Originally Posted by
cyclezen
WHAT Bike and what model year is it ???
Cable housing came in 2 sizes, depending on age, older Shifter Cable HOUSING was the same size as Brake cable housing - 5mm diameter (there is a important difference in brake housing and shifter housing...)
However in the past 15 ? years the standard shifter cable housing became 4mm ... I'm not quite certain/remembering when the change to smaller diameter came about, and different companies and their different models will likely have made the transition over a number of model years...
That may be what you're noting as a difference - if your bike is an older bike.
Your Shifters (brifters) will also play an important role in which they work with. Newer (in the past decade+) 4mm sizing for the shift cable housing will NOT work well trying to use 5mm.
But Older shifters which fit 5mm housing will prolly work ok with 4 mm housing and ferrules...
5mm Shift cable housing may now be hard to find ... so use what you can get and make sure the cable movement is smooth and not impeded.
Ride On
Yuri
The size of the cable stops on bikes hasn't changed. If you have 4mm housing it goes with thick walled ferrules to make the same outer diameter as 5mm housing with thin walled ferrules.
The OP probably has some correct by slightly sloppy fitting ferrules. Unless they are so loose that you could put 5mm brake housing into them, they are just fine - ferrules don't have to do anything more than cup the end of the housing. They do not need to fit tightly around the housing.
I prefer short, slightly loose metal ferrules to tight fitting long plastic ones. But both work.