help! i started using the cheap blue marine grease on my bikes this past year to save money, but also under the assumption that it's just not worth it to buy the expensive phil wood grease i'd been using because "grease is grease".

i installed a seat post on my single speed a few months ago. i was confused to find out the post was seized today, considering i'd coated it with this marine grease. deciding to try using PB blaster to soak in the frame over night, i decided to remove the bottom bracket (shimano cartridge BB) and now that is seized and was ALSO installed only a few months ago with grease applied to the drive side.

granted the single speed is my work horse and usually ridden in wet weather instead of my nicer road bike, so it does spend more time in the rain, but could it be the grease is responsible for this? or is it coincidence?

I used the marine grease to overhaul the BB on my road bike recently. should i disassemble, clean it out and do it over with a higher quality grease? i'm scared now!

help!

Frame and post material?

You should remove ALL that gunk before you ruin it all.

Aluminum post steel frame

Anti-seize instead of grease when there are to different metals.

This sounds like a too little maintenance effort and not a grease choice one. Andy

I don't think the grease is the problem. It is very thick and viscous; much less slippery than say Phil Wood, so turning the post will be harder but my experience has always been that it breaks down very little over time or in the presence of almost anything. (I don't bet but if I did, I would wager you the grease on the post is the original blue when you pull it out.) I am assuming you used enough.

Ben

yeah, i'm confused. have been working on bicycles for years without this problem. two parts installed in only a few months time are completely seized, seems a bit odd. anyone else ever have this experience? or does anyone else use marine grease?

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...I have no advice. I always use an anti seize compunded grease for this application.

It could be galvanic corrosion that caused the parts of two different metals to seize. Even greased parts can fuse together from galvanic action given the right conditions. As others have stated, I often use anti-seize compound when assembling two different metals but also use high quality grease if it's handy. More importantly I also move or remove them every couple of weeks so grease is sufficient. Your mileage may vary depending if you live near the coast or in a wet humid environment.

Stop what you're doing and get a can of Kroil. A good industrial supply company should have it. My local Ace Hardware has it as a matter of fact. Douse a generous amount of Kroil on the remaining parts and wait a couple of hours then try again. If still stuck try lightly tapping with a small hammer and brass rod to loosen the "stuckage" without denting the metal. A paper towel between the part and the brass rod helps too.

Good luck!

This stuff:

It seems strange that the cause is the grease alone. Otherwise there would be boats seizing up everyday

That grease is good enough for lubrication. However, for things that don't need lubrication (i.e. not moving), you need a mounting baste (like copper "grease") - to prevent them from getting stuck, either from rust, or galvanic "welding".

Let's be specific here. What brand exactly of cheap grease are we talking about?

If it's some generic Chinese grease then aid have a different thought than if it was legitimate grease.

Grease isn't expensive. My favorite is Progold EPX. Same price as Park Polylube for a 16oz tub.

For avoiding electrolytic corrosion on dissimilar metal joints, (alu post/steel frame, BBs, pedals, etc.) I use Tef-Gel which was specifically designed for such service: TEF-GEL - Ultra safety systems - Home page I would avoid copper- or nickel-containing anti-seize pastes, which are generally used for high-temperature service like exhaust systems, because they introduce yet another metal into the mix.


Edit: If riding in almost exclusively wet weather, especially if road or ocean salt is present, very frequent maintenance may be required to deter rust and corrosion even with the best anti-seize treatments.

I have been using Quaker State synthetic marine grease for about the last 5 years...no seizing and happy with results.

Unfortunately discontinued so will be looking for a replacement.

I know nothing about carbon or Ti frames. With steel or Al, it's 2 steps. Grease the post, everyone does that. Then use a shotgun brush on a rod, etc. and grease the inside of the seat tube. You have to rub it into the metal.

I've been using a copper mounting paste for over a decade - no problems on bikes, nor motorcycles.

Reason not to use it would be the price - cheaper alternatives are available, ones that are not that resistant to high temperature (which isn't needed for most bicycle related applications). But the "another metal into the mix" makes no problems whatsoever.

For the salty and wet weather - copper "grease" has turned out exceptionally well - you could put the bike in the ocean for a year and the coated parts won't get stuck! All the grease/oil leak in time, but a thin layer of (soft) copper remains, and allows for easy unscrewing when the time comes.

I use marine grade bearing grease for most everything and have never had an issue like yours. To have enough corrosion in just a few months to cause the post to seize sounds implausible. Perhaps it was the wrong diameter post, crimped or ovalized DT, or bent post.

I've seen it happen - alu post, steel frame combination. In a matter of a few months in not too humid environment. Unless the customer was lying, but the bike did look freshly painted and the seat post did look like new.

Slaninar,

I to use the copper anti-seize on my cars and think it's a great anti-seize. But, the problem I found with it on bikes is that it creeps everywhere! One little errant bit exposed will work its way onto everything that comes near it. Can be really messy material especially when adjusting seat post height now and then.

I use the copper on threaded fasteners that don't get touched often but use the aluminum anti-seize on the seat post. The aluminum product doesn't seem to creep as bad and it seems a bit easier to clean off also.

I also tried the nickle-based anti-seize but I don't think it works any better than the copper and costs more.

That is true. For most applications that don't require heat resistance, I've switched to a "food grade" mounting paste that is cheaper, a lot more easily wiped and still prevents parts getting stuck and galvanic welded to each other. Not sure how it's sold outside of Serbia, though. The tin says it contains:
non-soap thickener
synthetic oil
polymer compounds
titanium dioxide
china clay powder (kaoline?)

Here's the link to the product: https://www.fam.co.rs/en/products/lub...s/912-famol-pt

It's white coloured. The main reason for using it is not having to explain to customers that there is no rust on their bolts/bike, that it's a paste... But It's turned out to be a better alternative to copper "grease".
I still stick to copper paste for disc brake callipers, pad sliders etc. Wherever there's expected high temperature.

I will continue to be skeptical, but admit that my opinion is subjective and only based on my acquisition of a few dozen old steel bikes (some of them coming from crappy environments too.) Perhaps the post was a weird alloy or maybe there was some source of current from a lighting system, etc. Was he using a carved saddle? Butt sweat is a great electrolyte.

I have used PTFE anti seize for years with good results - just read that PTFE is used for food grade anti seize, yuk. My latest build is titanium and I splurged on a bottle of Shimano anti seize. Goopy and white. Don't know what's in it but I do trust that Shimano knows a thing or two about bikes.

Regular plastic saddle. She seamed honest and desperate "it's a newly assembled bike, freshly painted, and the saddle now can't be raised!" Since it was a May - crazy month in the bike shop, the manager didn't let us spend too much time on the saddle, so it had remained stuck, the customer was sent their way - not a good thing IMO. But it was impossible to move with ordinary "tricks" and using an old saddle as a leverage!