Grease question...
 

I did a search and read the 4 page grease thread but am still unsure about this...

I am currently too scared/lazy to mess with overhauling anything with bearings, but I do hear that grease should go on any metal-to-metal threaded thingys. So if I want to put grease on a metal seatpost in a metal frame, grease on pedal threads, grease on bottle cage/shoe cleat bolts, etcetera... what kind of grease is a good choice? Or the standard reply of marine and/or polyurea grease will work for both packing bearings as well as threaded bolts too? Thank you! :)

I use this stuff on everything but the chain. Hubs, seatposts, pedals, bottle cages...

Pretty much anything will be fine for what you are looking to do. Even white lithium grease will do the job. But why not pick up a tub of marine bearing grease and be ready for the day you decide to get serious about doing your own bike maintenance?

antiseize lube. If you're not doing an overhaul, why buy a tub of grease when a little tube of antiseize will do, and is the right stuff to boot?

Cause the tubs gonna be way cheaper, and when the OPs ready to repack a hub there will be the grease

No it won't. You just made that up.

Yes, tubs will be cheaper. I just got a tub of automotive bearing grease for $11, in Australia, where things are usually much more expensive than in the USA.

So you're saying the exchange rate is 11 to 3.49?

If you don't use it, you will have an entire tub of marine grease sitting in the corner.

An oddity perhaps.

I suppose it's not a good idea to use anti-sieze for bearings because the metal bits in it might cause damage to the bearings, races, etc.. Is this correct?

$4 for a tub of marine grease in California.

That cheap in the US? I'm glad I'm leaving Australia in two months...

I use Park bike grease. It works. Sure it cost more than generic marine grease, but even still I got a 1lb tub for $11 or something, I was already ordering other stuff so it didn't cost more in shipping. That $11 is going to cover me for many MANY years down the road. Worth it, IMO.

I use it for anything around the house I need grease for, too. Which isn't much, but once in a while if I need to use it, its there!

FWIW I use mobile 1 synthetic grease. It was recommended by some other forum members and seems pretty nice for a low price. My one gripe is that the red color can easily stain fingers or shirts.
I am sure any high quality grease will do the trick, regardless of brand.

I don't know. The metal used in antiseize is softer stuff; the whole point is to have solid particles with a lower shear strength than the threads, but which can't flow away like a liquid lubricant due to the tension on the joint.

So it may not, but there may still be some undesirable effect or other. I just don't know.

Here is a tub for $2.74, but shipping is $8. Point being, you can get a tub of wheel bearing grease for under $5 at WalMart or Target or Ace or your local hardware store I would imagine. Then you have grease for the wheels on the lawn mower, all the hubs on all the bikes in the house, that sqeaky door hinge, whatever. I have a tub of bearing grease and a tube of white lithium that have lasted for years, and I have repacked the major bearings on all three of my bikes and all three of my kids bikes and some friends bikes.

Go to the auto parts or hardware store and but a tub or grease gun tube of grease. It is cheap and more than adequate for our use. Bike specific lube of any kind is just hype.
http://yarchive.net/bike/grease.html

I can say this much about lithium grease. I took apart the WHOLE freewheel ASSEMBLY, even where they have those tiny bearings (Shimano - Raleigh Super Record 10 speed ). I used the lithium grease about 10-15 yrs ago. Recently I went to ride it and when I went to pedal, the freewheel spun (just like I was pedaling backward, but I was pedaling forward). After taking apart the freewheel I found that the two teeth (I don't know the proper term) that provide the resistance were glued down from the lithium grease. These two teeth normally spring up but were very goooey and stuck.

10-15 years? Do not blame this on white lithium. You let any grease sit that long and it will gum up I would imagine.

I've been doing mechanical work for about two decades, and have used all sorts of different greases - my personal favorite type right now is marine wheel bearing grease. Waterproof, extremely low friction, it's just the right stuff for the job.

My currently preferred brand is Lucas X-tra Heavy Duty:
http://www.lucasoil.com/products/dis...id=14&loc=show

A one pound tub will run you about three bucks at most hardware stores. I find it superior in the long term compared to Pennzoil red. (this stuff is green) as it doesn't gum up over a two or three year period.

Though @JohnMemphis, jsharr hit it on the head - don't blame ANY grease type lubricant if it gums up after A DECADE OR MORE!!!

Good rule of thumb is, and I don't care WHAT lubricant you use, 3 years is when you SHOULD inspect/clean/replace, and 5 years is a must... Though grease is less prone to problems if you just let it sit there unused as opposed to oils which will slowly pool away from where you need lubrication. If you're actually USING the item - oil monthly or even weekly, grease at LEAST every five years.

Hell, five years of mechanical wear ALONE should require bearing and gear replacements if it's a daily rider - much less a decade or more.

I use Phil Wood waterproof grease in a pricey little tube so it doesn't get contaminated, like a big ol' tub. I like the smell too.

I can't cite any scientific evidence on this either, but the idea of using antiseize for bearings just makes warning bells go off like crazy in my head.

Since wheel bearing grease is actually designed for wheel bearings, and almost everyone agrees (based on many many collective years of experience) that it's also good enough for most bicycle anti-seize purposes, this is by far the preferable compromise, IMHO.

Come to think of it, if the bearings are properly preloaded, squeezing a piece of metal, albeit a soft piece, would seem to create unacceptable pressure. Or, when you set the bearings, they may seem a bit preloaded but would go to having a bit of clearance once you had smushed all the tiny little metal particles.

two teeth = pawls.

Light oil is the recommended lube for the freewheel.

any grease whateva the grade or brand is better than none. i use chemtool products. they are industrial but work well