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I'm building a new bike and have ridden a frame which feels (and looks) amazing. I'm dead set on buying it but it's a single speed frame. Ideally I would like gears at the rear. It has a dropout which can house a derailleur but there are no cable stops on the frame. It has been suggested a just run the cable straight into the derailleur and should work.

Has anyone ever tried/seen this setup?

EDIT:

In response to some of the comments, this is the frame in question;

Inspired Hex

It's a great ride and I'm really struggling to find anything that rides anywhere close it, hence my attempt at finding a solution. It may turn out that I do need to choose another frame, but I wanted to explore all options before going back to the drawing board.

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    Without a cable stop, the cable housing cannot be secured and could move. Could also make shifting unreliable. Other options are an internal hub or a flip flop hub,
    – Kim Ryan
    Sep 28, 2015 at 0:29
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    "Problem Solvers" is company that has made a business of supplying parts to match mismatched components. They do have clamp on cable stops.
    – mikes
    Sep 28, 2015 at 1:17
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    You still need to run cables for an IGH unless its the automatix or similar. Clamp on cable stops can work, but you need normal shaped tubing. The best thing to do is to find a similar frame designed for gears -- we don't even know if you have the right hub spacing in the rear.
    – Batman
    Sep 28, 2015 at 3:20
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    Could you post a photo of the frame? What about it do you like so much?
    – Criggie ♦
    Sep 28, 2015 at 10:25
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    I have a pre-WW2 race-bike that has a derailleur. Originally the housing ran from the lever to the derailleur. But now it carries a clamp-on cable stop. Both systems work nicely.
    – Carel
    Sep 28, 2015 at 15:09

2 Answers 2

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It could work, but you'll end up with unsightly cable ties or something to hold the housing to the frame. Plus the shifting performance won't be great given all the slop that can accrue in a long unsupported housing.

If you're fixed on this frame, how about getting an opinion from a local bike shop or frame builder, as to whether they can braze on some... "braze-ons" That was how the extras were fastened on in the early days. Of course all this comes at a direct cost to your wallet.

Price this against an internally-geared hub like the nexus and make a decision based on price.

Or learn to ride a single speed and save.

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  • Learn to ride a single speed and save.... your knees?
    – BSO rider
    Sep 28, 2015 at 16:44
  • @BSOrider Yeah - because the reason I need gears is that I can't ride single speed. How do you know a single speed is suitable for the type of riding I'm going to do? And in response to your comment above, "When you're riding the bike, you don't look at the frame.", that's a nonsense comment. Do you brush/style your hair / dress nicely when you go out? If so why bother? You can't see yourself when your walking around the street. None of your comments so far have been at all constructive.
    – Jonny Wright
    Sep 28, 2015 at 18:44
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    My comment about saving your knees was sarcastic. riding SS is bad for your knees.
    – BSO rider
    Sep 28, 2015 at 20:05
  • Sorry, trying to read/respond on my phone and got the answer and your comment wrong way round. Apologies
    – Jonny Wright
    Sep 28, 2015 at 20:14
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Back in the day you could buy clamp on stops and guides for derailer cables. I would think you can still find them, either as NOS or maybe somebody is still making them.

Sure enough here is a page full of them at BikeParts.Com.

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