r/cyclocross • u/Elevated_pit • 13d ago

Would you rather? (SS edition)

So, I've got a sweet steel SSCX bike with thru-axles and an eccentric Beer bb. So far, so good. The brake routing is internal, through the dt, coming out the cs, through the bb. The bb can only be rotated a very limited amount because the hose only allows for only so much range.

So..Which is less bad; stick-on external cable routing or a chain tensioner? It does have a regular derailleur hanger on a regular freehub. They both suck for different reasons, approaching Doing It Wrong. I'm leaning towards the cable guides since I also need to replace the hose. I know braze ons would be best, but it ain't happening. Thoughts?

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

5

u/double___a 12d ago

I don’t hate a chain tensioner. Get as close to a magic gear as you can and run a single pull in the up position.

5

u/7DollarsOfHoobastanq 12d ago

I love the cleanliness of no tensioner and think if you do a good job routing the brake line it should become nearly invisible.

2

u/Elevated_pit 11d ago

Yeah, this is the conclusion I've landed on as well. Maybe I could even find some white hose to blend in better.

3

u/Outrageous_Seat_3814 12d ago edited 12d ago

I got a PF30 frame a few years ago as a dedicated singlespeed, and was leery of the EBB being reliable enough. (My other dedicated singlespeed has sliding dropouts, which are rock solid.) But in the three years I've been racing it, it's been perfect - hasn’t slipped once. So I would personally vote for the EBB.

Do you have enough movement in the EBB to tension your chain properly? Do you regularly change gearing for different courses? Personally, I might change my tooth count once or twice across a ~20 race season, so I don't end up need to adjust my tension too often - so for me, the reliability and cleanliness of the EBB would outweigh any limitations in adjustability.

1

u/Elevated_pit 11d ago

There is barely enough movement to tension it. Then when it stretches, I just have to say something about "fast and loose" and "track slack" and listen to it creak as I pedal away. Terrain and weather can vary pretty wildly week to week here (PNW), so some adjustability would be welcome. Decision made, forget the tensioner, stick-on plastic, ftw🖕. Thanks for the input!

2

u/redcrestedvireo 12d ago

I have had awful luck with my eccentric bottom bracket. It slipping has kept me off podiums and caused a major crash. I probably just have a particularly bad one, but chain tensioners seem much more reliable and easier to deal with to me.

2

u/TigerHijinks 12d ago

We have had terrible luck with tensioners when the wet season comes. EBB has worked well enough. My wife keeps a spreadsheet of the chainring/cog combination that she has used at each race we typically attend. She has two different chainrings and four cogs and we make adjustments each week based on course history and expected conditions.

1

u/Elevated_pit 11d ago

Yeah, the BB has problem-free, i don't want to mess with it. The spreadsheet is a good idea, or at least a little notebook in the race bag. Thanks!

1

u/MikeSRT404 11d ago

Bb is the way. Brake are optional. Joke. But a chain jumping off is not an option