Compressionless brake housings for cable discs.

[Mick F]

He proceeded to educate me by grabbing the brake lever with all four fingers and hauling on it with all his might, which very promptly split right in front of me in the workshop.

That was the FIRST thing I did, and tried a few times, suddenly and also slowly, but each time with as much strength as I could muster.

Even if you have been lucky, or intend to be lucky , please refrain from suggesting that other people take the risk, if you want to then fine, but it’s just not OK to suggest that others should.

I'm suggesting nothing, just saying that it seems to work.

That picture of the failed gear outer cable isn't the same sort of gear cable outer cable that I have. Campag Ergo cable is quite different it would appear. Not saying it IS better, though I very much expect it to be so.

I have to repeat:
All I have replaced, is the short 14" length at the rear end to the rear brake. All the rest of the brake outers are standard normal brake outers.

[robgul]

I wonder if some people tend to go for the spirally ones because the multistrand compressionless ones are such a PITA to cut unless you have a very good cutter! Getting a proper cable cutter was a revelation for me.

I am also learning to hate internal cabling with a vengeance.

I have 'a man who does' for internal cables! Ican do them myself but for a couple of quid I save the swearing and wasting several hours of my life!

TBH i've never had any issues cutting the linear outers, its the old spiral stuff that used to cause me all sorts of problems!

.... replacing internal cables is a doddle if the originals are still in place .... there are a couple YouTube videos that show how using a length of the brake/gear cable outer's inner sheathing to "connect the old and new inners together" as you thread the new one through (carefully) - just remember to make sure all the ferrules and outers are on the cable in the right order

Rob

[Brucey]

That picture of the failed gear outer cable isn't the same sort of gear cable outer cable that I have. Campag Ergo cable is quite different it would appear. Not saying it IS better, though I very much expect it to be so..

It isn't. In fact if your count of 17 strands is accurate, it is less well reinforced than shimano stuff.

Bearing in mind the way this stuff fails, you must have a death wish or something.

[Cunobelin]

That picture of the failed gear outer cable isn't the same sort of gear cable outer cable that I have. Campag Ergo cable is quite different it would appear. Not saying it IS better, though I very much expect it to be so..

It isn't. In fact if your count of 17 strands is accurate, it is less well reinforced than shimano stuff.

Bearing in mind the way this stuff fails, you must have a death wish or something.

Bearing in mind the way this stuff can / may fail would be far more accurate

[Brucey]

not an insult, just a reflection of my absolute bafflement at why anyone would deliberately render their brakes liable to spontaneous and complete failure...

cheers

[Cunobelin]

not an insult, just a reflection of my absolute bafflement at why anyone would deliberately render their brakes liable to spontaneous and complete failure...

cheers

Previous post reconsidered and edited.

The point remains that no-one is deliberately rendering anything unsafe, it remains merely a possibility and one in my experience has not happened in many thousands of miles of use.

By your claims it should have failed each and every time I used the brakes... it hasn't

[Brucey]

as I pointed out upthread when you first mentioned it, your loading/service conditions may be quite unlike those on other bikes. I estimate that the (normal) cable loadings on a trike may be 1/3rd to 1/4 of those seen in a lot of other bikes/brakes.

I see cracked gear housing very often. If you use it as brake housing then it can just split and crumple without any warning leaving you with no brakes. It is a potentially catastrophic failure that could be deadly. And for what? Saving a trip to the bike shop, or saving 50p?

Doesn't make any sense to me.

[Mick F]

Well, I must admit that I have zero experience of this issue, but from what I can see and feel, I doubt there's a problem at all.

Now I know what the issue is, I can see why you shouldn't use them for the complete braking system ......... but I'm not.

As for Campag having 17 strands of SS, I'm going to have a look at a length of Shimano gear outer, of which I have a short length available. Having a cuppa at the mo, and the parrot is out of her cage, but in a short while I'll put her back in, finish my cuppa, and go and have a play in the workshop!

Back to this later.

[reohn2]

Does compressionless brake housing cost much more than gear housing?
If not where's the saving and why not use compressionless brake housing?
I'm not taking sides here just curious as o why use one and not the other .
EDIT,beaten to it by Brucey
I posted up thread that I haven't used compressionless housings on three bikes I've built with BB7 discs and all brake very well indeed.
However when I get chance I'm going to buy some for my Vaya and see if I've been wrong all along.
I'll report back on ths thread in due course

[Mick F]

I don't think it's worth buying unless you want to replace the whole lot.
Not looked, but can you buy it by the foot, or do you have to buy a whole kit?

PS:
I wonder is tubing like brake pipe for cars could be used?
Nah! that's stupid, there's be no flex!

[Mick F]

Ok.
Here are the results from the Cornish jury.

I stripped a short length of Campag Ergo as we know.

17 stainless steel strands of 0.5mm each arranged in a lazy twist, and surrounded by a thick and hard plastic outer.
Internally, there's a tough nylon inner sleeve.
Overall outside diameter is 4.4mm
Inner sleeve measures 2.4mm OD

Brucey has suggested that Campag Ergo is less reinforced than Shimano.
I got my short length of it and stripped it ..........

17 stainless steel strands of 0.5mm each arranged in a lazy twist, and surrounded by a thick and hard plastic outer. This is a grey one, but the Ergo one was black.
Internally, there's a tough nylon inner sleeve, but maybe more bendy than the Ergo.
Overall outside diameter is 4.1mm
Inner sleeve measures 2.3mm OD

I reckon that the Ergo one is tougher, thicker and stronger than the Shimano.
No proof, just from what I can see, though there's not much in it, and Brucey is wrong regarding Ergo being less reinforced.

Shimano on the left, Ergo on the right.
The Shimano one says "Shimano SIS OT SP41" in silver writing.

PS:
I don't think either of them are stainless. Looking closely and testing with a magnet, I guess they are hardened steel of some sort.

[Brucey]

IIRC the last shimano one I looked at had 18 strands

cheers

[Mick F]

Stronger glasses on.

Recount.
Both have exactly 17 strands.

[Brucey]

in any event by now, you can see that a thin layer of plastic is all that stands between you having working brakes and a having a crumpled mess where the cable used to be and no brakes.

[Mick F]

I don't disagree.
It's obvious, but I reckon I'll be fine using it, not for a whole run, just the short 14" bit at the back.

We'll see.
I'll give it a good test perhaps tomorrow. Yes, I know it could suddenly fail, but I'll monitor it and carry the original length with me if I suspect something. Even if it does fail suddenly, I'll still have the much more efficient front brake.