Introduction: Clean and Classy Bike Speedometer Installation

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Anyone who has ever installed a bike computer/speedometer knows the problem.  How do you route the speedo wire in a way that is both good looking and keeps it out of the spokes and wheel?  Why do they give me 10 feet of wire?  Why are there only 3 cable ties in the kit?  

And of course it ends up looking bad; a rats nest of coiled wires and various colors of cable ties.  Then I go out for a ride, looking forward to seeing how far I have gone but end up head over heels as my speedo wire catches the front wheel and tosses me into the bushes.

This instructable tells how I solved this problem using some heat shrink and a soldering iron.

Step 1: Tools and Parts

You'll need heat shrink.  I used 3/8 inch diameter heat shrink as this fits over the brake housing and has room to slide the speedo wire through.  I tried 1/4 inch tube, but it was too tight.

You can get heat shrink at Radio Shack Home Depot etc.  Sometimes you can find different colors!

And you need soldering stuff, an iron, some wire cutters, a stripper (or a knife) and solder.

And some bike tools.  I only needed a couple of hex keys.

Step 2: Remove Brake Cable.

This works better on bikes with disk brakes as the brake cable goes all the way down the fork.  

Remove the cable at the brake and at the point 1/2 way up the fork there is another clamp that holds the cable out of the wheel.  Remove these so you can slide the heat shrink on. 


Step 3: Slide Heat Shrink Onto the Cable

I took my brake cable completely off to make these pictures.  

I used three 8 inch long sections of heat shrink to fit my bike/cable configuration.  You may need more or less.

Step 4: Sensor Mount

Mount the sensor on the disc side of the fork.  I worried that the magnet would be too far away from the sensor but it wasn't!

Step 5: Cut Wires and Slide Through the Heat Shrink and Solder

Cut the speedo wire up high, leave 4-5 inches at the top.  This makes it easier to do the solder work up higher and it keeps the connection area further away from the dirt/grime.

Push the wire up the heat shrink from the bottom up and then trim the wire so you don't have excess but keep in inch or two so you have room to solder the wire.

Now strip and solder.  Soldering is best for a connection that is strong both electrically and mechanically.

This is easier said than done.  If you've never soldered before get some help.  Find a tutorial on the web.  Practice on something else.

Some Hints;
Tin your wires.  This prevents the wires from fraying.
Put little hooks in the ends so the wires stay together as you solder.  It also  makes a mechanically stronger connection.
Use smaller diameter heat shrink to insulate your connections.  If you live in a rainy area, a bit of glue under the heat shrink will waterproof it.

And if this is all too much for you, buy someone a beer and have them do it for you.

Step 6: You're Done!

 Now slide your heat shrink where you want it, putt the brake cable back on and ride!

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