Cable Rub

[Redvee]

When I built up my Kaffenback I put a piece of helicopter tape round the bottom of the head tube to prevent cable rub once I'd sorted out the cable runs.

[Vantage]

I'm thinking about suing Dawes. Even though I have mudguards fitted, on wet days I return home to find specks of dirt on the bike. Clearly the mudguards are faulty.

This is wrong, un-protected cable rub is preventable, mud isn't... Are you trying to be funny?

Now that you mention it, yes I was.
Like it or not, bikes get scratched and lose paint. It comes with the territory and if someone can't handle that, they should try another interest.

[Steveo2020]

The law requires that products sold are of satisfactory quality. It seems obvious to me that if the paint comes off or is damaged in 200 miles of normal use, then it was not of satisfactory quality. How could it be otherwise?

Your remedies might be more trouble to enforce than they are worth but asking for a respray doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Cheers

[tatanab]

Some people do not like anti-rub patches etc because "they are the wrong colour" or "you can see the edge of the helicopter tape when it collects dirt after a few months". So the supplier/shop cannot win. If patches were supplied with every machine, a large number would end up being thrown away because the customer did not know what they were for.

The rubbing problem has been made worse in recent years by the advent of Ergo/STI etc but is far from new. In the olden days as it were, the only place we would get a cable rubbing is where the rear brake cable moves as it enters or leaves its run along the top tube.

[Brucey]

FWIW cable rub happens eventually with any bike wherever the cable housing is able to move and it is able to touch. A softer cable outer or covering helps, but doesn't cure the rubbing entirely; IME any dirt greatly accelerates the effects of rubbing, to the point that cable outers will rub into both paint and metal (yes even Ti) on well-used MTBs. Keeping your bike clean makes a big difference, and cleaning it allows you to spot stuff like this happening before it gets too bad.

cheers

[simonineaston]

Damn - I opened this post before I realised it didn't read 'Cycle Grub'...

[531colin]

........*So far the only manufacturer which has attempted to place the cable guides to ensure no cable rub on the frame .........was Thorn.

This old Orbit has 2 little tubes at the bottom of the head tube as gear cable guides......



As you see, I don't use them because if I route the cable through them, the outer gets bent and distorted, I would rather risk a bit of cable rub personally.
Some manufacturers place cable adjusters at the same site, but they get through gear outer as well....I prefer to use the adjusters that bolt onto the traditional downtube gear lever bosses. I suppose it depends on your view of life....I would rather have no hassles with broken cables, and put up with a bit of cable rub, than damage the cables to save the paint.

If you ride the thing, pretty soon the wheel Q/Rs will chew through the paint on the dropouts, the chain will chip the paint on the chainstay, the handlebar tape will go manky, and your buttock will make dents in the saddle.....I don't think its worth going to the European Court of Human Rights about....

[reohn2]

If you ride the thing, pretty soon the wheel Q/Rs will chew through the paint on the dropouts, the chain will chip the paint on the chainstay, the handlebar tape will go manky, and your <i>[rude word removed]</i> will make dents in the saddle.....I don't think its worth going to the European Court of Human Rights about....

Nor me,but I seems the cable rub was the last straw to the OP,squealing brakes and a broken spoke were the preamble the cable rub seems to have put the tin hat on it for him.
A good shop assistant/owner/business person would have seen it coming and sought to diffuse any grievance by means of courteous personal attention and careful negotiation.
I could be wrong but that's how I'm reading it,at least two responses to the OP jump to the conclusion of a "customer from hell"which can only lead to confrontational issues,never a good situation in a customer/shop owner relationship and certainly not good for reputation.
And in any case how bad can cable rub get in 200miles?
I'd suggest it shouldn't get too bad in that time/mileage,certainly not bad enough that couldn't be polished out then clear patches fitted.
Which to my mind could have been part of to good customer service and a possible bad rep turned around in which case another positive walking advertisement exits the shop,or the thread we now have.

[meic]

I am all for one sort of shop where you get the sort of treatment that the OP is after and you pay £600 for your bike and another shop for the likes of myself where you get the same bike but you live with any petty niggles like cable rub and only pay £400 for your bike as you dont want to pay for £200 worth of added services.

I think I would be happy to buy bikes from Edinburgh cycles as their response about cable rub is what I would consider reasonable on a bike at their prices.

[Brucey]

from the OP's original comments I think it is likely that the bike was not just an inexpensive bike (for that spec) like Meic says, but an inexpensive bike bought via mail order.

I was extremely sceptical that the paint could possibly rub through in just 200 miles, but on reflection, this could happen if the headset were very loose (as described). If the OP attempted to adjust the handlebars (without understanding how, properly...) then the headset would be loose, yes, even if it wasn't when the bike was delivered.

Bikes are not microwaves or food blenders; I don't know of anybody (anybody who does more than ride to the shops, anyway) that does not develop some kind of a rudimentary understanding about how to adjust and care for their bike. I don't know what kind of a handbook you get with an EBC bike but if it is even half as good as many you get with bikes these days, (and it was actually read properly) then a good number of the queries to this and other websites wouldn't be necessary....

If this whole affair happened face-to-face in any shop then I'd be surprised; if it happened via a mail-order purchase, (and the OP is not that familiar with bicycles) I'd not be at all surprised. As I mentioned before, I don't think it is a good idea for novice cyclists to buy bicycles via mail order; such disappointments and misunderstandings are very likely.

cheers

[Vantage]

My Giant OCR from I think 2006-7 had headtube mounted stops.

[gaz]

.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi

. Keeping your bike clean makes a big difference, and cleaning it allows you to spot stuff like this happening before it gets too bad.
cheers

+ 1
This applies to any machine, and is a key to good maintainance.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Self adhesive felt pads, right on the lug as well ouch

[reohn2]

..........If this whole affair happened face-to-face in any shop then I'd be surprised; if it happened via a mail-order purchase, (and the OP is not that familiar with bicycles) I'd not be at all surprised

It's unlikely though I have witnessed a couple of none cycle shop related. unusual face-to-face encounters whilst out and about and must admit I quite enjoy watching how a good salesperson deals with the complaint.

As I mentioned before, I don't think it is a good idea for novice cyclists to buy bicycles via mail order; such disappointments and misunderstandings are very likely.

I agree but it's the way so much shopping is done these days,it's when there's a problem with the product that the real problems can begin or perhaps when the customer doesn't know the product,and I'm not for one minute saying the OP doesn't.
But it's why I occasionally see children's bikes and the odd,usually cheap,MTB with the front forks the wrong way round
Recently I watched as a seemingly competent adult take a £2k MTB out of the boot of a £20k car,put the front wheel in and wind the q/r skewer up like a wing nut,I explained to him that it wasn't how it should be done and he thanked me for the help but it's worrying that seemingly intelligent people need that explaining
Whilst we're on the subject,I was press ganged by my youngest daughter into doing a 20mile charity ride,of course there was a mixture of cyclists of differing abilities.
I stopped twice in that 20miles,once for a chap on a cheap hybrid with not a tool or spare tube between him and his three companions,whose rear wheel had pulled over to one side.Soon sorted.
The next chap was stopped looking bemused,I asked if there was a problem,"I've no front brake" was the reply.
He looked a bit sheepish when removed his disc braked front wheel and put it in the right way for him,he'd ridden ten miles before stopping
These things are clearly to do with people not reading and or following the assembly instructions,this doesn't seem to be the fault of the OP.
The "rattling from the 'bars" could be a headset problem,equally so it could be something unrelated,perhaps the OP could let us know.