Grease for new pedals
 

Hey guys and gals, I'm brand new to this forum thing and looking forward to using it for future reference when I want to work on my bike. I have just decided and ordered some new pedals for my MTB and I'm already aware of greasing them up before installation to reduce the chance of them getting stuck later on down the road. But since I dont have a tub of grease on hand and dont need a 4 oz tube of it. Can anybody recommend a place that maybe has a smaller tube or little packets of grease that would work for what I'm want to achieve? It would be greatly appreciated!


On a side note, feel free to message me anytime if you have questions for me or what have you. I'm always down to have new acquaintances in the MTB community since I dont know many in my area. Huge thanks in advance!

-Gadget

Pedals often come from the manufacturer with the bearings adjusted too tight, but not all pedals allow you to readjust that.

I suspect you're referring to lubricating the axle threads so they don't permanently bind to the crank arm. If you really can't justify spending a couple bucks on grease to avoid problems down the road, a drop of motor oil on the threads before installing the pedals would be better than nothing. If you have a car, you can use the dipstick to transfer a drop of oil from the car to the pedal axle.

Thank you! I just don't want a solid weld basically happen between the pedal and the crank arm. I'm just taking the stock plastic reflector pedals off of my Specialized Hardrock 650b. They look to come off by wrench and the ones I'm putting on are CrankBros stamp 1 that goes on with an 8mm hex wrench.

Go to Wal-Mart or any local source, and purchase some boat trailer wheel bearing grease (aka marine grease) - it is fine to use everywhere on a bike that needs grease.

This will do the trick, if you want to spend $5 on 1/2 ounce of grease. https://www.acehardware.com/departme...grease/4095667. If not - Vaseline, or even Chap-stick. I would strongly recommend that you buy a tube of Phil Wood grease, though, since you need to use it on your seat post and every other threaded surface. One tube will last years, well worth the $15.

I second that. I have a cartridge of it in a grease gun. The merit of buying a little tube of the stuff is that it fits in your tool box for when you just need a little, as for threads. I use the big stuff for packing wheel bearings. I haven't used ball-bearing bottom brackets or headsets in years, but it's good for them, too.

If you don't have a car, use butter. If you don't have butter, buy a cow... (Sorry, ignore this) Welcome to the forum.

I also put stainless pedal washers, also greased, which also help avoid binding and also help keep the pedals from marring the cranks. I use Tef-Gel on all dissimilar metal joints.

Seconding the rec to just go ahead and buy a tube of Phil Wood grease. I've built (and heavily swapped parts on) three bikes with mine over the last few years and I still have plenty left for the foreseeable future. In the grand scheme of bicycling, it's a pretty low spend.

Use cooking oil. It will better than nothing.

Spend the $9.. you'll find another use for it.

Park Tool ASC-1 Anti-Seize Compound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QSUW9A..._Rig.CbX754ZY4

If you don't care to buy a tub of marine bearing grease any auto parts store will have a little disposable packets of anti-seize, grease, or dielectric grease.

https://www.autozone.com/brake-and-p...ant/193245_0_0

Or go to an auto repair shop and ask if they can give you a couple pumps from the grease gun into a baggie or prescription bottle.

Another option is to visit an auto parts store and purchase a packet of brake grease. Comes in a little blister pack, and the last one I bought was 99 cents. It is used to grease the brake pivot pins on cars.

$50 on new pedals but not $5 on grease?

Penny wise; pound foolish.

got a bike, got chain lube? a cpl drops of that wouldn't be awful, would it? for most threaded lubing, whatever the lube, I like using a small paint brush to apply sparingly. especially when using anti-seize. instead of a drop or smear in just one place you can use the brush to spread it (just a line up the length of the bolt on 1 side) & wipe it off so there's just a trace. if I accidentally over do it I can use a paper towel & fingernails to wipe it out of the threads

if you're young & just starting out, in your independent life, the best way to accumulate tools & other products like lubes, is to buy them the 1st time you need them. this way you build your workshop gradually & inexpensively. got a pedal wrench?

Good advice rumrunn6, but from a different perspective I would advise to get a tube of anti-seize from the auto parts store and use that. For example: if you put grease or oil on a spark plug when installing it it works fine. But down the road the grease will burn off and the plug will still seize into an aluminium head. Same goes for pedals but, it isn't heat that does the destruction of the lubricant, it is time. Even a light grease will degrade over the five year time between installing a pedal and taking it off to service it. The anti-seize is designed to resist both heat and time degradation. Smiles, MH

watch how little torque he uses tightening this pedal!

[MENTION=205349]dsbrantjr[/MENTION]

Love the idea of the washer! All my cranks have that issue so will try next time I add pedals.

I have IGH bikes, so I use a lot of grease. I got this absolutely GREAT stuff, Krazy Grease, at an auto/ hardware supermarket. 1/2 litre for about $9. It's waterproof and synthetic. I doubt anything is better.
I have it on everything>> wheel hubs, seat post, pedals, bolts, BB threads, headset, 1pc crank BB on old CCM. pedal threads.
My pedals have one sealed bearing and a grease bushing on the other side. Some of them have over 15,000 miles.
I just took apart my Phil BB after 5 years/ 15,500 miles on a tour bike. The K greased BB shell threads came as clean as new. The bearings were squeaking, so put in new ones.
My SA 5w has done 45.8 mph with this grease.

IME *** PHIL grease is drippy GARBAGE***

Just make sure it's not the guy with a sick sense of humor...

A Big Thank You
 

I'd like to thank everyone who has commented and given advise. I've taken in all into consideration. And thank you to whoever continues to comment!