The P3 comes with factory mounted BB cable routers. These can be adjusted as needed. I have actually noticed that the front derailleur cable guide is very short. What I mean is that normally the cable guide bends around the BB to prevent the FD cable from “rubbing” against the frame on its way up to the FD. It does seem though that on my P3 the cable does touch the BB on its way up through the “eye” to the top of the FD. Has anyone noticed this? Is this a problem? Shifting seems fine.
I’m currently building my P3 frame up and I’ve noticed this too. It’s fine around the bottom bracket itself, but as it comes out of the plastic insert at the bottom of seat tube it rubs on the frame. I thought about using a small piece of outer cable or a rubber donut just to hold it away from the paint. I haven’t finished the build-up yet so I can’t comment on how it will shift.
Anyone else made any mods to overcome this problem??
Norty
Apologies for this, no message. Just trying to move it to the top as to get some more attention to it. This one is bugging me a bit.
Any takers on this issue?
I just checked my P3 and it looks like the same condition exists. The FD cable is actually touching the frame as it comes out of the bottom bracket guide just as you’d noticed on yours. I’ve only ridden my P3 for about 100 miles, but I still haven’t noticed any shifting problems. This would be a good issue to post on Cervelo’s yahoo groups website. Gerard and other Cervelo owners will answer lots of technical questions like this one.
I posted this Q on Cervelo’s user group. This was Gerard’s reply:
"You can (but don’t have to for shifting performance) use translucent
cable sleeving to guide the front derailleur cable around the bb. This
sleeving is so thin it fits through the cable guide, so you can run it
all the way from just inside the downtube to inside the seattube.
Gerard.
"
From this I gather that it is a bit of an issue and in theory they should provide either a better designed BB cable route guide or provide the cable sleeve as the last place you want paint removed from a rubing caable is at the bottom end of the BB.
I have since come up with my own way of solving this issue without going out and buying a special cable set with a loose inner section to remove just for this purpose. Here is what to do:
- I took a piece of DA SIS STI cable (left over from my Road bike), about 7 inches. NOTE it must be the gear cable version NOT the brake cable version!
- I used a sharp knife and just skimmed the outer plastic housing from the inner metal cable, thus cutting against the metal bit and shaving the plastic off. This is very easy to do.
- Once you have the plastic outer bit “shaved” the thin inner cables comes apart and you are left with the clear (white) inner part of the cable run.
- Thread this inner cable overt your FD cable guide it into the down tube through the BB cable guide up towards the FD. the Cable guide keeps it nicely in place. This will prevent the cable rubbing against the frame on its way up to the FD.
As I stated before, I had no shifting problems but I was not prepared to look on while it removes the paint from my brand new P3. I will monitor this regularly to make sure the cable does not cut through the “housing”, but I’m pretty sure it will be OK.
I think that this is a brilliantly design framed and everything is so well thought out, but they will need to supply diff. BB cable guides as everyone who took the time to go and look at their P3’s noticed this same problem.