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What is the best type of grease for general bike maintenance? For everything from cup and cone hub bearings to installing BBs and cranksets to seatposts?
Something common which I can buy in bulk for relatively cheap (in 3oz/85g cans for my Park Tool GG-1), not like a super expensive Park Tool tube.
Currently I've been using John Deere SD Polyurea grease because I can get in in bulk cheap and I believe it's very similar to the Park Tool PolyLube 1000.
I can easily get any grease for automotive, agricultural, and industrial use for fairly cheap in bulk.
Chain lube goes on the chain. It's liquid and it drips on. We used to use "oil" for this but now there are lubes that are better engineered to provide lubrication without collecting dirt, washing off in the rain, breaking down chemically, etc. You also use this kind of liquid lube on brake pivots, derailleur pulleys and pivots. Probably not the same stuff you use on a chain although some products can serve both purposes. There's really not much more most cyclists need to do other than keeping things clean.
The average consumer of bikes does not need grease. Grease goes on unsealed (loose ball) bearings - wheels, headsets, bottom brackets typically. However a lot of these bearings are sealed now so you can't service them you just replace them.
Anti-seize compound is last. Like grease most consumers won't use this. Also, grease is often used in place of anti seize. This stuff goes on threads. Headsets, bottom brackets, pedals, and basically any little screw or bolt. It can also go on the seat post but you can also use grease for that.
Stuff To Use:
- Silicone based lubricant - for all weather conditions - especially good to use in wet or in winter - it's water resistant. It's thicker than teflon based and it's sticky (dust catches onto it making a paste - needs to be re-applied when dirt accumulates).
- Teflon based lubricant - for dry conditions only, thinner and runs smoother than silicon based. Doesn't catch dust so much.
- Wheel Bearing grease - it's thinner than other grease which makes the bearing run smoother. Also good for greasing rubber seals and other moving parts.
- Thread grease / Anti-seize grease - thicker and stickier, for non-moving parts.
- Threadlocker - for securing bolts.
Where to put stuff:
Grease on bolts - for protecting the thread and preventing seizing of the bolt - but read the specifications. Greased bolt takes less force to tighten, so when tighten to spec you might actually over-tighten the bolt when the spec is for dry (should be specified if for dry or greased or with threadlocker, the default is dry when not specified):
Bolts on brake components always require threadlocker (go with medium strength) - this means: caliper fixing bolts for both disc or rim brakes + disc brake rotor bolts or road caliper pads fixing bolts:
Re-apply the threadlocker if the factory one has weared off.
Shimano recommends dry rear derailleur fixing bolt installation, srams recommends to grease it.
Press-fit bottom brackets install dry (the plastic cups into frame). All cartridge bearings should get greased on outer rim (BB30 bearings, etc.):
Put grease on threaded BB's, Spindles, Crank Arm, Spindle interfaces and Seals:
Bearing grease for all bearings insides, for ceramic bearings there is a special lube.
For seatpost apply grease on metal to metal areas. For carbon seatpost apply carbon friction paste.
Grease the pedals spindle threads:
Derailleur pulley bolts should have high-strength threadlocker applied:
Joints of rear suspension systems should be greased.
Mtb chains can be both lubed or greased (if bought new they usually come greased), I would prefer lubing over greasing for road chains. Spray lubricants should not be used on bicycle chains, you can easily contaminate other parts of bike. Rather apply lube on each chain link carefully. Wipe excess lubricant so chain is almost dry on outside to not catch dirt and dust.
Use lube for external bowdens and shifters on old bikes, modern plastic-lined housings are designed to not be lubricated.
Use fork oil for fork servicing and for fork seals.