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-   -   For those living with loud Campy freehubs... (https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/169935-those-living-loud-campy-freehubs.html)

biker7 01-29-06 10:00 AM

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Had my new bike with Veloce 10s off the road this winter for strip, regrease and rebuild. After doing quite a bit of reading, decided that Phil Wood grease would not get the nod and instead I would opt for Mobil1 grease and am glad I did. My bike which has only one season on it really rolls on the stuff. Pulled the Campy front and rear Veloce hubs apart for repacking. The original factory grease was still perfect but I wanted to repack with fresh Mobil1. My freehub had gotten real loud by end of summer and was loud to begin with from the factory. I repacked the pawls back there suspecting that original grease was spent. Disassemblying the rear hub however revealed this not to be the case...there was still a fair measure of orginal grease on the pawls, springs and corresponding rachets of the I.D...have a look at the pic. Cleaned everything thoroughly and regreased with a light coating of Mobil1 and using the Brandford wire pawl retainer...back together. An unanticipated "major" reduction in hub pawl noise which is still sustained after my first long ride of the year. My Campy rear hub is now barely audible...surprising. The bike rolls with Mobil1 now forever... placebo? ;)
Thought I would pass this tip about Mobil 1 grease along.
George

HillRider 01-29-06 10:46 AM


Originally Posted by biker7
The bike rolls with Mobil1 now forever... placebo? ;)

Yep.

biker7 01-29-06 11:49 AM


Originally Posted by HillRider
Yep.

My hearing must be failing also ;)
George
P.S. Clean and well greased bearings makes a pretty big difference. I used to train with competitive roller bladers and the difference between clean and well lubricated bearings with synthetic oil versus heavy dino grease was substantial...though not an apple to apple comparison between roller blades and a bike.
Yeah...it can be debated as to which grease is most slippery and if there is any discernible difference...kind of like debating which motor oil has the best lubricity thoughout a temperature environment...which is not debatable...synthetics are more slippery and it is plausible the same applies to Mobil1 synthetic grease at least in terms of temp versus viscosity or Newtonian properties. On the noise front there is no question at least in this particular case...though quantity of grease as a damping agent is likely a contributor over and above the native sound deadening characteristics of any particular grease.
George

HillRider 01-29-06 01:02 PM

Nothing wrong with your hearing. I gather your overhaul was the first time the hub had been serviced since you said you replaced the "factory grease". Therefore, it's safe to assume the freehub body had never been serviced either.

If you had lubed the freehub with Phil grease you would have experienced the same degree of noise supression as Mobile 1 gave you. Lubing the freehub is what did the job, not specifically that you did it with Mobile 1. (which, I agree, is really good stuff.)

As to the rollerblades, sure light oil has less drag than heavy grease. No surprise there. Any oil compared to any grease will be have the same benefit.

Also, the demands on rollerblade and bicycle bearings are trivial compared to industrial or automotive use and the advantages of synthetic lubes, with their greater temperature stability, etc., are meaningless in this service. Mobile 1 is a good grease but it isn't unique for what you are doing.

roadfix 01-29-06 01:08 PM

Every once in a while I'll inject grease into my Record hub to quiet it down but that doesn't last too long....:)

biker7 01-29-06 06:47 PM


Originally Posted by HillRider
Nothing wrong with your hearing. I gather your overhaul was the first time the hub had been serviced since you said you replaced the "factory grease". Therefore, it's safe to assume the freehub body had never been serviced either.

If you had lubed the freehub with Phil grease you would have experienced the same degree of noise supression as Mobile 1 gave you. Lubing the freehub is what did the job, not specifically that you did it with Mobile 1. (which, I agree, is really good stuff.)

As to the rollerblades, sure light oil has less drag than heavy grease. No surprise there. Any oil compared to any grease will be have the same benefit.

Also, the demands on rollerblade and bicycle bearings are trivial compared to industrial or automotive use and the advantages of synthetic lubes, with their greater temperature stability, etc., are meaningless in this service. Mobile 1 is a good grease but it isn't unique for what you are doing.

So you don't subscribe that synthetic molecules can be contrived to enhance lubricity compared to standard petroleum based greases in addition to superior viscosity stability over wide temperature?
I do.
George

cydewaze 01-29-06 07:25 PM

I love loud freehubs. :)

HillRider 01-29-06 09:29 PM


Originally Posted by biker7
So you don't subscribe that synthetic molecules can be contrived to enhance lubricity compared to standard petroleum based greases in addition to superior viscosity stability over wide temperature?I do.
George

The rolling resistance of properly adjusted hub bearings is so low and the demands so mild that improving the grease by a huge amount will have no measurable benefit. Yes, it's better. No, it doesn't matter.

DannoXYZ 01-30-06 02:20 AM

There's a reason every Porsche leaves the factory filled with Mobil-1... and the manual recommends it as well. :)

HillRider 01-30-06 07:08 AM


Originally Posted by DannoXYZ
There's a reason every Porsche leaves the factory filled with Mobil-1... and the manual recommends it as well. :)

You guys don't get it do you? The environment inside car engines (or automotive wheel bearings or jet engines or any one of a large number of industrial applications) is so much more severe than ANY bicycle requirement that these sophisticated lubricants are warranted. Bicycles don't make anything anywhere close to these demands.

Go ahead and use any lube you want but don't tell me your bike benefits from their properties.

jemoryl 01-30-06 08:45 AM

I'm not sure what the current thinking on lubricating the pawls in freehubs is, but in the past it was thought that grease (of any kind) was too heavy for such a light mechanism. Sure it works to quiet the buzz but in the long run it may become gummed up and inhibit proper operation. We never used to take freewheels apart; just gave them the occasional spritz of oil.

Somewhere there are some admen who worked on campaigns for Mobil-1 who are very happy.....

San Rensho 01-30-06 09:09 AM

Hillrider is right. For bicycling applications, grease is grease. Bicycling is no (not low) speed, no temp, no pressure compared with any automotive application. Any auto grease is completely overengineered for bike apps. You could run sperm whale oil and you would notice no difference between that and Mobil 1.

biker7 01-30-06 11:20 AM


Originally Posted by jemoryl
I'm not sure what the current thinking on lubricating the pawls in freehubs is, but in the past it was thought that grease (of any kind) was too heavy for such a light mechanism. Sure it works to quiet the buzz but in the long run it may become gummed up and inhibit proper operation. We never used to take freewheels apart; just gave them the occasional spritz of oil.

Somewhere there are some admen who worked on campaigns for Mobil-1 who are very happy.....

As to lubricating pawls...there are different schools but a couple of Campy techs I know recommend applying a light coating of grease which incidentally agrees with what I found when I removed the freehub for the first time...factory grease was present.

As to Mobil 1 naysayers....or buying into marketing hype...agree that Mobil 1 is overkill and perhaps has no value added. Greases do vary however in lubricity, viscosity stability over temperature and prevention of water ingress depending on how they are formulated. A can of Mobil 1 grease is 5 bucks or less...virtually the same cost as any other petroleum based grease out there and because it is so inexpensive, why not.
George

jemoryl 01-30-06 01:44 PM


Originally Posted by biker7
As to lubricating pawls...there are different schools but a couple of Campy techs I know recommend applying a light coating of grease which incidentally agrees with what I found when I removed the freehub for the first time...factory grease was present.....

I suspect light grease would be fine as long as you don't neglect the mechanism (sounds like you keep on top on things). Wonder what grease Campy uses? When I install new Campy parts they seem to have either an almost clear, vaseline like grease (Ergo levers, brake pivots) or a whiter, more translucent grease (bearing races).

HillRider 01-30-06 03:58 PM


Originally Posted by biker7
A can of Mobil 1 grease is 5 bucks or less...virtually the same cost as any other petroleum based grease out there and because it is so inexpensive, why not.

Now there is a valid argument for its use.

DocRay 01-30-06 05:00 PM


Originally Posted by DannoXYZ
There's a reason every Porsche leaves the factory filled with Mobil-1... and the manual recommends it as well. :)


there are ~50 different Mobil-1 brands, and most are not designed for bikes.

Loud freehubs mean nothing, it does not indicate more or less drag or wear. Listen to a new Chris King hub--zzzzzeeeeeeee!

poopncow 01-30-06 05:22 PM

My Chris King hub make less noise than my Campy record. I shot some grease into the hub, from the center (to lube the bearings) and the whole thing quiet down. Was going to pull the cassette and lube from the splines... is it still necessary? btw: Finish Line, because it fit the grease gun/injector.

Matt Gaunt 01-31-06 05:40 AM

It's one of the few things I've never done on my bike - to strip the freehub body and service it.

I have an XT hub on the MTB and a Ksyrium Elite on the racer. How would I go about servicing them?

Cheers guys.

Ed Holland 01-31-06 05:53 AM

I have a couple wheelsets built with Hope Hechnology hubs. The maintainance advice on their websites recommends cleaning and re greasing of the freehub ratchet mechanism every month. This also helps keep the hub quiet, they can be amazingly loud otherwise.

The Shimano freehubs are difficult to get apart. One has to undo the bearing cup inside the cassette body which is on a left hand thread! Then about 64 very tiny ball bearings fall out (I think they are 3/32" diameter). Reassembly after cleaning is fiddly, but possible if the bearings are held in place with grease. I managed this successfully with an Ultegra (9 speed) freehub body, it was silent afterward and no longer gave engagement problems.

Cheers,

Ed

HillRider 01-31-06 06:56 PM


Originally Posted by Matt Gaunt
It's one of the few things I've never done on my bike - to strip the freehub body and service it.

I have an XT hub on the MTB and a Ksyrium Elite on the racer. How would I go about servicing them?

Cheers guys.

Do you just want to remove the freehub body from the hub shell to clean and oil it or disassemble it completely? The first job is pretty easy. The second is generally considered a frustrating waste of time.

DannoXYZ 02-01-06 06:26 PM


Originally Posted by biker7
As to lubricating pawls...there are different schools but a couple of Campy techs I know recommend applying a light coating of grease which incidentally agrees with what I found when I removed the freehub for the first time...factory grease was present.

As to Mobil 1 naysayers....or buying into marketing hype...agree that Mobil 1 is overkill and perhaps has no value added. Greases do vary however in lubricity, viscosity stability over temperature and prevention of water ingress depending on how they are formulated. A can of Mobil 1 grease is 5 bucks or less...virtually the same cost as any other petroleum based grease out there and because it is so inexpensive, why not.

The one benefit I've found of the Mobil-1 grease is the same as with their oils, constant viscosity over wide range of temperatures and pressures. In the summer it doesn't thin out riding across Death Valley and in the winter, it doesn't thicken up and cause freewheeling in the forward direction like other greases. It also has a higher amount of tackiness, similar to the blue marine boat-trailer grease. So that when it's pushed aside, it still clings to the parts and gets pulled back in, unlike the lithium bike or amber auto greases.

Sure it's overkill and most people wouldn't notice the differences, but I do. On the non-sealed freewheels, I just drip in heavy 95-140w tranny oil and it does a good job of quieting down the pawls.


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