Anything special about bicycle specific grease?

Hello All.
I'm sure someone will tell me this topic has been done to death, but I
haven't seen it. I was just wondering if there are reasonable, cost
effective alternatives to the seemingly outrageously priced little
tubes of bicycle grease.
Also, is one type of grease suitable for all applications. ( Road, off
road, etc.)
Dan Burkhart
Oakville Ont.


--
Dan Burkhart

bicycle grease comes in very expensive containers. The actual grease is
worth a few bucks. the containers are worth another $10. Campagnolo
containers seem to be the most expensive.

Regarding the suitability, it is always better to have botn kinds. One
type of grease will work for both applications. However, you don't want
to contaminate the grease with either road or mtb particles. So, when
you put your finger in to get some grease, you need to make sure that
you wash your hands first, so idedntity particles from your bike will
not work themselves into the grease. Otherwise, when you use the grease
for the other bike, the identity particles from the bike you serviced
before will get into the bike currently being serviced. So, instead of
having a road or an mtb, your bikes will get confused and behave like
hybrids.

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 23:46:35 +1100, Dan Burkhart
may have said:


Hello All.
I'm sure someone will tell me this topic has been done to death, but I
haven't seen it. I was just wondering if there are reasonable, cost
effective alternatives to the seemingly outrageously priced little
tubes of bicycle grease.

In the majority of instances, the only thing that's special is the
packaging and the price. Any automotive wheel bearing grease will
work for bike hub bearings and head bearings in the vast majority of
instances. If you have a carbon frame or steerer, follow the
component manufacturer's recommendations for lubricants which may come
in contact with those items.

Also, is one type of grease suitable for all applications. ( Road, off
road, etc.)

Any modern wheel bearing grease will work for all relevant types of
wheel and head bearings. Most BB bearings are now sealed, but wheel
bearing grease will work for the remaining unsealed units in that area
as well. Obviously, grease selection is irrelevant in a sealed
cartridge bearing since you won't be repacking those.

There are greases sold which claim to be waterproof. This is a claim
on a par with those seen on late-night infomercials hawking miracle
weight loss nostrums.

Not everything on a bike which requires lubrication should be greased,
obviously. Other lubricants are used where they are more appropriate.

I should probably note that I recently saw an ad for a tool which
purported to make it possible to pack a freehub with grease without
dismantling it. This strikes me as a stunningly bad idea. Old
grease, wear particles and dirt should always be cleaned out before
new grease is applied...and if you haven't opened the bearing,
inspected it for wear and contamination, claned it and determined that
it's suitatble for return to service, then you haven't done the part
of the job which gets you to the point where you would pack it with
grease.

--
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On 13 Feb 2005 05:10:45 -0800, may have said:

bicycle grease comes in very expensive containers. The actual grease is
worth a few bucks. the containers are worth another $10. Campagnolo
containers seem to be the most expensive.

Regarding the suitability, it is always better to have botn kinds. One
type of grease will work for both applications. However, you don't want
to contaminate the grease with either road or mtb particles. So, when
you put your finger in to get some grease, you need to make sure that
you wash your hands first, so idedntity particles from your bike will
not work themselves into the grease. Otherwise, when you use the grease
for the other bike, the identity particles from the bike you serviced
before will get into the bike currently being serviced. So, instead of
having a road or an mtb, your bikes will get confused and behave like
hybrids.

Andres, it's still over six weeks to April First.

Besides, you forgot to mention that the real issue is that Campy and
Shimano wear particles must never be mixed because if combined and
allowed to remain in the bike, they can cause it to spontaneously
change into a Huffy. (Mixing SRAM and Campy wear particles will cause
the bike to change into a Taiwanese copy of a Peugeot.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 13:23:10 GMT, Bonehenge
may have said:

On 13 Feb 2005 05:10:45 -0800, wrote:


So, instead of
having a road or an mtb, your bikes will get confused and behave like
hybrids.

You forgot the part about color coordination of grease to bike.

Yes, never use grease that doesn't match the seat and the bar tape.
If you can only match one, then choose what's most critical.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
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Dan Burkhart wrote:
I'm sure someone will tell me this topic has been done to death, but I
haven't seen it. I was just wondering if there are reasonable, cost
effective alternatives to the seemingly outrageously priced little
tubes of bicycle grease.
Also, is one type of grease suitable for all applications. ( Road, off
road, etc.)

Nearly everyone here has his/her personal favorite grease
I'm sure. But since bikes don't have extreme load or
temperature requirements ( compared to the range grease
makers think about) just about any medium weight grease
would be OK. We like Lubriplate 130AA white lithium grease
here. The color gives us some indication of how much
contamination is in it when we revisit a bearing. We found
the 630AA to be stiffer than we liked and both Lubriplate's
105 and 107 weights a bit thin for our taste. None of those
would be 'bad' and in fact some bike brands sell Lubriplate
105 and 630AA under their own names. One employee here
swears by Lubriplate Aero, a thin very white grease. Phil
Wood repackages a fine product and any automotive parts
supplier will have a range of choices. If you're shopping
around, look for 'ball bearing applications' on the tube.
And I say tube because open top containers have a way of
attracting metal filings.

No, I don't have a specific recommendation. It's hard to
find a medium weight grease that _isn't_ acceptable for
bikes. I sure don't know of one.

And if you do buy a sample tube and you don't like it,
you're only out a couple of bucks.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Dan Burkhart wrote:
Hello All.
I'm sure someone will tell me this topic has been done to death, but I
haven't seen it. I was just wondering if there are reasonable, cost
effective alternatives to the seemingly outrageously priced little
tubes of bicycle grease.
Also, is one type of grease suitable for all applications. ( Road, off
road, etc.)

The two most important factors, IMO, are that the grease is
water-resistant and doesn't cause too much drag on a lightly powered,
lightweight machine such as a bicycle. I've used standard Castrol LM
grease for years, but having bought some Park Polylube I like it better,
mainly because it's clean and easy to squeeze into races if you buy the
"toothpaste tube" container. It's nearly as cheap as the Castrol stuff
and is specifcally recommended for ball bearings, whereas the Castrol
stuff would normally go in car hubs with large roller bearings (I've
also used it for that purpose).

Some people use boat trailer wheel-bearing grease, which is designed for
the occasional submersion in salt water. It might be a bit thick for
racing, but MTBers should consider it.

Werehatrack wrote:

There are greases sold which claim to be waterproof.
This is a claim on a par with those seen on late-night
infomercials hawking miracle weight loss nostrums.

Boaters have been using waterproof stern-tube greases for a very long
time without complaint. They may not be waterproof forever, but they can
and routinely do last an entire boating season without leakage.

--
"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 11:05:46 -0800, LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0
m may have said:

Werehatrack wrote:

There are greases sold which claim to be waterproof.
This is a claim on a par with those seen on late-night
infomercials hawking miracle weight loss nostrums.

Boaters have been using waterproof stern-tube greases for a very long
time without complaint.

They also use a shaft seal with both interior and exterior lips,
unless the shaft uses one of the old-style packings, unless things
have changed since I last looked. (Which is possible, as I view boats
as something to avoid needing to know much about.)

They may not be waterproof forever, but they can
and routinely do last an entire boating season without leakage.

You won't find those sold as wheel bearing grease, though, and they
aren't very good for that application. The stuff sold as waterproof
boat trailer wheel bearing grease is about as waterproof as my socks.
If you sink the hub, you'd better clean and repack.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Dan Burkhart
writes:

I'm sure someone will tell me this topic has been done to death, but
I haven't seen it. I was just wondering if there are reasonable,
cost effective alternatives to the seemingly outrageously priced
little tubes of bicycle grease.

Lots.

Also, is one type of grease suitable for all applications. ( Road,
off road, etc.)

Just about any mechanical (non-cooking) grease will do. I tend to
stay away from the white greases, I think they tend to break down in
wet conditions faster but I have no actual proof of this and could be
all wrong. I use waterproof marine grease, which is kind of a
greenish brown color. I also have a Phil Wood zerk gun and multiple
filler tubes of Phil grease that I got for just about free, which is
very convenient.

I do remember a story by Jobst Brandt of using suntan cream to grease
the bearings in a hub while on tour. Perhaps not an optimal solution,
but necessity is the mother of invention.