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Housing
The outer sleeve through which a brake or gear cable is pulled. The housing transmits an equal push to counter the pull on the inner cable. Traditional housing consists of a tight spiral of steel wire, usually coated with plastic. Newer versions have synthetic liners to reduce friction. This type of housing is still used for brake cables. See also Bowden cable.
With the advent of index shifting, greater precision was required, particularly for handlebar-mounted shift controls. For this application, "compressionless" housing is now used. This differs from traditional housing in that the wire part consists of a bundle of parallel wires, running more-or-less parallel to the cable, reducing the tendency of the housing to change effective length when it flexes as the handlebars turn. This type of housing should not be used for brake cables, as it is likely to rupture under the higher loads involved in braking.
