ElliotSF

Thanks to those of you who replied with useful and constructive information. For the record, I'm not that big a tree hugger (not that there's anything wrong with that), and I realize that very little bike grease--if any--will ever reach the pavement and waterways, but still . . .

To answer mstateglfr's question: I have no idea if the three greases that I mentioned are any "better" than Park Tool grease. And I don't know if any of them are any more benign than any other grease. I'm just guessing, is all. And overthinking my purchase. And stirring the pot without actually intending stir the pot. It must be because I'm misguided and brain dead.

noglider 

I generally find bike-oriented lubes to be overpriced, but one exception is Park grease. It costs barely more than stuff I get at the auto parts store, and I'm quite happy with it.

Good post, @pastorbobnlnh.

delicious

Anyone else care to comment on this? I'm getting close to the bottom of my Mobil 1 tub after ~5 years.

Fidbloke

In the 'Good Old Days', goose fat would be used to lubricate the wooden axles on farm carts. Not sure that's entirely relevant, but at least you know about it now..

I have a tube of Mobil Synthetic grease which I've been using for the last few years. I think it's Mobil SHC, but I'll need to double-check in the shed tomorrow morning.
Any general purpose grease should work, but I'm not sure if there might be a conflict between the requirements of a decent lubricant (tenacity/durability) and the environmental requirement of it being able to break down naturally in the environment.

For my four-penneth, I feel that the current direction of the bike industry, in the way that they keep pushing 'new' models each year and build in a certain degree of obsolescence with ever-changing proprietary standards is not helping the image of cycling as a particularly 'green' pastime. It seems to be creating a mindset, in consumers and cyclists, that 'new is nice' and old is for 'eccentrics'.
I feel that the C&V ethos of rebuilding and re-using existing machines (in this case - bikes) is far more environmentally friendly than just buying a new one each time your paint is scratched.

3alarmer 

...first choice is rendered baby seal fat, but it's getting pricey, so currently using the Walrus sourced stuff.

StephenH

I've got a little tub of general purpose grease, maybe a pint of it- and I've had that tub since college, I think, and I'm 54 now. So go buy a tub of good ol' grease of the brown sort, and figure if you're not some kind of professional mechanic, it's a lifetime supply anyway, and environmentally friendly isn't a big concern- it makes more sense to worry about where you spit while you're riding.

iab

Too spendy.

The Park Tool stuff is like $5/tube. I don't use enough to buy bulk from the auto supply.

miamijim

I used Phil grease back in my shop days, it was OK but what I didn't like is that the oils separated out over time. And it seemed to dry out quicker than some other greases.


Your right, Mobil 1 red is heavy, but at the end of the day it works well and is relatively inexpensive. As mentioned earlier I've been trying Lucas 'Red-n-tacky" I bought it because Pep Boys was out of Mobil 1.

I see this thread has derailed....

People...its a bike not the space shuttle. Go to WalMart, Autozone, KMart your local bike store or wherever and buy whatever they have in stock. Non of use need to shave .00000001 seconds of a TT.

DiegoFrogs

I don't build many bikes, but probably re-build and work on mine more than I should.

I haven't noticed much of any difference in the many greases themselves that I've tried over the last ten years or so. I mostly think that the volume and packaging could probably be engineered better for the application and the customer.

I've lived in six places in the last ten years, the first five being in the USA, all with long-haul moves in between. Each time, I've gotten rid of a large volume of grease that I didn't want to leak out into my stuff by giving it away or donating it to a co-op. My stuff has always traveled cheap, through tough environments.

I've had cardboard tubes that fit into a stupid [dispensin' device] the size of my forearm, a big tub with a lid that flips off if you look at it, a tiny tub with a tight, screw on lid that may be the most sensible one I've used yet, an expensive and small tin of stuff that I bought when I first moved here because I didn't know any better and it sounded exotic since it was from the Netherlands, and probably some others I have forgotten.

Probably the most effective thing I could've done was buy a small 3 ounce plastic tube of whatever grease was available that had a small applicator nozzle and a tight cap, despite the sweet deal I'd have gotten for several gallons of the same grease in a container poorly suited to me and my applications.

If I bought what I needed, and it went into my bearings instead of on my hands, into shop towels and such, it would HAVE to be better for the environment.

ElliotSF

"If I bought what I needed, and it went into my bearings instead of on my hands, into shop towels and such, it would HAVE to be better for the environment." < Good point! I agree that a plastic tube with a fairly narrow nozzle helps a lot.

fietsbob

The Petroleum industry is not, never has or will be environmentally friendly and as the richest business on the Planet .

Your buying a little grease will have no effect on it, one way or the other..

bikemig 

A grease gun and a tub of park grease has kept my bikes in working order for a few years. It doesn't take that much grease to overhaul a bike. I've never given much thought to the environmental side of it. I suspect this is one area where there are no alternatives that work well.

lord_athlon

I used to subscribe to the "Tub of Wheel Bearing Grease" camp.

I bought a tube of Park Grease and I will never go back. Having a no-mess tube and an applicator is a godsend. Bearings are easier to grease now, and the tube has plenty of bikes worth in it.

Camilo

The functional differences between any grease you choose for a bike's bearing needs are miniscule if non-existent. Note I said "functional differences". It's just not worth spending any time or effort beyond going to a store and buying some grease. There may be non-functional advantages (packaging, convenience, price, etc.) to one over another.

Environmental concerns from bike lubrication are so tiny that one would be better spending that hour of "research" doing almost anything imaginable in the pro-environment arena, or maybe donating an hours' worth of wages to any low overhead environmental organization. Frankly, the only thing that might contaminate anything is the oil that drips from your chain onto the garage floor.

Dave Cutter

I am sorry. I understood that the world now accepts todays environmental beliefs as faith.... as the movements leader Al Gore had suggested. There must be sects within the movement. I have no dislike but rather great respect for all the religious faithful... even those that practice religions different than my own.

I was also unaware of the empirical verification you posted about as well. That must also be new. I have yet to read of the verifiable weather model. Last I heard we were still at empirical evidence. I'd love to visit the lad where all this has been proven.... so then maybe I could repeat the tests under identical controls in my own lab.

bikemig 

That's fine if you want to be argumentative. But there is a difference between trolling a thread and disagreeing with a point of view.

mstateglfr 

Fair enough. Interesting thread and topic, even if it did get a couple people in a tizzy.

3alarmer 

...for the Full Biekforoom Experience tm ,you now need to start a "best chain lube" thread. #godspeed

rootboy 

I find it a bit too stiff for headsets in particular. where I want the grease to move around a bit, since the balls are not.

As far as tubs vs. tubes, that's what these are good for.

Amazon.com: FJC 2731 Syringe Oil Injector: Automotive

I just load up my big syringe from the tub when needed. I have a big plastic syringe for my Super Lube. But for my Phil's, I use an big antique brass syringe that I think was once used in the veterinary trade. For something...

ThermionicScott 

I've been thinking about using some kind of syringe to apply grease after repacking a couple of hubs and headsets lately, but wondered if thick grease would even work with them...

ThermionicScott 

A term I picked up from my aircooled VW days was "recreational maintenance." I was guilty of that on occasion.

rootboy 

They work. But you have to find one without the very tiny orifice. Or, cut back the plastic ones to a slightly larger orifice.
Depending on the viscosity of the grease you use, of course. I find them very handy for laying a bead inside of hub shells.

rootboy 

Most times on my '57 bus, it didn't seem so "recreational". Argh…

dweenk

Absolutely!

davester

I do environmental cleanup for a living so I do know a little about this. Of all the toxic materials that we dump into the environment, petroleum lubricants have a pretty low toxicity and are easily degraded by bacteria. That, combined with the microscopic amounts of grease that you use for a bicycle, indicates that you should not be concerned at all regarding what type of grease to use. You should be much more concerned (from both a health and environmental standpoint) with the solvents that you use to clean your bike parts with. Some of those (usually labelled "petroleum distillates") can be quite toxic and persistent in the environment, and do include some powerful carcinogens). They can also be absorbed at toxic levels directly through the skin or through inhalation of the vapor. It also takes a very small amount of chlorinated solvent thrown on the ground to render the water in large parts of underlying drinking water aquifers unfit to drink. Stick to safe solvents like Simple Green for cleaning parts.