internal dropper-post routing

[fortyfour]

I'm sourcing direct from Jagwire Taiwan (little help to most of you, I know). They're a stock item in the OEM catalogue so I see little reason why Jagwire USA couldn't get hold of/offer them. Maybe give them a shout?...(info@jagwire.com)

Thanks Albert - Email sent to Jagwire. We'll see what I hear back.

[fortyfour]

To All Following up on this discussion: I just spoke with a employee at Jagwire and these parts are not available through direct sale via Jagwire U.S. or (for example) a larger U.S. based distributor like QBP. They are currently only available through Jagwire Taiwan. However, once I explained the need and the lack of a solution for U.S. Based Builders', we are going to see if this part can be made available directly from Jagwire U.S. for smaller accounts like Framebuilders. So my contact will be in touch if/when that is sorted. I'll be sure to let everyone know of any updates. Such a small part and a simple solution that is not included with any Stealth Dropper's that I know of. Hopefully, this may be a long term solution moving forward.

As an over arching observation or recommendation: If you are a Professional Framebuilder, and need help sourcing parts, always contact the manufacturer directly. Picking up the phone, calling them and explaining the need almost always turns out positively and they are really helpful. I know each time I have contacted any of my OEM accounts or OE's that I do not have an account with always turns up really positive results.

[sprout]

some great ideas here!
@jake, pea brained. hah! that'll be the day.

@garro and @kristofer those bikes both look slick! and steve, it is all about the look in this case!

@sean, i ended up landing on a process similar to what you were suggesting. i was not concerned about the seat tube weld being complete, especially as the rider is sub 130lbs and i was already using an oversized seat tube -- one of those nova 33.5/32.7 tapered tubes turned upside down to accommodate a 30.9 post. also, not that is totally comparable but lugged frames have been built for a long time with the st/dt notched out. this is only slightly different from what another portland builder does, except in that case the seat tube is slotted above the bb and below the dt/st overlap, complete st/bb weld and guide tube brazed into the seat tube passage. i didn't have that option as i'd already notched the seat tube.

don't know that what i did is the best but the 5mm housing and cable passes happily (with a little bit of friction) through the bottom bracket area.
my process made for an odd sequence that took a lot of thinking about the next steps to make sure i didn't back myself into a corner.

another thing. i forgot to drill drain holes in the bottom of the guide tube bend. not that there's a lot of volume remaining once the housing is installed, but something i should have thought of before.

sequence went as such: miter and fit all main tubes in fixture > notch st at dt > slot bottom bracket > bend guide tube at bb > rough entry hole on down tube > braze guide tube into bb > deflux and clean up bb/st > fit and finish dt entry > weld dt/ht > braze guide into dt > cut remainder of guide tube and finish before welding tt (on the small frame i'm building i would've been hard pressed to cut the brass off let alone file finish without hitting the top tube) > keep calm and carry on...

IMG_0397.jpgIMG_0392.jpgIMG_0391.jpgIMG_0400.jpgIMG_0403.jpg

again, thanks for all the words. will post a picture of the complete when its ready.
lemme know what you think...

--edwin