It was like a last bastion: the traditional manufacturer Chris King resisted the trend towards a headset with outer shells for a long time. But now Chris King also supplies headsets for internal cabling - with a dose of tradition.

The handlebars should be wider, or the stem longer, but the brake hose prevents this efficiently because it is too short? Or the hose has a kink or crack? As the hose, especially with the rear brake, has a long internal route through the frame, there is a lot of frowning at the thought of replacing this outer casing with a longer one. What can turn into a workshop orgy is also very easy: with an amazingly simple and ingenious extension kit.

In the past - i.e. before Internal Routing was not fully developed - you would often be told in the bike store when you picked up your new bike that you could have the stem changed free of charge and without any problems if the riding position wasn't exactly right. In future, you will hear this announcement less often. Because awkward internally routed cables can make a mundane job like changing the stem a nightmare. The result? Ergonomically less adapted bikes.