Bicycle Addict

My tub of still clean 20 year old grease has done its dash and I need to buy some more, what are you guys using? Thanks guys.

gomango

Chains- It's a toss up between NFS or Rock & Roll. Various flavors on the R&R depending on road/weather conditions.

Bearings and whatever I have either Phil Wood Waterproof or Rock and Roll Super Web grease.

We smelled like we used PW for after shave for years after work each day.

I can tell instantly when I walk in a shop if they use it or not.

3speedslow

Can o' worms there. Everybody has opinions and loads of technical data, personal experience and professional advice to back it up.

Prowler 

I'll weigh in here with my farmer's view of grease (vs a cyclists view of grease). I use what's on the shelf since I stock grease for bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, mowers, chippers, automobiles, post hole diggers, .......... seemingly an endless list. I cannot stock special greases for each so I do keep three things on hand.

1) General purpose high speed grease: John Deere SD Polyurea grease (the green stuff) for almost everything. Bearings, corrosion protection, sleeved shaft bearings, coffee and a dollop or two in meatloaf.
2) Grease for sliding metal to metal joints: John Deere Special Purpose HD Moly grease for sliding (almost no speed) metal to metal joints, like splines, where the two parts rub against each other (brake caliper joints would be another example but I don't actually use moly there). Molybdenum grease is real good for sliding contacts which may gaul the metals.
3) Silicone grease (I think it was from NAPA but that was ages ago) for lubricating rubber bits, o-rings, etc and as dialectric grease on electrical joints when I need it.

I use John Deere greases just because that's what I stock for the tractors etc and because JD makes their greases for really heavy duty applications in really hostile environments. And they cannot afford to (nor have any reason to) market cheap grease. Commercial farmers will not tolerate cheap grease and will go elsewhere at the drop of a hat.

YMMV

I could stock all sorts of others but these three types will cover almost everything. The main reason I use the John Deere stuff is because I need it around for the farm equipment and JD designs their greases for really heavy duty agricultural work in really hostile environments and also cannot afford to (and have no need to) market anything but the best for their equipment.

jeirvine 

For bearings I use Bel Ray waterproof grease:
Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease | Bel-Ray Company, Inc

I got a tub years ago when I worked for a Vespa shop, and just bought a second tub this year after finally finishing it. It is very close to Phils, and waay cheaper.

iab

Whatever is next to the register at the LBS.

Fred Smedley

I really like the mobil1 synthetic grease. Fairly thick stuff yet wheels seem to spin really nice anyway.

rootboy 

I use Phil green grease in my head sets. Mobil 1 synthetic in my BB's and Shimano High tech grease in my hubs.

Not really…but I've used all 3 of those, and more.

I like Chain-L for my chains.

OldsCOOL

Wheel bearing grease and Marvel Mystery Oil. Simple, cheap and always on the shelf in my auto shop. Nothing else is used or needed.

mechanicmatt

Oil is Triflow and finish line wet depending on the application. I like finish line for lubing cables and freehubs, triflow for pretty much everything else.

Grease currently is valvoline synthetic boat grease, I like it, really thick. Although I have used many others from park, Paul's, castrol, and cannondale. I try to stay away from lithium grease.

Chrome Molly

I'm interested in this thread because I've worked a can of walmart basic grease down enough that it's gotten a bit polluted by shop grit on my hands, probably will go the tube of grease route next time to avoid polluting what's left with my grimy hands.

For chains I use 80-90 gear oil, pull the chain off, place the chain in a pan of the oil and then hang it up over the pan to allow all the excess to drip back in. Then wipe the outside of the chain clean, reinstall, and go. Perhaps not the renaissance way to do it, but it works every time.

RobbieTunes

Mobil 1 Synthetic Marine grease for headsets, hubs, bottom brackets.
Slick 50 Lube for pivot points on FD/RD/calipers/lever pivots of most kinds, and to lube non-teflon or non-slick cables on flips.
White Lightning Dry for my chains.

A mixture of white lithium and the Mobil 1, in a syringe, for STI's.

Armor-All for my tires and brake pads, simply for the excitement of being out of control.....JK

gomango

Good to see we are in complete agreement on products.

orangeology 

using this and have absolutely no idea if it's a good stuff or not.
nicely white, not too thick or thin. was fairly easy to wipe off when exceedingly applied, in my rookie POV
did a couple HSs and BBs, and have to see how they turn out.
PLEASE TELL ME IT'S OK TO USE.

RoadTire 

Thanks for posting the question, this thread is going in an interesting direction. Picking out the non-bicycle specific lubes, and still looking at specialty applications we have these listed (below) so far. The question I want to ask now is: Under what circumstances to you re-lube bearings, why, and what degradation or contamination do you see? Any difference in below zero, below freezing, lots of water, salt, sand?

General purpose high speed grease: John Deere SD Polyurea grease (the green stuff) for almost everything. Bearings, corrosion protection, sleeved shaft bearings, coffee and a dollop or two in meatloaf.

Grease for sliding metal to metal joints: John Deere Special Purpose HD Moly grease for sliding (almost no speed) metal to metal joints, like splines, where the two parts rub against each other

Valvoline synthetic boat grease,

Mobil 1 Synthetic Marine grease for headsets, hubs, bottom brackets.

Bel Ray waterproof grease

rootboy 

There's going to be as many answers to this question as there are responses.

wahoonc

Depends on which bike, for my Raleigh 3 speeds use the old brown grease and 20w non-detergent oil. Everything else I use waterproof grease and Phil's Tenacious Oil. I also have a squirt can of oil that I keep handy for general purpose lubing, it is filled up with the dregs from the bottles used in the oil changes on the vehicles around here, primarily Rotella T.

Aaron

auchencrow

On bearings,




On chains,

iab

Shows other than molasses, it doesn't matter what you choose.

Italuminium

got a lil' tub of Galli grease with a cool cyclist' logo on it. And it's 'Special ball-grease for easy race-bikes' so you know it's good.

for threads, I use Copaslip because it's old fashioned.

for chains I just get a few drops of light oil on it post ride.

I don't particularly care, just as long as it's smooooth.

Pars 

Pure win there!

I still use a tub of Campy grease I bought back in the '70s, though I am switching over to Superlube synthetic for some stuff. I keep looking for the Mobil 1 synthetic grease but haven't seemed to find it yet. Amsoil may be another route. The Phil grease may be a Valvoline product, as I read someone who had their first job at Phil when they started there of pumping grease out of a 55 gal drum and filling Phil tubes or tubs with the stuff.

For chains I've been using Chain'L. I use Superlube spray for brake/derailleur pivot points, etc.

The Golden Boy 

I don't overhaul a lot of stuff so I don't go through a lot of grease- I have gone through 2 tubes of the Phil Wood grease in the past 6 years or so.

Tri Flow for things and I still have a bottle of Pedro's Ice Wax for chains.

nfmisso

Boat trailer wheel bearing grease for all grease applications on my bikes - water proof, long lasting and very inexpensive.

Tri-Flo for all oil applications.

zandoval 

I have hanging around all kinds of lubes but only two are used...

RED Marine grease (when I need real grease)
BreakFree CLP for everything else (if I run out then I'll sub Marvel Mystery Oil)

Thats it...

OH - And for cleaning only lets not forget the old WD-40...

WNG

Our bikes will not stress the majority of lubes available over the counter. IMHO, it's one's riding conditions that may narrow the selection of which is better suited. If you ride in very wet conditions, dusty dirty conditions, or extreme temps.

Over the decades, I've tried auto, motorcycle, pneumatic tool, industrial specialty coatings, snow mobile, synthetic, semi, organic.
At my most fanatical, I acquired some Dow Corning Moly-Cote that I discovered while working for IBM. A black moly dry film application dissolved in a very poisonous solvent. I try to keep it downwind while brushing it on bearing races before greasing.

I think it's probably more telling what I don't use...
I've used Phil Wood in the past, but since moving to the Southwest, I've found it to be unable to stand up to the temps of a PHX Summer. It would separate and run out of hubs, BBs and headsets.

I tried some SuperTech brand Moly grease next. The black stuff for extreme pressure. It also couldn't withstand the temps and the oil dripped out of the soap carrier, leaving the moly intact and becoming stiff.

At the LBS, we used Park Polylube for greasing everything. It has very good lubricity, not too viscous. I overhauled my personal wheels with the stuff. When I overhauled a Miche rear hub, cones and races were perfectly smooth with the old Campy style white grease. It didn't look serviced in 25 years. It received new Grade 25 balls and Park grease. But after 6 months of riding, one hub cone failed. When I felt grinding, I found the drive side cone half scored.
Not certain if the light viscosity was the cause.

Presently, I'm using a free tub of SuperTech EP Multi-use grease for high temp operation. It's red colored, feels like traditional wheel bearing grease, a bit more viscous than Phil's. The bearings I've used it with has been turning smooth and it's staying put. Summer will tell if it I continue to use it.

Mobil-1 Synthetic grease is getting a lot of good feedback, I want to try that next. But I'm partial to moly-fortified greases.

Oiling needs: pneumatic tool oil worked well as chain lube. Motor oils suck! WD-40...no, doesn't last more than one ride. Both make a black mess. Oil must be non-detergent.
Tri-flow synthetic was used at the shop and I'm impressed by its performance. But, it's not cheap.

I like Prowler's post and recommendations.
The poly-urea based greases are some of the best available, highly water-proof, dirt rejection, high lubricity. I think Shimano's Dura-Ace grease is a urea grease.
(BTW, you can get urea spec grease at a Honda dealer, probably cheaper than Shimano.)