Joshua A.C. New

The other day, I came across a can of "spray grease" at the hardware store. Supposedly, it's deposited as a penetrating oil, then dries (sets? cures? I don't know how it works.) to a grease.

Has anyone tried this stuff? Has anyone tried it inside a Sturmey-Archer, for instance? How about spraying it down a seat tube?

It seems to be available from many brands and the packaging is fantastically outdated, so I'm obviously late to this lubing party*, but maybe someone knows something?


*For the record, that's the best kind of party.

LarDasse74

I don't know anything about spray grease. I do know that old Sturmey Archer hubs are supposed to be lubed with oil, not grease (even spray grease).

tatfiend 

Grease getting on the freewheel pawls of a SA hub can cause problems as the springs are pretty weak. For older hubs oil is the way to go. I have even heard of adding an oiler to later hubs for oiling as the grease used in so called "sealed" gear hubs adds to the drag and resistance.

Usually the grease in such cans is dissolved in a light hydrocarbon carrier which evaporates leaving the grease behind. Many motorcycle spray chain lubes are made this way.

wmodavis

My recommendation when asked is not to use any spray lubricant on a bike. Reason: It is nearly impossible to control where the over-sprayed lubricant ends up. Rotors, pads, rims etc seem to suck that stuff up without any notice. So if you must use it be very careful.

Panthers007

I place a longer and thinner tube on the end of the supplied tube of sprays such as TriFlo. This condenses the spray into micro-drops of liquid before it comes out. This allows me pinpoint accuracy in where it goes, and how much. Sort of the best of both worlds - convenience and the right amount.

Joshua A.C. New

Huh. My understanding was that S-A hubs were greased at the factory, but I can see grease becoming a problem for the pawls. Interesting.

I don't typically have a problem with overspray. I mask with a piece of paper or cardboard when there's an issue. I did get silicone lube on a rim, once, and, well, it had the effect you'd expect. It came off after a few miles, though. Maybe 20.

Where I'm most interested in this is chains (New England winter is happening here. Well, except for today, oddly enough), so grease can get inside the rollers and such. There have been times when I wanted to squirt grease into a hub, too, though, rather than take everything apart. It seems like it would be good inside brake levers and shifters, as well. One of my shifter pods on my mountain bike is open to the elements (don't know what happened there), so I just keep packing lithium grease into the mechanism, but it would be good to know that it's on all the mechanical elements.

tatfiend 

On factory greased gear hubs.

The disassembly/reassembly instructions for SRAM gear hubs instruct clearly which areas should be greased and which oiled. The pawls area calls for oil rather than grease as do some other areas of the hubs. I would presume the same for SA hubs during assembly or reassembly.

The older oilable SA hubs were frequently totally gummed up by using very heavy oil, grease or 3 in 1 oil which turned to varnish inside the hub as it oxidized. The biggest destroyers of the old hubs were either not lubing or using incorrect lubricants.

Joshua A.C. New

Hrm. Well, the S-A in question in a 1962. There are certainly older ones, but it's still got the "neutral" issue, so it seems like it definitely qualifies as "older".

Thanks!

DMF 

I remember seeing something about spray-on grease some time ago, but I can't offer more than that. Never used it.

Mike Mills

Spray-on grease is grease dissolved in a solvent. The solvent reduces the viscosity such that it can be dispensed by spraying. After application, the solvent evaporates leaving behind the grease. After the solvent leaves, you have GREASE, not oil - extremely viscous, non-flowing.

If your hub needs oil DO NOT use this product.

percywheeler

I got a free case of spray lithium grease one year at my bikeshop.
Tried it out, only to find that it left things sticky instead of helping things.
I recommend Tri Flow in shifters and on chains.
Also recommend machine oil for Sturmey Archer hubs.

djnzlab1

HI,
Another point is this if its thick it will get much thicker when its cold.
Doug