Grease Advice

[Grebel]

As Brighter Lights said, it is messy, but well worth the effort. I do a strip and rebuild about once a year and the pivot bearings on my dual get the same treatment except I would recommend using a small flat screwdriver or a sharpened spoke to pry the seal cover off. This only applies to the RS seal bearings (Rubber Seal) and not the ZZ seal bearings (Steel dust cover) I use lithium grease but WB grease works just as good. I would recommend Motorex grease for anything else.

Edited February 14, 2011 by Grebel

[tikki]

IMO all sealed bearings should be serviced when used in a HUB or BB... it's very easy to pry the seals out and if you've been riding long enough and serviced your bike often enough, you'll know that 99% of sealed bearings leak grease and that the seals are not really doing what they should do, AND that most of them have very little grease inside as they are made for high speed applications where they normally would heat up and melt the grease. In a low speed app. it's a bit different though, especially where the bearing often gets submerged. (crossing a river etc etc, mud race etc. )

 

Press the bearing out, being very careful, using a very sharp object, remove both seals. (this takes some practise, slide the sharp blade underneath the seal and lift it, paying attention NOT to damage the seal)

Wash bearing in petrol and dry with air hose/compressor. Then pack Castrol WB into the bearing until it sqeezes out on the other side. Pop one seal back, fill the bearing even further with grease. Pop the other seal back. Wipe off grease on outside. This way, it'll 'sweat' some grease for the first while, but my experience doing it like this, especially in a BB, give you peace of mind to ride through any river as water will not easily go into a bearing completely filled/packed with grease.

 

This is messy, I do it once every 6 months on hub, headset and BB bearings, and once every 3 months on der pulleys ( +- 1000km offroad per month)

 

The ONLY sealed bearings that I've come across that were sealing properly, even after 2 very muddy races, were those in Hope Pro 2 hubs. Not even the Enduro bearings seal like those. (I have Enduro's in our cranks - didn't pack them initially as they are supposed to be the S***, and they were rusted after Trans Baviaans 2010... I had to brush them and repack properly... )

 

I open even a brand new sealed bearing and pack it properly... because sometimes it's the right thing to do and the result is evident...

 

hi jack- my names not jack

great advice , just rinse the bearings with hot water after the petrol !

[CAAD4]

Grease is the Word......

[The Drongo]

hi jack- my names not jack

great advice , just rinse the bearings with hot water after the petrol !

 

Or just use Paraffin from the start.

[Johan Bornman]

OK OK, I am not the techie here Mampara, you should know that of me by now

I would have though cup and cone, cause all the bearings behind the free body and in the hub are sealed???

 

I'm afraid SR is right. He has sealed cup and cone bearings.

 

Cartridge bearings can be had sealed or unsealed or dust-sealed. Cup and cone bearings can be had sealed, or unsealed or dust-sealed.

 

Sealed bearings mean just that - the bearing has a seal. All bearings can have seals.

 

Most people make the mistake of referring to cartridge bearings as sealed bearings.

[Johan Bornman]

Bicycle bearings don't care what type of grease you put in there. It is a low-tech application and anything will work, even lard.

 

Calcium-based greases are supposedly more water-resistant than lithium-based greases but in reality, once water gets in there, the churning quickly emulsifies the grease and then you have a count-down against rust in there. Worry lessa about the type of grease than how often you repack your bearings.

[chris_w_65]

Wash bearing in petrol and dry with air hose/compressor. Then pack Castrol WB into the bearing until it sqeezes out on the other side. Pop one seal back, fill the bearing even further with grease. Pop the other seal back. Wipe off grease on outside. This way, it'll 'sweat' some grease for the first while, but my experience doing it like this, especially in a BB, give you peace of mind to ride through any river as water will not easily go into a bearing completely filled/packed with grease.

 

 

And don't be tempted to spin the bearing with the air pressure

[Swift01]

I heard Mackie uses that greese for all sorts of lubing :-D

[I-FELT-the-FORCE]

Right then my Techie Hubbers.... as an update....

 

WOW, what a dirty, long job! Got some Castrol light grease, did all the bearings int he front and rear wheel, packed with oodles of grease.

Greased up the hub, where the freebody goes into the "magoefte" , think I may have put too much grease there (where the littel metal arms catch to drive and flatten on spin ). Long story short, I can hardly hear my hub anymore. It used to be that you could hear me from about 100meters away if i was freewheeling, no, I can hardly hear the hub myself and guaranteed, should I be trying to "sneak" up on a bunch, there is NO way in hell you are going to hear me coming.

So my question is. Is this a bad thing, having too much grease in the hub? Also, I would think from a safety aspect, it might not be the safest thing to do, as no-one would be able to hear me. Should I remove some of that grease?

[Swift01]

Personally I prefer the stealth mode when riding but my Hope pro 2 hub with normal amount of greese let's the whole world know I have pushed my bike out the garage to go for a ride.

As far as I know it should not damage anything in the hub and over time it will "dry up" and become your normal noise heard from 100m away.

As for a safety aspect they would only hear your hub if you were free wheeling, if you were pedaling (like you should be to over take) they won't hear your hub. :-)

[tikki]

Right then my Techie Hubbers.... as an update....

 

WOW, what a dirty, long job! Got some Castrol light grease, did all the bearings int he front and rear wheel, packed with oodles of grease.

Greased up the hub, where the freebody goes into the "magoefte" , think I may have put too much grease there (where the littel metal arms catch to drive and flatten on spin ). Long story short, I can hardly hear my hub anymore. It used to be that you could hear me from about 100meters away if i was freewheeling, no, I can hardly hear the hub myself and guaranteed, should I be trying to "sneak" up on a bunch, there is NO way in hell you are going to hear me coming.

So my question is. Is this a bad thing, having too much grease in the hub? Also, I would think from a safety aspect, it might not be the safest thing to do, as no-one would be able to hear me. Should I remove some of that grease?

 

I take it you just serviced your freebody too? maybe use oil for that part!

[I-FELT-the-FORCE]

I take it you just serviced your freebody too? maybe use oil for that part!

 

 

yip, serviced the Freebody as well. So now I hear VERY little. Think I am going to remove just a touch of the grease.

[I-FELT-the-FORCE]

Personally I prefer the stealth mode when riding but my Hope pro 2 hub with normal amount of greese let's the whole world know I have pushed my bike out the garage to go for a ride.

As far as I know it should not damage anything in the hub and over time it will "dry up" and become your normal noise heard from 100m away.

As for a safety aspect they would only hear your hub if you were free wheeling, if you were pedaling (like you should be to over take) they won't hear your hub. :-)

 

I am using powerway hubs and they WERE really loud. Even had a comment about it on the weekends race .

From teh safety aspect, especially in a bunch, I like to listen to whats going on around me, that way I know when I can back off the wheel in front of me cause you can hear him freewheel... In the case of this "silent" hub now, no-one will be able to hear me backing off (freewheeling) and might just end up eating the back of my Fizik Saddle

[Swift01]

You should be leading the pack not sitting in the middle of it

 

Not sure it should have been as loud as it was before but going to complete silence does indicate way too much greese. There should at least be some sound.

[Omlette]

I use Castrol WB Grease. Good stuff

[I-FELT-the-FORCE]

You should be leading the pack not sitting in the middle of it

 

Not sure it should have been as loud as it was before but going to complete silence does indicate way too much greese. There should at least be some sound.

 

Its VERY soft, I can hear it very faintly, but at a race pace there is no way anyone else is going to.

I think, I am going to remove my Freebody and remove some of the grease, at least up the sound just a little bit, seems like the safest thing to do.... Just means more sticky hands this evening