Rough brake pull

ok.
from Sheldon himself.

Cable Lubrication[INDENT]In the old days, before the developement of plastic-lined housing, it was necessary to coat the inner cable with light grease or heavy oil. Modern plastic-lined cables have made the use of grease in-appropriate, because the viscosity of the grease makes for sluggish cable movement. This is a more critical concern with modern brake and gear systems that use weaker return springs, and with indexed shifting in general.
Many manufacturers now recommend against using any lubrication on cables. It certainly should be avoided in the case of sealed systems such as Gore-Tex ®. Bicycles used in wet conditions, however, will often benefit by the application of a bit of oil, more as a rust-preventive than as a lubricant. The area of particular concern is the short loop of housing which carries the rear derailer cable around from the chain stay to the derailer.
Some bicycles provide awkward cable routing which forces housing to enter cable stops/adjusting barrels at a fairly sharp angle. This is particularly common on rear cantilever brakes. It often helps to put a bit of grease on the bit of cable that runs through such fittings.
[/INDENT]

so novacaine. it's actually counter productive to use grease, as sheldon says, it's sometimes benefitial as a rust preventative