A guy at the bike co-op told me my grease was totally wrong and he was right

I used to just grab whatever tub of lithium grease was cheapest at the auto parts store for my hubs and bottom brackets. Then this older dude at the community bike co-op saw me packing a hub and straight up said "that stuff is gonna dry out and wreck your bearings in 6 months." He handed me a tub of Park Tool polylube 1000 and told me to use it sparingly. I ignored him for like two more rebuilds until I pulled apart a wheel I'd done 8 months prior and sure enough the grease was all crusty and hard. Switched over to that thick waterproof stuff and now my hubs spin smooth way longer. Anybody else get schooled by an old timer on something basic like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.jordan1mo ago

Grabbed a tub of Phil Wood waterproof grease after a similar lesson. The older mechanic at my shop was like "you don't need much, just a thin film on the bearing balls." Turns out he was dead right. I was globbing it on like peanut butter before and it was just causing drag and attracting grit. Now I use a tiny dab and my wheels spin forever. It's funny how the simple stuff matters more than fancy tools or parts.

phoenix_lewis1mo agoTop Commenter

That Phil Wood stuff is so thick it barely even gets in the race bearings.

reese_lee91mo ago

Yeah @foster.jordan nailed it, a little goes a long way with that stuff.