Internally routing or Hiding Di2

With a project looming on the horizon, on which I’ll be using hydro Di2, I’ve been considering ways to build the cleanest looking bike while not making it functionally useless.
I’d like to hide as much as possible inside the cockpit and inside the frame as possible, in terms of hoses/cables and wires.
Mostly what has sparked my interest are recent BMC models which have what they call ICS or Integrated Cockpit System.

They manage to hide all wires and even brake hoses within the bars, stem, steerer and headtube of frame. Even the front brake runs internally through the fork only showing to the outside air where it reaches the brake.

I’m not going to buy a BMC, I’ll be making my own frame from oversize Columbus Spirit and Max but I’d like to achieve the clean look.

So here’s a thread to discuss products, parts and methods to go wireless, without buying eTap. For no reason other than Instagram likes. Naturally

The BMC stem is available separately and would get the wires as far as the headtube. Their frames use non round spacers though and enter through the headtube around a fork with a flattened section of steerer which is a no go for me but it still may help

The latest bars from PRO are drilled at the rear for wires to enter the stem internally but this is more for gaining access to the steerer mounted battery rather than wires entering the frame outside of the fork

I know you can heat shrink the wires to the brake hoses but humour me for a while and pretend you can’t

You saw this new steel, fully internally routed frame from Battaglin: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/road.cc/content/tech-news/officina-battaglin-launches-power-evo-steel-frame-274823%3famp

Says that it requires a custom HSS tube set but the fork steerer doesn’t look proprietary.

Theres this: https://www.bike24.com/p2295727.html?q=di2%20headset

Conversely, I'm dreaming about projects where I can service everything without having to pull the bike apart totally.
External routing ftw.
#Fuckaero.

and this: https://www.bike24.com/p2367152.html?q=FSA%20NS%20ACR

But you have to use it with their stem: https://www.bike24.com/p2367619.html?q=FSA%20NS%20ACR

Story of my life repairing bikes. Some new bikes (I'm looking at you Cannondale) we got delivered were routed euro style. To simply switch hoses took hours.

Deda also has a version very similar (almost identical?) to the FSA thing: http://www.dedaelementi.com/en/headset-dcr/
Straight internal 52mm headtube so quite doable with steel.

Oh this is what’s in the Battaglin.

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A guy called dangerholm on Instagram is trying to do the same thing on a mountainbike.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CErTqeeBI-g/

I've now had to learn to ride UK style as a result of not being botheredable to even try and swap things over. I still get confused though.

@Jaap has similar ambitions, his plan revolves around a drilled out steerer bung and a slot in the steerer from what I’ve last heard.

That guy makes some lovely looking bikes for sure. If you're not very risk averse, drilling makes things very easy to route things.

@lowbrows At times I wished I could convince customers to just roll with it.

I’ve done di2 and hydraulics through a normal stem and steerer, unfortunately the crown of this carbon fork was to tight to run the front brake through the fork...

The hard part was the bottom bracket shell.

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The FSA and Ritchey headsets are both on the radar. The difficulty is finding a stem with routing underneath for cables to exit. PRO do an XC stem with cable exit on the top but nothing underneath.
Don’t like the FSA stem

How is the wiring/routing on this arranged on the front half?

An option I’ve thought about is a 1 1/4” stem designed for canyons etc with that size steerer but used with split shim on a 1 1/8” with the wire running through the gap in the split shim however I think the wire would be wider than the 1.5mm gap between steerer and stem

Do show and tell. Your mastery of the drill always impresses.

Rob English used the FSA system but it’s not elegant looking

@Chak @PhilDAS, I’m afraid I haven’t taken any pictures, but I drilled through the steerer where it meets the stem and just below the top bearing. The last one is angled down and on the front of the steerer, so the hydraulic line and di2 wire have a lot of slack inside the (44mm) head tube before entering the down tube.

I made an aluminium sleeve on my lathe to glue inside the steerer instead of an extension plug. The bottom has holes for 2 hydraulic lines and a di2 wire and a hole with threading in the middle to secure the top cap for preloading.

I have to say, now it’s all in place it’s fine. But getting everything in there was a 2 day excursion. There is so little space inside the steerer that it’s really difficult to get the hydraulic line into the stem. I just cut the di2 wire and soldered is back in place at the steerer.

As an extra I put a Shimano J-kit coupler and di2 junction inside the stem so I can remove the handlebars while leaving the stem in place.

I’ve bought one of the BMC stems to test. Think I’ll probably pick up one of the Ritchey headsets in order to use the top end internals. Should be the least drilly method and allows me to use any bars without needing a hole at the rear

Any word on that new Chris King internal setup that was shown at the Enve Builder Round-up thing on Radavist?

Colnago SR9 stem but it’s just too damn ugly