Old Grease
 

About how long does wheel bearing grease last. I bought a 1980 Super Raleigh Grand Prix and it's sat inside for many years. The wheels spin true and free but I'm thinking all the bearings should be cleaned and repact. But would a short ride hurt it?
Thanks
Yo Jimbo

short is probably OK.

Standard grease deteriorates over time, it's petroleum based...the newer Sunthetic greases are way better and don't break down as much and are more temperature resistant...I would clean and repack before you ride...this way you would be sure it's fine...

I personally wouldn't be able to resist a bit of a ride before I started work on it.....as long as you don't keep procrastinating I can't see a ride hurting anything.

Here is my recent experience with a 1981 bike, supposedly from a "bike guy."

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=nice+rack

I think I heard from somebody else here, the idea of dripping motor oil into the bearings to refresh the old grease. Not as a substitute for disassembly and refresh, but to get you your test ride.

a test ride will be fine.....you'll never know if you did any additional bearing damage....and if you do; they obviously needed replacing anyway........

I've never seen bike grease last 30 years.

BB spindle and one side bearing from a 1988 a couple of weeks ago, bought from a mechanic....

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9...9c698da0_b.jpg


On this bike (after refresh):

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/9...40c657b0_b.jpg

The grease in all Dura-Ace components from at least 1988 effectively lasts forever.

The Dura-Ace hubset, even the freehub ratchet that's seen a lot of use, spins just like new.

The grease in Dura-Ace STI levers, even after sitting for 10 years or more, doesn't gum up like the Ultegra shifter installed in the '90's on the same bike.

The grease in recent Shimano cable housings, applied by the factory thoughout their entire length, is silicone-based and will never gum up, evaporate or permeate the housing liner.

Many other greases eventually thicken, and many do not.
I've known the grease in older Miche and Normandy hubs to thicken into a hard plastic, yet many of the Maillard hubs from the mid-70's still spin freely without service.
Contamination will kill any grease, but well-shielded parts like UN-5X-series Shimano cartridge bottom brackets are known to last over 40,000 miles with no apparent loss of smoothness and no discernable freeplay. That grease is a small quantity (I've looked) but works for an incredible amount of use around these very smooth bearing surfaces.

That must be that "Special" Shimano, ....German Green Grease. I just bought a small tub of it and am anxious to give it a whirl.

Like i said earlier...repack then ride....you never know...bearings might be perfect still until you roll them on old dilapidated crap...

I've got a box full of gummed up DA 7700 STI.

It really depends on many conditions... I have worked on showroom fresh Raleighs that were 30 years old who's grease had turned into such a hard paste that one could barely turn the cranks.

It may have been my suggestion to run a little fresh oil into these assemblies as it restores the old grease and them makes cleaning and servicing so much easier.

For a relatively simple job like replacing bearings and adding fresh grease, why take a chance of ruining a formerly good cone/race?
For about a $/wheel, I don't even bother taking the time to inspect the balls. I just replace with new. By the time I clean and inspect with these old eyes, it's just not worth it.

Decided to repack before ride, bottom bracked done and frount wheel
done, grease was stickey and old but not dirty, cones, balls and races
look new after cleaning and close inspection with loop. Going to
tackle rear wheel and headset on my next day off. Thanks for all the
replys.

I bet that mechanic runs his bearings on honey.

I tore apart a kid's bike recently that was bought about '87-88. A really cheap bike. Grease was really hard and couldn't cut it with mineral spirits or kerosene. Finally cleaned it off with lacquer thinner and a lot of elbow grease. Stuff was nasty.

This stuff has held up well for me for 30 years, but its getting hard to source new product:

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/campy-grease.jpg

Are they actually gummed up, or do they have the common tendency for the small lever to drag the big lever along, causing lockup i.e. failure to shift?

The most common failure for all of the 9-speed levers, aside from the lesser models gumming up, is breakage of the tips of the anti-carryover latch mechanism, which no amount of solvent or lube can fix. The latch normally prevents the big lever from moving when the small lever is actuated.

But if the levers really are only gummed-up, there is a lot of market demand for right-side levers from the 9-speed series. I am always running out of such shifters to sell, even if I have to soak them in 170F motor oil to free things up.

Same, though mine is more yellow. Almost out of it, but still good.

EDIT: Might have to pick up some of the Dura Ace grease, as it seems fairly reasonable. I've also heard that the Miche grease is the same as Campy, but at reasonable prices as well. Hard to find though.

One of the cycle mags had a testing Company do a friction test of Campy and auto parts store white lithium grease in the late 70's, there was no difference, however when my expensive Campy grease tub was empty I filled it with white grease, as it was way cool to have Campy grease tubs in the shop. Back in those days everyone dreamed about any Campy products. I've been wrenching since the early 70's and now believe Shimano grease is the current non plus ultra grease. Not sure it will hold up 30yrs. However!
Regards

I rebuilt a 1990-ish DA hubset this year (didn't need it), and was amazed that the grease looked and had the consistency of new. And with the seals, it hadn't even gotten discolored from dirt penetration.

I did have to do a kerosene flush of the DA brifters, however, and replenish them with fresh oil.

Would you like me to throw them away for you? :)