it if you choose not to use the one of the frame. I personally would, as having that much exposed cable that far away from the down tube makes it very easy to shift your derailleur with your heel while pedaling or shifting during more exciting portions of riding.

FB: Route it inside for protection.

Dropper routing: Can’t give you any insight without pics aside from the fact that you need only enough slack to be able to fully turn your bars with the post fully extended and no more. Mine routes down the post and along the side/bottom of my top tube, combining with my rear brake cable. I bought a seat post clamp with a cable retainer and some sticky cable clamps to affix to the frame, which work fantastic for times when your frame is not set up to deal with something like a dropper post.

RD: Your bike uses a derailleur hanger. The only way to tell which one you need is to know the frame year and model. New bikes almost always come with a spare and the sales source should have them on hand for you at minimal cost. If not, there’s sources online that try to carry a broad spectrum of hangars for most manufacturers.

Bashguard: I know of no way to add one to an SLX 2x setup. You’d either need to get a 2x crankset designed for one out of the box or a 3x and convert the big ring to one. Having ridden a Shimano 2x crankset for years, I’ve yet to wipe out a chainring due to lack of one and I case stumps and have kissed stones during river crossings and the like.

[duffmander]

You literally just solved all of my problems.  Thanks so much!

[Author]

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