# Madone Pro brake cable routing



## gibson00 (Aug 7, 2006)

Why does the new Madone Pro 6.9 appear to have it's rear brake cable guide on the left (drive side) side of the frame?? Wouldn't that create a bad cable angle coming out of the handlebars/tape???


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## zac (Aug 5, 2005)

gibson00 said:


> Why does the new Madone Pro 6.9 appear to have it's rear brake cable guide on the left (drive side) side of the frame?? Wouldn't that create a bad cable angle coming out of the handlebars/tape???



Did you mean the right side? The DS is right, the NDS is left.

Typical american setup for brakes is front on the left lever, rear on the right lever. (Many do the reverse too, but that is neither here nor there.)

To answer your specific question: No, the right (rear) brake cable exits the bar wrap with a nice radius to the Top Tube entry hole grommet (which is on the Drive Side of the TT). The cable then easily routes through the TT and out the exit grommet on the top, and with a subtle radius, down to the rear brake barrel adjuster. There is absolutely no issue with it as far as I can tell.

Were it to be on the other (left) side of the Top Tube, a sharp turn of the bars to the right would really put a pull on the cable housing across the Head Tube, which is not good. Instead the way it is, the cable housing just lifts away with plenty of extra play on a sharp right turn. A left turn shouldn't be an issue since the cable is on that side already, and won't pull across the Head Tube.

FWIW, I always shorten my cables significantly over the way they come from the factory. I don't like them flopping around, and shorten them to the point that they still function smoothly, without too tight a radius. I have a 6 series frame and it is not an issue at all.

Additionally, IIRC, in the first public release of the new Madones, the rear brake cable exited the TT on the left NDS side, near the seat mast. However this early design (in the 5.x series), was never present on the 6.x series, and was redesigned due to complaints that it was catching and rubbing left thighs and shorts.


HTH
zac


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