Bicycle Mechanics - Grease the splines on a freehub?

Hi all,

I just splurged on a PowerTap wheel and will be swapping it back and forth between my racing bike and time trial bike. On my old wheels, one of the hub bodies has grease on it, the other one doesn't. I looked on the Park Tool and Sheldon Brown (bless his soul) web sites but couldn't find anything.

Is there consensus on whether greasing the splines on hub body matters? For the time being, I'm not going to grease them until someone explains why it would make a difference. Once the cassette goes on the hub body, it doesn't seem like it would need grease but, then again, what the hell do I know? :D

yes sometime people do grease the splines on hub body it to make it easier to remove the cassette (gears) from one body to another. It does help in the colder climate area.

i tend to just use the grease left on my fingers, which tends to be a tiny little bit of goo most of the time (i'm a greasy guy, at least when i'm wrenching) to give the splines some glide. Whenever i'm installing a cassette and my hands are actually squeaky clean, i try to replicate the little bit of film i typically have during a tear-down or build-up. Back in the day, i used to not worry about greasing the freehub splines at all, and i've never had a cassette rust to the body, despite living in NJ and riding year-round (salty roads).

hth,
-rob

No need to grease the splines on a freehub. It will just attract dirt.

In humid or wet conditions it's wise to grease ANY exposed metal surface to prevent corrosion. But the spines on a freehub only need a thin wipe to accomplish this. And once the cassete in on the freehub it's not like any dirt has access to the splines. Even my wet weather commuter that looked like it was dipped in mud at times never got any grit into the cassete to freehub splines.

sure, why not?

Maybe a thin film if you really want to. Since cassettes don't thread on like the old freewheels, you shouldn't have a problem taking them off. I do grease the lockring's threads because those can be pretty tough to get off, especially if you don't have a decent chainwhip.

grease thinly, or rust, you choose.

I grease the threads on my freewheels, never bothered buying a freehub

though maybe you could call the part the sprocket attaches to
on a Sturmey Archer 3 speed, that..

do what you want.

I've never had my freehub rust on me...
even without grease or oil on it.

Maybe a thin film if you really want to. Since cassettes don't thread on like the old freewheels, you shouldn't have a problem taking them off. I do grease the lockring's threads because those can be pretty tough to get off, especially if you don't have a decent chainwhip.

yes, +1, definitely grease that lockring, y'all.

-rob

No need to grease the splines on a freehub. It will just attract dirt.

Even with a tight fit, the cassette will move a bit when pedaling. On cassettes with an aluminum carrier, this can cause a mystery squeak when pedaling. I've cured mine a couple times by cleaning and lightly greasing the freehub splines.

this is great. thanks, all!

basically, the take-away for me is: it's not essential--like it is for, say, moving parts--but it might prevent rusting.

i hope all who took the time to answer keep the shiny side up for the rest of the year and beyond...:):):):)

I know that *I n I*, for one, will. (knock on wood)

Whoever you are, the time is nigh to recognize: your freehub is your friend. Treat him/her with respect.
=rob



this is great. thanks, all!

basically, the take-away for me is: it's not essential--like it is for, say, moving parts--but it might prevent rusting.

i hope all who took the time to answer keep the shiny side up for the rest of the year and beyond...:):):):)

Light grease may act as anti-seize if you have 2 different metals (AL splines and steel cluster or TI cluster). AL and TI can cold weld over time to each other.