Grease: How Do You Do It?

massdrive · May 21, 2014

How often do you check your wheel bearing's? How often do you clean and lubricate them? Do you clean and lubricate your wheel bearings at all? What kind of grease do you use?
I use an extreme pressure high temp. complex grease. Good stuff, but still I have to clean and lube about every 300 miles. What about you?

Here are the factor's to consider:

rider weight_ 230lbs.
bike weight with fuel & tools_ 70 lbs. (I'm just a guessing)
riding style_ aggressive
cruising speed_ 25 - 30
top seed / how often / how long_ 35+ / often / briefly
avg. distance_ 8 miles
max distance _ 50 miles
climate_ desert / hot / dry / dusty
2 stroke_ 2 stoke
4 stroke_

2door · May 21, 2014

Let me add a question: When you lubricate bearings, how do apply the grease?
Do you just rub new grease over the balls or rollers, or do you mash the grease in until it squirts out the other side?
I put a glob of grease in the palm of my hand and work the bearing down into it applying pressure so the grease is forced in and around the balls/rollers.

I hope Mass doesn't mind me interjecting.

Tom

massdrive · May 21, 2014

My father taught me a similar method, he called it "the bearing slap". A glob of grease in one palm and the bearing in the other hand. Open bearings facing the grease glob with index finger through the bearing supported by the thumb. Slap the bearing gently in your palm along the edges of the grease sliding the bearing along your palm packing grease between the bearings. Continue slapping and dragging while rotating the bearing around as many times as it take to pack the grease into the bearings until is squeezes out the other side.

2door · May 21, 2014

Exactly. They make a bearing greaser tool that does essentially the same thing but I've always prefered the greased palm method. It works for almost any size bearing.

Tom

massdrive · May 21, 2014

Yeah I've had a few bearing packing tools too. The first one I had was made of aluminum and it worked good. Don't know what happened to it. The others were made of plastic and were junk. For those of you who have never packed bearings by hand... be careful bicycle bearings are rather fragile so don't bend the bearing case in the process.
so how often to you lube the axil and what do you use?

maniac57 · May 21, 2014

I do mine twice a year generally. More if I hit a lot of sand or it rains a lot.
I use hand packing, with high temp wheel bearing grease.
Complete disassemble, clean, repack and adjust.
Wheels, cranks, steering head, pedals.

massdrive · May 21, 2014

Twice a year! I must be using the wrong grease or riding to fast! 300 miles on the rear wheel bearing for me.

mapbike · May 21, 2014

This is the grease I use now on all my bike bearings, its messy black sticky, but it s some good stuff

Schaefer extreme pressure moly
http://www.specializedlubricants.net/products/schaeffer-greases/

I buy mine at an independant auto parts store in a small town Justin down the road from where I live, the grease I have been using for a long time is excellent but very expensive at over $290 for 24 14oz tubes, its made buy a company called www.arrowmagnolia.com and the grease is called Peak, this is not the Brand Peak like we see selling antifreeze and other auto products.
The compan only sells it by the case and not by the tube and its way expensive so I have found the Schaeffer to also be an excellent grease and a lot cheaper.

Had to edit this post once I went and looked to see the price has been lowered and the quantity you have to buy has gone up to a minimum of 24 tubes...

Map

2door · May 21, 2014

I'm also a twice-a-season guy. I do the lube before the riding season then do another in early to mid summer.

I've had very good luck with this stuff by Chevron. It ain't cheap and I used to get it free before I retired. Fortunately I have a case that should last me for a while.

Tom

mapbike · May 21, 2014

Several people on here use Lucas Hi Tack Red Grease which is another good multi purpose grease, I personally think riding conditions and miles ridden have a lot to do with maintenance schedule for a bike.

I have a Huffy bike with the stock Huffy wheels on it for instance, that I have only greased once in the last 1300 miles, some people on here rant and rave about how junky the Huffy wheels are and yet myself and some others have had good service out of them, some of that is probably do to the crap shoot rule that also applies to the china girl engines, but I think proper lubrication and bearing tension with the lube being a high grade high tack type that stays put has a lot to do with the life of any wheel no matter the maker.

Map

massdrive · May 22, 2014

Thanks mapbike I'll give it a try

Davezilla · May 22, 2014

Depending on how often I ride, but I also check them anytime a wheel is off since it's quick and easy enough... But for a good reference, about twice a year is good. I pack it in with the same old grease in palm method.
The grease I prefer is the Amsoil Synthetic Multi Purpose Grease, I use this on just about everything because it's good and the price is good since I sell Amsoil as well. http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/grease/synthetic-multi-purpose-grease-nlgi-2/?code=GLC3P-EA
They do carry higher grade greases and special racing greases which are much better as well... This stuff, the Dominator series synthetic grease is really good and it can take just about any abuse you can throw at it... http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/grease/dominator-synthetic-racing-grease/?code=GRGCR-EA and I'm going to switch to this next time I need to order grease.
Any of the Black Molly greases will do an excellent job and same for the red stuff, but since I sell Amsoil, I also use it and it works great too.

Techbiker · May 22, 2014

I've only ever re-greased my bike by hand but it would be great to try my pneumatic grease gun on the bearings. It will shoot grease several feet into the air and works very well on my car.

mapbike · May 22, 2014

No doubt Amsoil is known for making excellent products, I have never used them myself but have hearx and read nothing but good reports.

Schaeffer product are less hearx about in some areas but they make an excellent product as well, there 2 cycle oil is good stuff in an outboard engine for sure, a bass boat I used to have had always run Mercury Quicksiler or the top of the Evenrude line oil and did really good on it, but someone recommended I switch to the Schaeffer oil because I would ses a difference, wow it was very noticeable once I ran a full tank through that engine, it would rev higher and plane out much quicker and I picked up 4-5 mph on the top speed, nothing at all change accept switching to the Schaeffer oil at the same 50:1 ratio, several truck drivers and farmers around here swear by it also, its just harder to find around here, im not comparing it to Amsoil because I know Amsoil is top of the line in the synthetic market.

I run Lucas full synthetic in my Harley and use Schaeffer grease since that is what I have locally available

Map
.wee.

Toothy · May 22, 2014

Adding a nipple to the hub seems like an easy way to lube.....

BarelyAWake · May 23, 2014

As I live on the coast, I started using a marine grade grease for a couple of reasons - I was getting it for free & it claimed far better longevity & water resistance than auto-grade lubricants...

I was so impressed by the difference, I've not used anything else since... although it's true I no longer get it for free lol;

http://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Marine-Lubricant-Teflon-92-802859A/dp/B001QGEPQW/

...and these lil epoxy syringes are just the thing for application & maintenance, they really help to get the stuff right where ya want it while keeping the mess to a minimum;

http://www.amazon.com/West-System-Application-Tools-Syringe/dp/B0006JJ9VG

Davezilla · May 23, 2014

BarelyAWake said:
As I live on the coast, I started using a marine grade grease for a couple of reasons - I was getting it for free & it claimed far better longevity & water resistance than auto-grade lubricants...

I was so impressed by the difference, I've not used anything else since... although it's true I no longer get it for free lol;

http://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Marine-Lubricant-Teflon-92-802859A/dp/B001QGEPQW/

...and these lil epoxy syringes are just the thing for application & maintenance, they really help to get the stuff right where ya want it while keeping the mess to a minimum;

http://www.amazon.com/West-System-Application-Tools-Syringe/dp/B0006JJ9VG

Man that looks a lot like AeroShell grease in that syringe... AeroShell is some super high grade anti corrosive grease used in aircraft landing gear and other direct metal to metal places that get exposed to extreme conditions. I'd be using that on my bearings if it wasn't so messy... lol It stays put really good, but it bleeds oil all over everything

BarelyAWake · May 24, 2014

The 2-4-C seems very similar, thus the syringe application lol

For example, instead of packing a bearing until it gushes - I'll just use the syringe to put a hair of a bead of grease along the exposed bearings, roll them gently for uniform coverage & it's done... the interesting bit is I've then run those bearings for thousands of miles & they never seem to need repacking or even adjustment after a treatment with the "peanut butter" as it's called around here.

The only "complaint" I've got isn't really a complaint - but man, the stuff just doesn't wanna wash off yer fingers

Davezilla · May 24, 2014

Yup... that's why I'm thinking the marine grade grease is the same stuff or very simlar to AeroShell series greases, and yes, good luck washing it off... lol

massdrive · May 24, 2014

Well it's obvious that I am using the wrong grease. Gees I thought it was good stuff too.

Grease: How Do You Do It?

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