Switched from Park Tool grease to some cheap marine grease I found at a boat shop in Norfolk

Bought it on a whim for $8 because my Park Tool jar was empty and the store was closed. Used it on a customer's old Schwinn hub rebuild and it actually held up way better through a pressure wash test. Anyone else have a go-to grease that's not the fancy bike stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.riley1mo ago

and that's exactly the thing, right? so much of the "bike specific" stuff is just repackaged with a markup. i've been using red n tacky from the auto parts store on everything from lawn mower spindles to my old 3 speed hub and it just works. never had a bearing fail or a seal get wrecked from it either, which is what everyone always warns about with "cheap" grease. it's like how people pay double for "food grade" grease for their kitchen mixer but the regular lithium stuff is basically the same thing.

foster.jordan1mo ago

Damn, that's a really good point about the food grade grease. I've been looking at it for my kitchenaid mixer and the price difference is wild. But the real question is, has anyone actually tested the breakdown point of regular auto grease against bike stuff in a real world scenario? Like not in a lab but on a daily commuter that sees rain and grit. I'd be curious to see if the "bike specific" stuff actually holds up longer before it gets contaminated or just washes out. Might be placebo effect from the marketing.

allen.iris1mo ago

The whole "you need the fancy version of everything" thing is such a trap, marine grease is legit just designed for way harsher conditions than a bike will ever see anyway. It's like paying extra for "organic" salt when sea salt has been sitting in the ocean forever.