Concealed wiring looks smart and offers aerodynamic benefits. But in practice, the integrated cockpit turns into a mechanic’s nightmare. And servicing at the garage becomes a money pit.
Conclusion
Whilst road cyclists enjoy at least minimal aerodynamic benefits from fully integrated cockpits, gravel cyclists and mountain bikers who follow this trend are essentially buying a ticking time bomb for their workshop, with no functional added value whatsoever. A good compromise between aesthetic appeal and serviceability: semi-integration. The cables only disappear into the frame at the head tube.
Full integration on bikes of any category is now the norm in the higher-priced segment. Where a bundle of gear and brake cables once adorned the cockpit, there is now a pristine emptiness. The hydraulic lines and cables disappear completely out of sight inside the handlebars, winding their way through the stem and only reappearing at their end point. Stylish! And aerodynamic!
This is also what the marketing departments emphasise: groundbreaking aesthetics, outstanding aerodynamics on the road and protection from branches in the woods. There’s no need to argue about the aesthetics – everyone can decide that for themselves. But what about the other arguments? In the wind tunnel, the improved aerodynamics on a road bike may save as much as two to three watts at a test speed – a measurable difference. Is that relevant? One thing is certain: as soon as the bike leaves the lab and is ridden in the harsh, real world, this design trend reveals its downside: What should be the simplest of tasks become a mechanic’s nightmare, entailing immense follow-up costs, driving amateur mechanics to despair and, in the case of mountain bikes, even amounting to physical nonsense.
Tax rate: a 15-euro part resulting in hundreds of euros in service charges
The upper steering head bearing is located right at the front. Rain, dirt, sweat – sooner or later it starts to make a grinding noise and needs replacing.
- For traditional bikes: Remove the stem, pull the fork out a little, swap the old bearing for a new one for 15 euros, and screw it back together. Time taken: 15 minutes.
- In the case of full integration: The hydraulic brake lines run right through the centre of the bearing rings. To remove the bearing, the entire brake system must be dismantled.
Dismantling & cutting: Time-consuming
Unwrap the handlebar tape or remove the grips, cut the brake cables at the levers, seal the ends, and feed them back through the handlebars and stem (for road bike handlebars and MTB handlebars with integrated cable routing). To do this, use a so-called ‘liner’ – a thin guide tube.
Shift cables are detached at the rear derailleur and pulled out upwards. As the cable housings often do not run all the way through the inside of the frame, it makes sense to use the ‘liner’ trick here too, through which you can then thread the cable back through later.
Bearing replacement: The real aim
Now, at last, remove the rusted/silted-up 15-euro thrust bearing, clean and grease the seat, and fit the new bearing.
New cable routing: a test of patience
Now thread the cable back through the headset, the stem and the handlebars using a liner (a thin guide tube). The gear cable should also be fed back through now.
Filling & Venting: Safety-critical
Top up the braking system with mineral oil or DOT fluid, bleed it thoroughly, adjust the lever travel and refit the cockpit.
The cost explosion
Instead of a quarter of an hour, a mechanic often spends two hours or more working on the bike here. Including new hoses, fittings, pins, brake fluid and any handlebar tape, a simple bearing replacement at the workshop suddenly costs between 200 and 400 euros. For mountain bikes, it’s only marginally cheaper (as handlebar tape isn’t required), but due to use on rough terrain and in mud, this service is required more frequently.
Fancy a quick adjustment to the stem? No chance!
A new bike rarely fits perfectly straight away. It’s often only after your first few long rides that you realise the stem needs to be shorter or the handlebars a bit higher for greater comfort.
- Road bikes & gravel bikes: Many integrated systems use split spacers to make minor adjustments to the handlebar height. However, if you want to lower the handlebars significantly and shorten the steerer tube, the internally routed cables often need to be cut to length from scratch, as otherwise they will kink inside the tight frame.
- The Mountain Bike Crash Course: On mountain bikes, you change the handlebars even more frequently – after crashes, for example. With fully integrated cockpits, every time you change the handlebars or stem, the cables have to be removed and may also need to be rerouted. So every minor ergonomic adjustment also entails a costly brake service. This is one reason why many manufacturers route the cables into the frame via the head tube, just below the headset.
The MTB paradox: Aerodynamics at 12 km/h?
Whilst one can at least still debate the aerodynamic benefits of a road bike (a saving of 2 to 3 watts at 45), full integration on a mountain bike amounts to pure physical nonsense.
On technical trails or when climbing, the average speed rarely exceeds 12 to 15 km/h. At this speed, air resistance is absolutely negligible. Manufacturers therefore fit a highly complex, fault-prone and difficult-to-maintain system here purely for aesthetic reasons and for an aerodynamic advantage that is not measurable. Furthermore, another problem can arise from crashes: if the handlebars twist violently during a crash on the trail, the cables routed rigidly inside are often kinked, impairing their function.
Ultimately, the aesthetic argument remains, particularly with mountain bikes, but also with gravel bikes. Integrated cable routing may well look smart, but it comes at the cost of annoying and expensive drawbacks.
Who is it worth the risk for?
| Anyone competing for every second and, at best, with just one mechanic in tow, will benefit from the look and the few watts saved. Experienced DIY mechanics who value a clean look will have to weigh up the pros and cons. | Anyone who services their own bike, rides all year round and is looking for a straightforward, ergonomically adjustable machine would be better off steering clear of fully integrated handlebar assemblies. For cyclists who are hopeless at mechanics and want to avoid workshop costs, this is a no-go anyway. |
Josh Welz
Editor-in-Chief
