Lube, Grease, and Whatnot

[Tubes6al4v]

Use linseed oil on spokes when building a wheel.Its sticky when it dries.

I have used linseed oil on quite a few spokes. It is nice. it sets up well and does not dry like some other ones, so re-trueing is much more comfortable, and higher tensions are achieved with less strain on both your hands and the nipples, spokes, and rims.

i like my dry white lightning in cables.


as for hubs and everything, i use a 10 year old bucket of multipurpose grease in a tub from canadian tire. gets the job done. no problems as of yet. plus its green, so it looks alot better then that icky yellow stuff.

General Grease is good. if that is what you are using, then consider yourself covered. The advantage of moving to some performance grease is to change the feeling of parts (or in some cases how it holds).

Using any type of grease (even Bacon grease) is better than nothing at all...

I just throw Pedros Ice-wax into everything, except my seat and steertube. Hubs roll smooth. Headset too.

Ice wax is nice and fast. Unfortunatly, because it is wax based, it does not protect metal from shock loads as well. This is something that you must weigh when deciding on your grease. Right now, I am running my bearings without inner seals, so I needed a sticky grease. It actually turned out smoother. And it will help protect the bearings a little bit better than thin lube/wax.

lolz@this thread

i use oil for the chain and cables, and thick stuff for everything else. you must be a real pro to use all that stuff?

I like to mess around with little things on my bike. I do work at a bike shop, so I see these lubes and grease used for other things (such as long ass MTB and Road rides). It is facinating to see all the differences that can be made by simply changing some ingrediants...

[blueee]

so would i want to use metal prep on a chain with stubborn pins that im trying to take apart?

[dooley]

i think most bike lube is a waste of time. the best you can hope for is to keep whatever part you're lubing free of dirt and corrosion. cables being the exception.

[blueee]

is car braking fluid good for anything? thats all I got

[Louis]

Brake cleaner? if so, then it can be used for putting on grips, I believe it dries fast.

I just use Phil Wood grease or Phil's Tenacious Oil.

[charlie432]

all i use is a sketchy barrel of grease i found in a abandond building from 1982 works great

[Tubes6al4v]

so would i want to use metal prep on a chain with stubborn pins that im trying to take apart?

Not really, that is more of a cleaner. I would say use a penetrant first (like WD-40 or something else) then use the cleaner to get it nice and clean. And finally lube it.

i think most bike lube is a waste of time. the best you can hope for is to keep whatever part you're lubing free of dirt and corrosion. cables being the exception.

Silence is a beautiful thing. Lubing you chain prevents creaking. Greasing your brake posts prevents that squeeling. And What about bearings? Grease and lube is your friend... as long as you want your bike to last.

is car braking fluid good for anything? thats all I got

That is usually hydraulic fluid, which will not work all that well. Invest in some good lube.

[Christopher V.]

I use this tub of black grease I bought 5 years ago as assembly grease.

I use a real thin oil on my cable and brake posts.

I need to get more White Lightning or something for my chain.  Starting to squeak like hell.

[greenreese]

This is what I have at my bench at work.

[sheepdog]

You guys make it too complicated.

All you really need is:

Phil Wood grease
White Lightening for chain and cables
Ti-prep for anti-seize

I use White Lightening on spoke nipples only when truing, but nothing when building if I use DT or Gsport spokes and nipples.

[sheepdog]

This is what I have at my bench at work.

I do not even use that much on my cars.

[sheepdog]

is car braking fluid good for anything? thats all I got

Yeah, it takes off paint.

[sheepdog]

you must be a real pro to use all that stuff?

No reason to use that much.
Pro or not.

i think most bike lube is a waste of time. the best you can hope for is to keep whatever part you're lubing free of dirt and corrosion. cables being the exception.

Use dry lube on the cables (like White Lightening), keeps them dirt free.

[sheepdog]

Any grease is better than none.
Any anti-seize is better than none, even grease is better than nothing.
Chains and cables, wet lube is ok, but dry lube is far better in the long run.

[Van Allen]

I'm going to be doing a bike rebuild soon because I just picked up a new frame and some parts.

I work at a bike/snowboard shop, and lube is the one thing I've never been spot on with.

I have these at my disposal. Where and if at all should I use them and what is the best for each application?:

-Phil Wood Tenacious Oil
-Permatex Anti-Seize Lube
-Permatex Blue Thread Locker
-Tri-Flow Teflon Super Lube (in can) (very little left)
-Finish Line Premium Synthetic Grease (in 4lb bucket)
-Finish Line Dry Teflon Lube (in bottle)
-Finish Line Ti-Prep (small applicator - came with wombolts)
-White Lightning Wax Lube (in bottle)
-White Lightning Clean Streak Metal Prep Cleaner (in can)
-Castrol Chain Lube (in can)
-Kuu Bio-Citron Base Cleaner (in 1l can) (although used as wax remover, I find it is an excellent metal cleaner)

Bike Setup:
-Mid BB
-Regular HeadTube
-Solid Headset
-Nokon Cable
-Wombolts
-Primo E-Brake
-Sealed Solemates
-Race Fork

edit: i've used Phil Wood Grease, and Sheep, I actually picked it up after you "praised" it in the last thread like this, unfortunately I'm all out. Should I get more or is the Finish Line Grease I have so much of at work suffictient?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.