Dynamo wiring route

[Andy W]

I shall be fitting a schmidt dynamo headlamp to a Fairlight bike. The forks have a hole top and bottom to route  the wire from the headlight to the dynamo spade terminals.
This would mean cutting off the existing spade connectors, threading the wire through the fork then fitting new spade connectors and heartstrings.
Alternatively I could run the wire down the fork, secure it with electrical tape as is currently the case.
FWIW, the cable is approximately 150 mm longer than necessary and is loopedand taped to the fork as I was reluctant to cut the cable.
What would others do?

[Andy W]

Not heartstrings, heatshrink.  Predictive text, grr.

[Aidan]

I’ll have the same issue when my new bike arrives , and if in same position I would cut the terminals off and shorten the cable . If nothing else the aesthetics are much better and I don’t see any risk. On my current bike I re did the terminals and had no issues for over 4 years.

[T42]

Awkward position to solder in, down close to the dropouts.  Being a lazy sod and cack-handed to boot I'd coil the excess and use tape.

[Feanor]

I think you could leave enough excess length to comfortably solder or crimp the terminals, and then tuck the excess back inside the fork, no?

[Paul H]

Option three would be to add an additional connector closer to the light.  Useful if you ever want to borrow the light for another bike, or swap it for a different light, or a charger. 
Only thing you can be reasonably sure of is that no one else will notice the time and effort you put in to getting it perfect!

[Kim]

I'd cut the cable and fit new connectors, but I've got a decent crimp tool (crimping is generally better than soldering, as you don't make the cable brittle), and a general aversion to adhesive tape.  As Feanor suggests, stuffing some excess cable inside the fork would be a good strategy.  Leaves you enough slack to re-make the connections in future if they're damaged.

[chopstick]

I like a bit of excess wire near the top of the fork, even if it might not look as tidy (my usual strategy is to make a coil around a pencil).  It's always handy to have, especially if you want to re-work a damaged/corroded join in the future.  It's also handy to prevent stressing the wire/joins when your front wheel/handlebars flop.

[rogerzilla]

I'm a savage in this respect.  I just wrap the wire around a fork leg in a spiral.

[Kim]

I'm a savage in this respect.  I just wrap the wire around a fork leg in a spiral.

This and/or cable ties.  But I don't have a fork with convenient holes for internal routing.

[Lightning Phil]

I used shrink wrap on the fork of my recumbent with wire underneath. But then fork is carbon fibre, so who is going to notice ?

[fd3]

I use the technician's soldering iron, so if the cable snaps I need to bring it upstairs, ideally without having to remove the front fork.

[andrew_s]

I'd wrap the extra cable round the lamp bracket and cable-tie the wire to the fork blade.
On an Edelux, the connectors are fitted better than you'll do yourself, and it avoids the worry about forgetting to unplug before removing the wheel.

[chrisbainbridge]

I have used colour matched heatshrink over. The black wire and then clear helicopter tape. At thee bottom end I have magnetic dynaclips so I can easily remove the wheel without worrying about pulling spade terminals off with cold wet hands.

[sojournermike]

I’d run it through the fork. It’s tidier and you have a lovely bike. Which model?

[ElyDave]

I'll be running it through the fork on my Faran 2.0 when the frameset arrives.  A very nice, neat solution