Michael Angelo 

Mopar Wheel Bearing Grease for BB, hubs,and headsets. We use it at work for everything from the smallest wheel bearing, to wheel bearings on the largest Dodge trucks. Water proof and lasts a very long time.

Mike

roccobike

Phil Wood in a tube. Due to its composition, I can use less and it doesn't make a mess like auto bearing grease does. And, let's face it, it's Phil Wood, it's good stuff.

Reynolds 

Generic auto lythium grease for stems and seatposts, Molykote or Dura-Ace for bearings.

Amani576

Finish Line Teflon for non-bearing areas, Phil Wood for areas with bearings.
-Gene-

auchencrow

Mobil 1 synthetic from Pep Boys.

Odorless, completely homogeneous, highest lubricity, waterproof, durable, stays where you put it.

- and though it's more expensive than other bearing greases, it's still a lot cheaper than any bike-specific branded grease.

canopus 

Depends on the Bike...
Campagnolo grease (I still have a big tub)
Phil Wood grease
Mobil 1 Synthetic

I never did like lithium grease when I used it.

RobbieTunes

Mobil 1 marine.

pcfxer

I use Amsoil's Synethetic Lithium Complex, highest flash point, greatest resistance to compression (designed for brakes/suspension and hydraulics) and to water. To clean parts and lubricate cables I use Amsoil's Multi-Purpose *FULL* synthetic and for hinges and thread protection I slap a quick shot of Amsoil MP HD - another FULL synthetic.

WNG

As of late, bought a tube of Phil's to give it a try. It's good, but didn't wow me. Used tubs of automotive bearing grease before that, the amber and red variety, Penzoil and Valvoline.
I too don't like white lithium, dried up and caked too quick. Perhaps it was the brand I had. The Campy white lithium seems to have longevity.
The Phil's is now empty, and I've returned to tried and true automotive stuff. I like the moly grease for extreme pressure protection. Also use Moly-kote, and have some high temp silicone grease in the garage for auto/moto brake parts, but that's overkill for a bike. I think most of the afore mentioned choices exceed the needs of our bikes. Just don't buy grease at a Dollar Store.

cudak888 

Mobile 1 red synthetic and Permatex Never-Seize on rare occasions.

Last time I used Phil grease (friend's bike, friend's tube), I opened the BB 6 months (and a good 500+ miles) later to find the compound separated, as Jim points out. Hardly any hard green bits were left either; the worst of it was a residue of oily sludge.

-Kurt

20grit

come on... no one is going to say Red-Tac out of the farm grease gun?

Alright. I'll admit to having done it. But only on a bike that the cones were wore and i didn't have replacements at the time.

David Newton

Gee, I'm having deja-vu on the Brit motorcycle oil thread...

gtownviking

Just used this stuff last night when I replaced the BB. Will use it for my headset as well.....and really everything.

cudak888 

Purely out of curiosity, how many fellows here have had the opportunity to examine a BB packed with their preferred grease following 500-1,000 miles of use? Just wondering.

-Kurt

mazdaspeed

I have. The wal mart marine grease holds up well.

thenomad

My park lube tube is getting low, seems much lighter than the auto grease (Valvoline synth) I use on some. Not sure i like the park stuff. My auto grease is going strong though.

bigbossman 

I pack 'em and sell them. All my bikes have modern Campy cartridge bb's. I have, however, gone back and checked/re-packed the wheel bearings on the trailer when I used to have a boat. Looked good and lasted a long time under much worse conditions than a bb will ever see.

Fasteryoufool

That was actually my thought originally when I started using just regular old automotive grease on my bike... I figured if it was going to take the load and speeds of a car, then on a bike it'd be sticky, stinky, slippery gold.

pastorbobnlnh 

I like the way it smells. PW needs to market a cologne.

Actually, 95% of the time I use the marine grease.

For cudak888 and Miami Jim, I wonder if the the high heat, high humidity, and salty air in south FL has something to do with the degradation of PW Green Grease? I've never seen it break down like that here in NH.

Glennfordx4

I have tried everything from lithium grease to a tub of aircraft grease from 1971 Vietnam and I was using Marine grease most of the time,then I was given 3 tubes of PW grease and started to use that but I found too that it would separate and I just thought it was to thin as I could always feel the bearings, then last year I found a tub of Slick 50 One Grease at a yard sale that dated from 1994 for .25 and I fell in love with this stuff. I was getting worried now that I am almost out of it that they would no longer make the stuff so I searched Goggle today and found they do but for a grease gun so I am going to pick up some and use the grease gun plunger to push it out and into my tub as I am not wasting money by putting this in my car and truck LOL. The different feel between Marine bearing grease and Slick 50 One is like night and day, it's smooth and silky feeling and has very low spinning resistance when compared to any other grease that I have used in 30+ years of playing in/with grease,yes it is really that good lol.

toytech

Redline synthetic red moly grease is pretty good too, I still have a tube from my closed auto repair shop. If it can live in a cv joint it will do fine on a bicycle.

plodderslusk

Morgan Blue Campabuttercopy.

over1

I agree with most of the recommendations, but if I've disassembled an original vintage freewheel,
then I'll choose a lighter grease.
I would also hesitate using anything besides what the manufacturer recommends if there's a chance
the residue would leech/delaminate any of the new non-c&v composite/carbon-fiber parts, though.
Any cheap, thick automotive wheel bearing grease is obviously way more than capable of handling
the loads on the conventional hubs, bb's and headsets of the c&v bikes we enjoy.
Back in the days of all loose-ball bearings, I would imagine, professional racers, and others that wanted
to squeeze the last bit of performance out of every little detail, including optimizing any aerodynamic
advantage, and the thinnest, lightest tires, would never recommend anything less than the thinnest
grease they could get away with, to minimize any potential frictional drag.
I would think, for instance, they wouldn't have cared if most the thin grease may get hot and slowly
leech out of their hubs during a high-speed descent, because their bikes routinely had much more
attention, and usually by a hired mechanic.
After a race, they could be assured that whatever may be left of the thin grease they used would be
routinely cleaned out, the bearing balls replaced and races thoroughly inspected for any developing
flaw, as well as a meticulous, comprehensive inspection of every other part of their bikes.
I’d be interested to find out what professionals, like TDF mechanics actually did, and what their reasons
were, 25+ years ago, and how it differed from the bikes they might have overhauled for their families.

rccardr 

Over1, you make a good point about high-end raccers vs, us everyday biking fools. My 'big time' hobby is radio control cars, and we frequently run our bearings with the teeniest bit of lighter fluid (!) in them. Spin forever, minimal drag, and of course they get serviced after two or three five minute events. Yes, the cars are light (1300-1400 grams) but the bearings and races are tiny, so the relative loads are...relative.

I use Phil, Phil, Phil. Like the Good Pastor, love the smell. Also have a Tub O' Parks which seems to work very well but is somewhat messier unless you apply it with a small stiff brush (not as good an applicator as the end of my finger, though).

Have had MANY opportunities to revisit a serviced C&C BB or wheel hub after 500-1,000 miles (just did the Yellow Submarine the other day at 600+ just for grins) and have never found the Phil to have separated. Not as hot here as Florida, but that bike gets ridden every day and I stomp up the hills hard enough to break/loosen spokes, so it gets a workout.

Mike Mills

I would never use grease in a freewheel. I have had and have seen instances where grease prevented the freewheel from operating properly. The springs and pawls inside are very small and can easily get jammed up by grease. This could leave you with a freewheel through which you cannot apply power to the wheel because the pawls have not engaged the ratchet (they are stuck in the open position.