Bicycle Mechanics - Grease question...

I did a search and read the 4 page grease thread but am still unsure about this...

I am currently too scared/lazy to mess with overhauling anything with bearings, but I do hear that grease should go on any metal-to-metal threaded thingys. So if I want to put grease on a metal seatpost in a metal frame, grease on pedal threads, grease on bottle cage/shoe cleat bolts, etcetera... what kind of grease is a good choice? Or the standard reply of marine and/or polyurea grease will work for both packing bearings as well as threaded bolts too? Thank you! :)

I use this stuff (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3506761&CAWELAID=323881544)on everything but the chain. Hubs, seatposts, pedals, bottle cages...

Pretty much anything will be fine for what you are looking to do. Even white lithium grease will do the job. But why not pick up a tub of marine bearing grease and be ready for the day you decide to get serious about doing your own bike maintenance?

antiseize lube. If you're not doing an overhaul, why buy a tub of grease when a little tube of antiseize will do, and is the right stuff to boot?

antiseize lube. If you're not doing an overhaul, why buy a tub of grease when a little tube of antiseize will do, and is the right stuff to boot?


Cause the tubs gonna be way cheaper, and when the OPs ready to repack a hub there will be the grease

Cause the tubs gonna be way cheaper...No it won't. You just made that up.

Yes, tubs will be cheaper. I just got a tub of automotive bearing grease for $11, in Australia, where things are usually much more expensive than in the USA.

Yes, tubs will be cheaper. I just got a tub of automotive bearing grease for $11, in Australia, where things are usually much more expensive than in the USA.So you're saying the exchange rate is 11 to 3.49?

If you don't use it, you will have an entire tub of marine grease sitting in the corner.

An oddity perhaps.

antiseize lube. If you're not doing an overhaul, why buy a tub of grease when a little tube of antiseize will do, and is the right stuff to boot?

I suppose it's not a good idea to use anti-sieze for bearings because the metal bits in it might cause damage to the bearings, races, etc.. Is this correct?

$4 for a tub of marine grease in California.

So you're saying the exchange rate is 11 to 3.49?

That cheap in the US? I'm glad I'm leaving Australia in two months...

I use Park bike grease. It works. Sure it cost more than generic marine grease, but even still I got a 1lb tub for $11 or something, I was already ordering other stuff so it didn't cost more in shipping. That $11 is going to cover me for many MANY years down the road. Worth it, IMO.

I use it for anything around the house I need grease for, too. Which isn't much, but once in a while if I need to use it, its there!

FWIW I use mobile 1 synthetic grease. It was recommended by some other forum members and seems pretty nice for a low price. My one gripe is that the red color can easily stain fingers or shirts.
I am sure any high quality grease will do the trick, regardless of brand.

I suppose it's not a good idea to use anti-sieze for bearings because the metal bits in it might cause damage to the bearings, races, etc.. Is this correct?I don't know. The metal used in antiseize is softer stuff; the whole point is to have solid particles with a lower shear strength than the threads, but which can't flow away like a liquid lubricant due to the tension on the joint.

So it may not, but there may still be some undesirable effect or other. I just don't know.

Here is a tub for $2.74 (http://www.antonline.com/p_7772-GP_398266.htm), but shipping is $8. Point being, you can get a tub of wheel bearing grease for under $5 at WalMart or Target or Ace or your local hardware store I would imagine. Then you have grease for the wheels on the lawn mower, all the hubs on all the bikes in the house, that sqeaky door hinge, whatever. I have a tub of bearing grease and a tube of white lithium that have lasted for years, and I have repacked the major bearings on all three of my bikes and all three of my kids bikes and some friends bikes.

Go to the auto parts or hardware store and but a tub or grease gun tube of grease. It is cheap and more than adequate for our use. Bike specific lube of any kind is just hype.
http://yarchive.net/bike/grease.html

I can say this much about lithium grease. I took apart the WHOLE freewheel ASSEMBLY, even where they have those tiny bearings (Shimano - Raleigh Super Record 10 speed ). I used the lithium grease about 10-15 yrs ago. Recently I went to ride it and when I went to pedal, the freewheel spun (just like I was pedaling backward, but I was pedaling forward). After taking apart the freewheel I found that the two teeth (I don't know the proper term) that provide the resistance were glued down from the lithium grease. These two teeth normally spring up but were very goooey and stuck.

10-15 years? Do not blame this on white lithium. You let any grease sit that long and it will gum up I would imagine.

I've been doing mechanical work for about two decades, and have used all sorts of different greases - my personal favorite type right now is marine wheel bearing grease. Waterproof, extremely low friction, it's just the right stuff for the job.

My currently preferred brand is Lucas X-tra Heavy Duty:
http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=37&catid=14&loc=show

A one pound tub will run you about three bucks at most hardware stores. I find it superior in the long term compared to Pennzoil red. (this stuff is green) as it doesn't gum up over a two or three year period.

Though @JohnMemphis, jsharr hit it on the head - don't blame ANY grease type lubricant if it gums up after A DECADE OR MORE!!!

Good rule of thumb is, and I don't care WHAT lubricant you use, 3 years is when you SHOULD inspect/clean/replace, and 5 years is a must... Though grease is less prone to problems if you just let it sit there unused as opposed to oils which will slowly pool away from where you need lubrication. If you're actually USING the item - oil monthly or even weekly, grease at LEAST every five years.

Hell, five years of mechanical wear ALONE should require bearing and gear replacements if it's a daily rider - much less a decade or more.

I use Phil Wood waterproof grease in a pricey little tube so it doesn't get contaminated, like a big ol' tub. I like the smell too.

I don't know. The metal used in antiseize is softer stuff; the whole point is to have solid particles with a lower shear strength than the threads, but which can't flow away like a liquid lubricant due to the tension on the joint.

So it may not, but there may still be some undesirable effect or other. I just don't know.

I can't cite any scientific evidence on this either, but the idea of using antiseize for bearings just makes warning bells go off like crazy in my head.

Since wheel bearing grease is actually designed for wheel bearings, and almost everyone agrees (based on many many collective years of experience) that it's also good enough for most bicycle anti-seize purposes, this is by far the preferable compromise, IMHO.

I can't cite any scientific evidence on this either, but the idea of using antiseize for bearings just makes warning bells go off like crazy in my head.

Since wheel bearing grease is designed for wheel bearings, and almost everyone agrees (based on many many collective years of experience) that it's also good enough for most bicycle anti-seize purposes, this is by far the preferable compromise, IMHO.Come to think of it, if the bearings are properly preloaded, squeezing a piece of metal, albeit a soft piece, would seem to create unacceptable pressure. Or, when you set the bearings, they may seem a bit preloaded but would go to having a bit of clearance once you had smushed all the tiny little metal particles.

I can say this much about lithium grease. I took apart the WHOLE freewheel ASSEMBLY, even where they have those tiny bearings (Shimano - Raleigh Super Record 10 speed ). I used the lithium grease about 10-15 yrs ago. Recently I went to ride it and when I went to pedal, the freewheel spun (just like I was pedaling backward, but I was pedaling forward). After taking apart the freewheel I found that the two teeth (I don't know the proper term) that provide the resistance were glued down from the lithium grease. These two teeth normally spring up but were very goooey and stuck.

two teeth = pawls.

Light oil is the recommended lube for the freewheel.

any grease whateva the grade or brand is better than none. i use chemtool products. they are industrial but work well

Use no grease INSIDE the freewheel...ever. It always does the sticky-pawls thing.
Use oil only for the inside, and use grease for the the hub-threads in the back.
As for grease: I always use the Phil Wood. Worth the money, and makes a mighty fine skin moisturizer to boot.

I grease the freewheel bearing balls sometimes, but OTOH it is pretty easy to just put a drop of oil on there every now and then.

I use Phil Wood waterproof grease in a pricey little tube so it doesn't get contaminated, like a big ol' tub. I like the smell too.

I really like the Phil grease. It smells vintage to me. I would highly recommend the tubed versions of grease as it stays clean where as in the tub i find myself fishing out little dirty patches and throwing them away. So if the tube is more expensive it tends to cancel out some if you consider the zero waste and more precise meter of the lube you need.

I used to use Lubrimatic Marine Grease but kind of ended up disliking it. It worked well enough, but the oil tends to separate out from the soap after a while. I used to keep it in a grease gun, and every time I used it, the next day there'd be a little green pool of oil under the nozzle--oil that should be lubricating your bearings, not messing up your toolbox. I have not seen that happen with other greases I've tried like Finish Line or Park.

Prawls, thank you I didn't know that.

I also didn't know about grease and reinspection. I thought grease it once its good for a lifetime. So thats good to know too.

Whoops, pawls, no 'r'.

And also thanks on the light oil for the freewheel, I was going to use grease.

On my "good" bikes I use Phil. The tube lasts a couple of years of rebuilds. Although it used to be $4-$5 ea and its now up to $8
On "cheap" bikes or for the neighborhood magnas I use some cheap sticky blue stuff I have around. It's a gun tube and I just keep cutting it down when I can't reach the grease anymore.

Anti-seize is important, in my opinion, only when you have stainless screws threading into stainless nuts, or aluminum into aluminum. Otherwise, you're just applying the lube to the threads to make it thread smoothly and minimize the chance of water/salt contamination and corrosion.

Somewhere on the net there is an article by the people that make those bicycle frame couplers about galling and seizing and the proper grease to use to avoid it. I don't know enough about how those couplers are constructed and work to say for sure, but I infer that there must be some stainless part to part contact that can be troublesome. That's not a unique problem.

Somewhere on the net there is an article by the people that make those bicycle frame couplers about galling and seizing and the proper grease to use to avoid it. I don't know enough about how those couplers are constructed and work to say for sure, but I infer that there must be some stainless part to part contact that can be troublesome. That's not a unique problem.

You're probably talking about S&S couplers, and DuPont Krytox grease (also sold as Finish Line Extreme Fluoro)

http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_greas.htm

Here's the article desconhecido referred to:
http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_greas.htm

This stuff from Finish Line says it's approved for the couplers, but apparently S&S hasn't updated their page yet:
http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/extreme_fluoro_grease.htm

edit: too late!

I still have one unopened tube of DuPont Teflon® Bearing Grease. I bought it super cheap on close-out from either Nashbar or Performance circa 1996, I think maybe $4/syringe.

I actually first heard about the Finish Line stuff from a discussion over at CandlePower Forums about the best lube for threads and o-rings on high-end LED flashlights. I think I paid about $10 for a syringe from Amazon.

EDIT: By the way I should clarify that I'm in no way advocating using this stuff for bearings or even common fastener threads. I don't think it's waterproof, and way too expensive anyway.

There is no such thing as bike specific grease, it's all repackaged auto or machine grease. The advantages of synthetic is that it doesn't get way thick in really cold temps. I've been using Citgo Marine grease (the blue stuff) for years now. Get it at Autozone for about $3.50 per grease gun tube. Never had a problem with it, and I've never seen the oil separate out of it. If you've got money to burn, go ahead and buy the bike boutique grease -- while you're at it, buys some special boutique air for your tires as well.

If you've got money to burn, go ahead and buy the bike boutique grease -- while you're at it, buys some special boutique air for your tires as well.

hahaha! Will it stay in the tubes longer? I bet it makes me roll faster!

I'm about to do the spring checklist on my bike before I start riding this year so thanks for the grease info everyone. I've never done them so the hubs are on the list.

There is no such thing as bike specific grease, it's all repackaged auto or machine grease.I'd say if Park or Phil Wood buy grease from the same refiners who make the automotive stuff, they probably spec the best viscosity and additive packages available for bike-specific applications.

Bike grease is typically one viscosity grade lower than automotive, btw.

I actually first heard about the Finish Line stuff from a discussion over at CandlePower Forums about the best lube for threads and o-rings on high-end LED flashlights. I think I paid about $10 for a syringe from Amazon.

EDIT: By the way I should clarify that I'm in no way advocating using this stuff for bearings or even common fastener threads. I don't think it's waterproof, and way too expensive anyway.I bought a tube of the stuff and it is starting to separate, although it's about a year old and the tube labels no longer say quite the same thing, so maybe they changed it.

There is no such thing as bike specific grease, it's all repackaged auto or machine grease.

To be fair, the repackagers for the most part have at least done the legwork of figuring out for you which of the thousands of different formulations and grades available on the market are best for bike applications. So, while you can probably do as well or better for less money than the tube of stuff from the LBS, an unsophisticated user can certainly do a *lot worse* by choosing an inappropriate lubricant. And some of them do claim that their stuff is a custom formulation (doesn't mean they have to own a grease factory...I'm sure there are plenty of companies that will work with you for the right price).



The advantages of synthetic is that it doesn't get way thick in really cold temps. I've been using Citgo Marine grease (the blue stuff) for years now. Get it at Autozone for about $3.50 per grease gun tube. Never had a problem with it, and I've never seen the oil separate out of it. If you've got money to burn, go ahead and buy the bike boutique grease -- while you're at it, buys some special boutique air for your tires as well.

I've got a tube of Mystik JT-6 that I got from Walmart for about that price (I think they're owned by Citgo now, actually). It looks really promising. Has great water washout resistance, is supposed to be very sticky, and the temperature range looks adequate for my purposes (rated to 0F, but I rarely ride in weather that cold). I'm going to try it soon on some hubs that I need to service.

The advantages of synthetic is that it doesn't get way thick in really cold temps. The other advantage of synthetic oil-based grease is that it has about four times more film strength than mineral oil-based greases.

If your cup and cone bearings undergo bearing drop, perhaps due to a momentary overload, the balls have to slide sideways as well as roll. That's one instance where a higher film strength would seem to pay dividends.

With perfectly adjusted bearings, run at moderate loads, any grease should be fine. When things go out of adjustment, perhaps because they're new, or maybe the axles flex due to an overload, then synthetic pays off.

For my pedals, screws, metal to metal contact points I just use a tub of really cheap Axle Bearing Grease that I have laying around. Works really good for open bearings too. Is it thick enough just to set the bearings in, tighten the cones back down and go.

To be fair, the repackagers for the most part have at least done the legwork of figuring out for you which of the thousands of different formulations and grades available on the market are best for bike applications. So, while you can probably do as well or better for less money than the tube of stuff from the LBS, an unsophisticated user can certainly do a *lot worse* by choosing an inappropriate lubricant. And some of them do claim that their stuff is a custom formulation (doesn't mean they have to own a grease factory...I'm sure there are plenty of companies that will work with you for the right price).


True enough. Grease is formulated to give satisfactory lubrication at certain loads and temperatures. I'm sure that this is major issue with powered vehicles, especially aerospace stuff. I'm not a trained engineer, but I guessed that bike bearings are not under any more load than boat trailer bearings -- probably less. The marine grease I've been using has worked out just fine, at a fraction of the cost of boutique grease.