Earlier quote: "Unless something breaks in the BB, you never have to take it apart. Just squirt oil down the seattube at regular intervals. Older 3spds had oil ports in the BB, the oil down the seat tube is the same principle."
The idea of oil lubrication for bottom brackets has long intrigued me. John Forrester explores the concept in Effective Cycling, and I can appreciate some of the benefits of oil lubing.
But oil mixed with grease will thin out the grease, so wouldn't oil introduced into a greased bottom bracket bearing tend to actually result in less lubrication?
I have two Raleigh Sportses that have oil ports on the front hub, bottom bracket and, of course, the SA hub. (Clearly, the hub needs oil for its non-bearing mechanism, regardless of one's thoughts on oil lubing in general.)
Why not, instead of having an oil port, have a zerk fitting so you could squirt pressurized grease into the bearing? That would really keep the bearing crud flushed out, be cleaner (no drips of oil), and provide longer-lasting lubrication.
I read about some guy who made a bike for beach/surf cycling and he used zerk fittings to basically fill the bike's tubes full of grease. Kinda heavy on land, but I guess grease is buoyant in water.
One of the interesting things about old Raleighs is how well thought out they are, and I really haven't been able to, in my mind, reconcile oil lubrication issue.
Mark
Santa Barbara, CA
Last edited by Tujunga Kid; 05-30-08 at 06:46 AM.