rogerwaggener

Sheldon Brown says it's 'suitable' but elsewhere I've read '"Do NOT use automotive grease!"

So what's the deal for real?

Jed19

Bull. Automotive grease is just fine as bicycle hub grease.

fishymamba

+1 Pretty much any thick grease is fine. Lighter greases tend to leak out in my experience.

zukahn1

Auto grease of a good quality works fine on bikes. Just be sure if you repack bearings with a different type grease to clean out all the old grease first and you will be fine using auto grease.

FBinNY 

It might be a bit thicker than you need, but that's about the only negative thing one could say about it. Otherwise there's absolutely no reason not to use auto bearing grease on bike bearings.

MudPie

I assume you didn't hear that here. The consensus on the forum is automotive & marine grade greases are more than fine for bicycle applications.

FBinNY 

Isn't this sort of an oxymoron?

Bill Kapaun

Apparently you shouldn't pay very much attention to "elsewhere". Do they happen to sell their "own" bicycle grease?

MudPie

I don't think so. The forum is not always in agreement - just post "what is the best chain lube?" and stand clear
.

FBinNY 

you read it wrong - I asked of "consensus on the forum" was an oxymoron. You know, like military intelligence?

Consensus on this forum almost never happens. If someone asks if bikes have 2 wheels, there'll be at least one post saying what about the little wheels on the RD, don't they count?

zukahn1

Well your common red or blue lithium grease that sells for $5.00 for a big can at a auto or hardware store is basicaly the same grease that sells for $15.00 at the bike shop in a smaller can. Most of it is actually made by the same companies just with different packaging.

pweller

You may have read something about not using automotive oil on bikes, because engine oil is formulated to deal with the chemicals associated with combustion. Of course, that wouldn't apply to auto grease, as wheel bearing grease never sees combustion anyway. Maybe that is the source of the confusion?

whitefiretiger

+1 auto grease is great. Someone here shares by mobile 1 synthetic grease but and works. I often use marine grease for bikes that see wet conditions a lot

JonathanGennick 

Indeed. I'm surprised no one has jumped in yet to diss automotive grease.

I don't know enough about grease to comment, so I will leave the original question alone.

bradtx

In years past there was basically two types of automotive grease, one for wheel bearings and one for general lubrication like ball joints. The wheel bearing grease was designed to withstand high temperatures and was generally stiff and wax like 'till up to it's working temperature and was sometimes labeled as long fiber. It could be used in bicycle hubs, but wasn't ideal as it never came to it's working temperature. In other words workable, just not suitable in such a light duty application.

Now-a-days it doesn't make much, if any difference with viscocity stretching technology. I use Exxon Ronal grease everywhere on a bicycle.

Brad

MudPie

Ha, I get it

rydabent

The only people you will find that is against automotive grease is bike shop owners that want to sell you 4oz of grease for $15!!!!!

lostarchitect 

+1, auto grease is fine. I use it all the time. Eff the expensive stuff!

fietsbob

My Go-to grease, for 30 years is a tub of Boat trailer wheel-bearing grease.

DannoXYZ 

Yeah, the tackiness of the blue marine grease pulls itself back onto the bearing after being squeezed aside. The auto grease isn't quite as good, but for a hub, who cares. No one's going to notice the difference between needing to repack your bearings every 10-years versus every 5.

Aquakitty

+ whatever is already +'d. Been using it for years.
I tried white lithium grease once, that was a mistake, it just squirted out everywhere after some time.

whitefiretiger

im a loonie i repack every year (sometimes sooner). i like fresh grease in the spring. but if i put my bike up and the wheels dont spin as long as i like i'll repack them.

Infidel79

The maintenance is part of the hobby for some of us!

whitefiretiger

yea it is... and theres something satisfying about opening a hub or bb and the grease isnt compleatly discolored yet. (i use colored grease ive got red, blue, green. dont like black or grey.)

gyozadude

+1. I like the fact that most marine boat trailer grease also have corrosion inhibitors. I use the same stuff on my saltwater fishing reels too. And cheap on sale too.