svenfor

Hi,

i own a set of two campa record high flange hubs. They are pretty nice but donīt run very smooth anymore.
Now i wanna check them an change the grease, but i am a bit confused. A campa collector told me once, the little oil whole is for thin oil. Another one told me, that this opening in the middle of the hub is for pressing in the grease. Is still do more belive the words from the collector. He also told me, that normally there is a green grease in the hub and it is also called oil whole.

Hmmmm??? What is the correct way to make it right.

Sven

melville

Oiled hubs are for record attempts only. I knew a trackie who oiled all his hubs, but he didn't use the oil hole! He built his hubs without dustcaps and sprayed light oil (was it olive oil?) in from the outside while spinning the axles at high speed (wheel off bike). He did this to all his wheels before the start of a night's racing. Looked like a PITA to keep up with it. I preferred to just show up and pump my tires only.

Later

Mel

vjp

You have to change the grease by pulling out the axle and cones and then clean out the races. The oil hole is to dribble a little thin oil in to re-activate drying out grease. It was useful in the 40's and 50's when racers were on very dusty rough roads but they are more of a talking point today. They also scratch your nice alloy shells when you slide them over.

repechage

Words for the "Old" ones at the bike shop decades ago was that the oil port was for adding thin oil to soften up the grease from inactivity over the winter! Even the youngest Campagnolo Record hubs are now over 20 years old. Time to repack.

As a Junior racer long ago rode oil on my track race wheels... loved the sound of the balls dropping at very slow speeds. And no dust covers either, Sprint to Victory.

Charles Wahl

I, for one, oil my Campy Record hubs, just the way John Forester recommends in his "Effective Cycling" book. I use 80-90 weight gear oil (about the same viscosity as Phil Wood Tenacious, and a lot cheaper, but sulfrous-smelling), and every week I wipe the axle/cone/hub area down, and then inject one squirt, nowadays with a antique brass oilcan I got on eBay. I also oil bottom bracket, freewheel and pedals with the same stuff. My only concession to new-fangled methods is to use ProLink on the chain, because it stays so nice and clean if you wipe it down each week -- I only lubricate that about once a month, doing the wipe-down, lube, let it sit awhile, and wipe-down again method. Unless you're caught in a horrendous rain/sandstorm, you never have to tear-down and regrease, which I hate; it's just a few minutes a week, and it's a pleasure. The only thing that's greased on my bike is the headset.

The minor marring of the hub barrels from pushing around the clips is just period-correct "patina."

tuz

Is the small hole in the dust cover/cap to inject oil as well?

Charles Wahl

I've never done that. Oil goes in the center of the hub -- you want the migration to be out the axle ends, so that dirt goes that way. Shimano Deore XT hubs (I have some of these, too; nice) have an open/close oil port on the sides of the hub. There's really no need to inject oil more than one place, I think.

svenfor

Thankīs to everbody!
Very usefull answers. Sven

el twe

The dustcap hole is indeed for grease.