Bicycle Mechanics - Dura Ace (7800) cage pulley questions

1. Pulley bolt threads: 'reddish' compound on from factory, so I'm guessing Loctite red? (they were nice and firm to remove). Or would blue be better for some reason?


2. Bearing lube: any recommendations for the "sealed" pulley bearings - couple drops of good ol' Finish Line or Tri Flow?

1. Either should be OK, although you don't want them too hard to remove; they are pretty small and easy to mangle. FWIW I have serviced many derailleur pulleys and have re-installed them without any thread-locking compound (except for what was already there) and have never had one loosen up. I think Shimano is just being careful.

2. I actually prefer light grease here; it stays put better than chain lubes.
Chain lubes are intended to penetrate so they are "thinner" than regular oils; this is OK for chains because they are re-applied fairly often, but you don't want to have to re-lube your pulleys every few weeks. The rubber seals are intended to keep dirt out, not lube in.

I've never replaced the thread locker on any derailleur pulley bolt and have never had one come loose unintentionally. Snug them down firmly and forget them.

I use Tri-Flow for pulley lube and it seems to work fine. Just clean the external dirt off the pulleys before lubing. You don't want the lube to carry the dirt inside with it.

I ended up using red. Did an overnight test, and they were nice & snug to remove. Piece of mind & all that...

Thanks for the replies.