Getting really nice clean shifting on a mechanical groupset can be tricky, but this hack can REALLY help!

I've often found that on some cable runs through internally routed carbon frames, there can be quite a lot of friction present, which can drastically degrade the shifting performance. Over the years I have tried many different techniques to reduce friction, and improve shifting, but not much has helped.

However using this hack changed everything, and made the shifts at the rear derailleur SO much smoother. The shifting is light and precise, and never skips a gear or fails to index.

Essentially you need to ignore the frame stops, and run a continuous run of gear cable housing all the way through the frame. It is a trick that has been used for decades on mountain bikes, but for whatever reason, on road bikes, this technique isn't used very often.

There are a few things to consider, but if you are struggling to get perfect shifting on your road bike, this is definitely worth a try.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:35 – Initial problem
01:27 – The fix
03:05 – Drawbacks
04:44 – Shifting improvements
06:04 – Another technique
07:06 – 2 suggestions