Bicycle Mechanics - Removing Drieded up grease

I have an old 1972 Schwinn Varsity and am having trouble cleaning dried up grease from caged bearing. Any way to get the grease off?
Thanks for your time!!
Lee Bruton
Jbass987@rap.midco.net

Mineral spirits or kerosene. They won't harm the paint.

You'd be better off replacing it with loose balls.

stay with caged balls the difference is nominal and isn't worth the hassle. use wd-40 to clean it out wd-40 breaks down the grease when you repack the bb make sure to use a waterproof grease like philwood

Why is it more hassle to pick up some loose balls at your LBS, rather than trying to clean old grease out of a cage? Plus you get new bearings.

stay with caged balls the difference is nominal and isn't worth the hassle. use wd-40 to clean it out wd-40 breaks down the grease when you repack the bb make sure to use a waterproof grease like philwood

The carrier/solvent in WD-40 is kerosene so the advice to use kerosene to dissolve the old grease is basically the same recommendation but at lower cost.

What if it's the crank bearings? Installing loose ball bearings on a one piece crank is a hassle I'd NEVER want to attempt. Go buy some Berrymans B-12 chemtool, and soak the cage bearing in a small container. That stuff will melt ANYTHING, and fast. Schwinns don't have loose balls, why add the hassle? I have pulled out 50 year old Schwinn bearings that still work like new.,,,,BD

Well, their road bikes had them on the wheels with French alluminum hubs.

Buy new caged balls, if you can find the right size. You'll still have to get the old grease off the bearing surfaces.

New caged balls are pretty much junk right? I know I've not seen any as nice as the old school stuff. Rusty cages of very thin material, etc.,,,,BD

The only advantage of retainers is ease of assembly. Loose balls give better performance, longer service life and are cheaper.

50 years + isn't long enough? On a 45 pound 72 Schwinn it would really not be noticable. I ought to know, I have a few of them. 95% still have the bearings they came with?,,,,BD

50 years + isn't long enough? On a 45 pound 72 Schwinn it would really not be noticable. I ought to know, I have a few of them. 95% still have the bearings they came with?,,,,BD

Does that prove they're superior to loose balls?

Installing loose balls in a bottom bracket is not difficult. The grease holds the balls very securely in the cups while you install them, especially in the winter. You can do it if you can count to eleven.

Bearing balls are so cheap that it makes no sense at all to ever reuse them.

Pop the bearings out, clean the empty cage with solvent and your wife's toothbrush, pop them back in. Easy.

as I said earlier the difference between losse and caged bearings is nominal and in the bb of a 72 schwinn the ease of adjustment and repacking makes caged the better choice. use wd-40 to clean the bb and when you clean the caged bearing if they are pitted replace them with new caged bearings. Also if you use loose ball bearings you must remove a cup or bring the bike to the lbs so you can find out what size bearing to use. the ease is what is important. It doesn't sound like this guy is doing anything otherr than tuning up his bike for a casual ride. i tell my mechanics if it is a timex treat it like a timex if it is a rolex treat it like a rolex

as I said earlier the difference between loose and caged bearings is nominal
Only if the the balls are of the same grade. The commonly available loose balls tend to be of a higher grade. And if you use heavy grease, it's not difficult to set them.

Otoh, if you replace the balls, you might as well replace the races too.

I use gasoline in a closed container to clean out caged bearings. Berryman's B-12 is even better. Re-rinse with clean fluid. Then feel each part for grit. If you find any, re-rinse. Learn to pack bearings. (Axle grease is good for the skin.)

DMF it's a 72 varsity that is having the bb repacked probably for the first time why spend more money than you have to or go through more trouble than it is worth. Are wee in agreement that he can save time and money by using caged bearings? or has this turned into a debate over loose ball and caged bearings?

Only if the the balls are of the same grade. The commonly available loose balls tend to be of a higher grade. And if you use heavy grease, it's not difficult to set them.

Otoh, if you replace the balls, you might as well replace the races too.

I use gasoline in a closed container to clean out caged bearings. Berryman's B-12 is even better. Re-rinse with clean fluid. Then feel each part for grit. If you find any, re-rinse. Learn to pack bearings. (Axle grease is good for the skin.)

One-piece BBs use 5/16" bearings, so either A) you're buying caged ones and popping the bearings out or B) you might be buying ones that are overbuilt for the purpose. the original schwinn BB, at least the cup and cones and possible the balls, are far better in quality than anything you can get today, unless you want to swap the crank out.

it's a BB you overhaul with a BFW and a screwdriver, too much thinking going on in this thread...

Must thanks to all for the adivice, I got this bike off Ebay for $50.00 and like it alot, brimgs back old memorys of my childhood days. Had a 66 back in the day. As far as I'm concerned, Schwinn made the best bikes going, I'm quite the old school type, no plastic for this guy. I don't care if it weights 40+ lbs, I don't care if it's made of steel, (easy to fix when they break) I had a ball fixing it up and now have a nice bike to ride to work. (I do 25 mile one way) and I'm 56 yrs old.

read the number on the cage and go buy new balls.

I have an old 1972 Schwinn Varsity and am having trouble cleaning dried up grease from caged bearing. Any way to get the grease off?
Thanks for your time!!
Lee Bruton
Jbass987@rap.midco.net
boiling water! get an old tin can, add some water and the bearings and boil them for a few minutes. Works a charm.

Thanks jsharr, that's the best idea i've heard so far.
Humble_biker, I also see no reason to go any further.
Thanks to all!!!!

The only advantage of retainers is ease of assembly. Loose balls give better performance, longer service life and are cheaper.
+1

The improvement from loose balls is often noticeable, especially in a headset. I've seen several old headsets that couldn't be made smooth with retainers, but turned out pretty darn good with loose balls.

I doubt it will make much difference in a bottom bracket, but then again it is much easier to pack a bottom bracket with loose balls than a headset! :)

Thanks jsharr, that's the best idea i've heard so far.
Humble_biker, I also see no reason to go any further.
Thanks to all!!!!
yup that's good solid advice. It's also customary to replace all bearings when over hauling. can you boil water? I have a recipe if you can't.

A few ounces diesel fuel in a glass jar, add bearings, let soak over night. Shake, the grease will be gone. Same for chains. Wipe clean / let dry (or accelerate dry with hair dryer), add grease.

stay with caged balls the difference is nominal and isn't worth the hassle. use wd-40 to clean it out wd-40 breaks down the grease when you repack the bb make sure to use a waterproof grease like philwood

philwood grease on an old schwinn seems like overkill. Go to your local Walmart or simular and get a tube of Marine Grease. Less than a buck for all the grease you'll never need for any older bike.

Boiling water is a good idea btw. I've seen jsharr's results.

The problem with boiling water is that it melts the grease, it doesn't dissolve it. The melted grease will get all over everything it comes in contact with. Fine if you're working over an open fire outside, but really messy in a kitchen.

Nothing cuts the crap better than Gasoline.

There are chemicals made for this purpose, without using engine fuels? Engine fuels are for engines. As I said before, I use Berrymans chem tool Carburetor and parts cleaner. One gallon container will do hundreds of bearings before it loses it's effective ability to remove grease. The only bad part is that they recently changed their formula, and the new one sucks. Look for the gallon cans in red white and blue, with NO orange coloring. The new formula is like a super concentrated 409 in a thick motor oil looking carrier. It takes twice as long to do the same thing. I have yet to find a suitable replacement. Meanwhile I will buy all the red/white/blue cans I can find.

I guess I have unrefined senses or something. I have never felt a real difference between loose and caged, unless the cage is somehow distorted, then I feel a roughness or grabby feeling.,,,,BD

Put the cages in a small container of degreaser, put the lid on and shake. Let them sit for a couple of days, toothbrush should get the rest when they're out. Make sure you rinse whatever solvent you use off and dry before repacking. Just did the same with a Varsity, and decided new loose balls weren't worth the hassle.

Any good reason not to use Simple Green? Worked within an hour or so on the bearings of my son's bike. I used it to clean a popcorn kettle from the little league field that had years of baked on popcorn oil. I wasn't afraid to get it on my hands, either.

If there's not a good reason to use it on bikes, I'd like to know before I start on the old Fuji.

Karen

Use it all you want full strength on bare or plated metal, but if you plan to use it on painted areas, definitely dilute it. Like half and half or more water. That stuff is pretty strong, despite it's biodegradeable
value.I imagine it could soften paint if left on too long in full strength. Simple green also sold an all purpose cleaner that I can't seem to find again. It was amazing for dried up grease and road grime on paint. Even the old gummy stuff came off with ease.,,,,BD

Found it. This stuff is great for cleaning up old grungy frames and components. Test it out in a
hidden area first, so you can be sure it won't eat your paint. I used it on a 1960's vista muscle bike
without hurting the paint, so I imagine it will do okay on newer finishes.

http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_prod_pro.php

Thanks, dude! I use Simple Green for everything!

Karen