# Handlebar Bag and Cables



## Merost (Feb 23, 2006)

I have a Revelate Sweetroll. I packed it up today and tried installing it on one of my bikes. Wasn't really sure how this bag is supposed to fit in relation to the cables, especially the front brake housing. I'm thinking I'll need to cut a new (longer) housing for my front brake. 

Anyone have any recommendations on how to make everything fit together correctly without contorting my cables too much?


----------



## seedub (Nov 16, 2005)

I would try trimming them shorter first. Stock bikes usually have way too much cable housing all hanging out there. Just make sure that there is enough room when the bars are turned 90 degrees the cable housing isn't being yanked. If you trim them up neat then the bag should fit just dandy.


----------



## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

IMO, and as BBI teaches, you should have enough housing for the bars to be turned to 180* unless stopped by something. That way your much less likley to cause damage if/when you crash.

As far as bags go I like to make my housing long enough to fit around the bag, that being said housing is free to move in three dimensions so as long as it won't kink anything feel free to put them under the bag.


----------



## seedub (Nov 16, 2005)

Well...... When I crash, the last ^%$&*' thing on my mind is the survivability of my brake housing. For this idiot (me) is more likely to crash (and have) fooling around with my handlebar bag that's tangled up in big loops of housing. In my study of one rider and no control group, I've trimmed my housing nice and neat for the last 25 years of riding and never, ever, strained or crushed a housing. But I am not a trained professional. Just a Joe. So there you go, says a Joe.


----------



## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

Realistically it takes a perfect storm to ruin a cable or housing in a got off, even if it were much to short, but when I'm days from the closest, well, anything I try to do my best to keep my bike up and running.

I have never had an issue with my housing being to long, it's fairly snug around my bag, even with the bag off, but I have had my bars spin durring a crash straining the housing. I have also had more then a few bikes come in with ruined housing from, what I suspect, was the same scenario.

But, like I said, cables can be run under the bag without much issue.


----------



## Iowagriz (Jan 14, 2008)

I run the Sweetroll as well. Have what I think are unusually too long hydro brake lines in the front and am too lazy to shorten. That may have helped me in my sweetroll placement. In my case, I had to rotate the levers up and then the roll fits between all of the cables and the headtube. The lever rotation is not terribly high, but not in my normally aggressive/racing position. Still easy to reach for touring. I'll try to post a photo in the future.


----------



## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

I went long enough to put the bar bag behind the cables. Then again, I run H-Bars, so my cables are already extra credit long.


----------

