A friend of mine wants to do some touring this coming summer and fall. As it turns out, he really wants to do some bikepacking. We have trails all over Maine and a lot of places where you can camp if you can hike or bike in. So now instead of looking for the best do-everything bike, I'm more looking for something that's good on the road but weighted a bit more for gravel.
I've been looking at the Bish Bash Bosh frameset from On One, All City Space Horse, and Black Mountain Monster Cross. The Space Horse seems to be weighted a bit more toward the road and the Monster Cross toward the gravel. Either could work, I suppose.
But here is where I start to wonder about the MC. I've never dealt with top routed cables before. There are three cables going across the top of the top tube. For you that take trips with the MC, how do you work your luggage around the cables? I'm guessing there is no packs on top, like the Gas Can, Jerry Can (Revelate stuff), or anything else like this. That eliminates a bit of room when you're trying to just use rackless gear.
Does anyone here use the Monster Cross for bikepacking?
You're talking about the frame bag, I think. I'm talking about the small bag on top of the top tube up against the stem. It looks like it's pressing down on that brake cable. Wouldn't something wear a bit there? I'm guessing it's not enough to impede the cable.
Yeah that looks a little awkward, don't know how it is in real life usage though. The Raleigh Tamland is way cheaper and has no such exposed cables. Internal routing for the win.
I only have the rear brake cable on my poprad top tube but I was considering cutting a piece of brake housing just long enough to go between the stops. Idk if that will work or not. I've been waing for a cable replace to try it.
I use a small Revelate top tube bag on Ritchie Swiss Cross Canti. Cross bikes run brake and rear der. cables on the top of the top tube. At first, I was concerned about cable rub and interference, but after many rides with the Revelate bag, I've found that running the cables under the bag doesn't effect the cable function, or lead to damage to the bag or top tube. In truth, I'm now using a SRAM eTap drive train with only the rear cable running across the top. I also use small rubber "donuts" on the exposed inner cable which may also help. I don't even bother running the velcro bag straps under the cable. In short, I believe that the problem may be less of a concern. I'd consider other factors in your bike choice.
JWK1 wrote:BluesDawg, how do you keep the cables from rubbing on your top tube and wearing the material on the bottom of your cockpit bag?
I don't worry about it. The combination of there not being all that much weight in the bag and its contents, the straps not being all that tight and the cable movement not being all that long or all that frequent adds up to it not being all that big a deal.
i have a monster cross but have not taken it bike packing. that said, i have done some bike packing... why not just use a handlebar bag?
another alternative (which i have thought about doing on my BMC just because) is to add cable liner to the exposed sections. often marketed as protecting the cable from corrosion, it doubles as protecting your frame from cable rub when something pushes them together.
"BluesDawg, how do you keep the cables from rubbing on your top tube and wearing the material on the bottom of your cockpit bag?"
There are all sorts of housing seal kits out there (think Jagwire) but on a couple of bikes I have simply routed the cables through cocktail straws when they would have otherwise been exposed on the top of the top tube. This also adds protection when strapping down a bike on a car trunk bike rack.
snack time by Benny Watson, on Flickr
Downstream of Hungerford Lake dam by Benny Watson, on Flickr