Duuuuuude99

That blue is exactly what I ordered! I don't need all 10m of it, hence looking to use the extra for derailleur cables as well so all cables are blue.

LV2TNDM

I ordered Jagwire compressionless brake housing when doing a complete overhaul of my most recent tandem. Let's just say I am NOT impressed. The performance improvement between my standard SRAM brake housing and the Jagwire is marginal, if even that. It works, no doubt, but the rear brake is pretty squishy, which compares similarly to my other road tandem. Running Ultegra STI with Avid v-brakes via Rollamajigs. Old tandem running 105 STI with old Deore XT cantilever brakes. Both are similar in the rear brake's squishiness.

I took extra time setting things up for best brake performance by routing my cables to reduce length, but while still preserving good arcs and interface at the cable stops and noodle. I'm also a stickler about cutting the ends well and then bench-grinding them flat & perpendicular (while at the same time NOT melting the liner). And using appropriate synthetic lube on the cables. In other words, I've taken about every step to ensure excellent brake performance. But one concession: I'm using cable quick-disconnects, so they are imparting some additional cable stretch into the system.

"Compressionless" isn't really what it says it is - EVERY housing will compress under brake cable tension forces. It's impossible to avoid ANY compression in they system. Ferrules will move slightly, angles are never 100% perfect at the housing/cable stop interfaces. You just do everything possible to reduce it.

That said, I'm perfectly happy with brake performance. Especially given overhauling the Arai drum brake resulted in FAR better performance than I expected. I can almost lock up the rear wheel with the drum alone. But standard brake performance pales in comparison to a rear hydraulic brakes!

One side note: it's fine to use "compressionless" brake housing for shift cables, but generally NOT a good idea to use typical shift housing for brakes. It isn't designed for the higher compressional loads of braking and can catastrophically fail when you need your brakes most!

2_i 

Elite housing does make a difference and its inexpensive versions by less known manufacturers are good enough, provided these are combined with Jagwire lining. On folders you often need to run complicated routings for the rear and that type of housing pretty much relieves the penalty for such routings. You can combine different bead colors and pretty much no beads get wasted as you can use and reuse these beads simultaneously for brake and shift cables. As a bead has all the functionality of a ferrule, you get rid of the ferrules too.

smd4

I think it’s important to remember there seem to be two types of compressionless housing: housing that almost looks like regular housing which features wires that run the length of the housing, wrapped in Kevlar, and covered with colored vinyl.

The other kind is made up of “links” or “beads” as mentioned above.

I’ve never used the link type and don’t intend to.

Definitely heed the advice not to use compressionless derailleur cable housing for brakes. The increased pressure used in braking will burst non-Kevlar-reinforced housing—not good.

'02 nrs

if you have 8 extra feet I maybe interested if you want to sell.

Aardwolf

Compressionless 4mm shifter cable came in with SiS in about '85/'86.
Before that I believe shifter cable outer was the same as brake cable outer.

When I first overhauled my 1982 Holdsworth Avanti a couple of years back I replaced all the cables with the "obviously much better" modern stuff - Shimano Dura-Ace/Ultegra level.
The shifter cables started pushing through at the rear stay cable stop, looked around for ferrules then realised the stop was made for 5mm outer.
Replaced the shifter cable outer with a piece of the brake cable outer and no ferrule, problem solved.
It's been working fine for the last 1500 miles.

So my point is: some bikes do not want modern shifter cable.

Kontact 

My Mavic derailleur is like this, and there are narrow ferrules that are for 4mm housing going into 5mm holes.