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grease packer for bicycle bearings

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grease packer for bicycle bearings

Old 07-31-20, 08:47 PM
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ongbenghui
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grease packer for bicycle bearings

Hi,

I am wondering if there is small grease packer available for the typical bicycle 680x 690x bearing size ?

Any advise.

Thanks.
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Old 07-31-20, 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by ongbenghui
Hi,

I am wondering if there is small grease packer available for the typical bicycle 680x 690x bearing size ?

Any advise.

Thanks.
What exactly are you looking for? There are plenty of grease guns out there. Phil Wood makes two and they also happen to make some excellent bearing grease just squirt some in and use your finger to get it right.

Beyond that I am unsure what you would need? If you are worried about getting your fingers greasy, you can wear gloves or use some Phil Wood Hand Cleaner when you are finished.
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Old 07-31-20, 10:26 PM
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Nitrile glove and a finger, same thing I use to pack every other bearing for every other application. Unless you're on a production line, then I reckon there's probably a more convenient option.
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Old 08-01-20, 01:09 AM
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I've never seen one and I've worked in some relatively high production shops, though they might exist. In a commercial setting, most cartridge bearings aren't cleaned because the cost quickly becomes eclipsed by the shop's labor rate and it makes more sense to just replace them when worn. I do clean them out occasionally (particularly if there are time constraints in sourcing parts, or sometimes with things like Chris King bearings) and mostly just remove as many seals as possible, hit them with some Finish Line Speed Degreaser (hexane, in a pressurized can) and spray them with a compressor, all while spinning the bearing. This does a pretty good job of cleaning them out--it's not particularly hard to get adequate grease fill using a grease gun, or a finger for that matter.
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Old 08-01-20, 02:07 AM
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I use a big syringe made for basting meat. I cut the metal end off square.

Cheers
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Old 08-01-20, 04:18 AM
  #6  
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I have used a medical syringe in place of a grease gun. Get one with a not too wide plunger to make it easy to depress it. Work well for injecting grease between the balls with minimal excess mess. Im sure a veterinarian style syringe would work fine too (its the type that is in bleed kits for hydro brakes). All sorts out there, just google it.

Or simply get a small grease gun.
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Old 08-01-20, 05:14 AM
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There are a lot of automobile bearing grease packer. Example like this below;
https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-34550-H.../dp/B0002NYDYO

However, they seems too big for the type of bearing that we uses for bicycles. I am currently using medical syringe. Hence, looking for possible other options.
I am quite happy with the syringe method.
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Old 08-01-20, 06:26 AM
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https://www.amazon.com/Astro-101-Gre...e%2C143&sr=1-7
$11.24 now
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Old 08-01-20, 06:50 AM
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Shades of Stein grease injectors. While not for the cartridge bearings noted Stein has freewheel/freehub grease injector devices as well as has made a BB sealed and injectable system using Zerk fittings. Andy
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Old 08-01-20, 07:01 AM
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Originally Posted by dmark
Also sold under the "Dualco" brand name. Works very well for placing grease exactly where you want it.
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Old 08-01-20, 07:25 AM
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Originally Posted by dmark
Originally Posted by HillRider
Also sold under the "Dualco" brand name. Works very well for placing grease exactly where you want it.
Finish Line also makes one that threads onto your favorite tube of grease.

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Old 08-01-20, 07:46 AM
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Many of those bearing packers will waste several times as much grease as is installed into the bearings. Just use an injector-type gun or your fingers. No matter how fully you pack the bearings, as soon as they start turning they will push much of the grease to the side anyway.
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Old 08-01-20, 10:21 AM
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The Grease Guard system depended on having a needle tip grease gun , the finish line type, above, can do ..
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Old 08-01-20, 10:54 AM
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Many decades ago, I was taught to pack bearings by using the palm of my hand.

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Old 08-01-20, 07:12 PM
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Dave Mayer
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On Tuesday I bought a used Campagnolo Scirocco rear wheel for $45. The rim was fine, but the bearings were slightly crunchy. So what the hell, I decided to dedicate 15 minutes to making things better. The application of a hammer and large screwdriver led to the satisfying ricochet sound of the old 6001 bearings shooting across the workshop floor.

The new $5 fleabay-derived cart bearings were pressed in place using a threaded rod, and some nuts and washers. The freehub was cleaned out an regreased. Fortunately, the two 6803 carts in the freehub were still smooth. But in the past, I've replaced these as well.

Just to be sure, I pulled one of the rubber seals off of each 60012RS carts. The grease was somewhat skimpy so I used my advanced grease installation tool (fingers) and packed them tight with auto bearing grease that cost $5 for a one-pound tub.

So everything went back together smoothly, and 120 miles of test riding later, I am very satisfied with my new wheel.

Last edited by Dave Mayer; 08-01-20 at 07:17 PM.
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Old 08-01-20, 07:55 PM
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Originally Posted by ongbenghui
Hi,

I am wondering if there is small grease packer available for the typical bicycle 680x 690x bearing size ?

Any advise.

Thanks.
The appropriate tool is located right on the end of your hand, unless you have been the victim of a nasty accident.
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Old 08-01-20, 08:25 PM
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Open bearings filled with the palm method pictured rapidly get rid of any excess grease. Sealed bearings, with seals removed and
repacked by any method tend to get over filled and with the seal replaced remain so. This increases bearing friction from the viscosity. Bearing
manufacturers have charts suggesting how much fill is best for function, IIRC above 60% is not a good idea, though most of us would never
become aware of the increased resistance from overfill which might suck a few watts.
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Old 08-01-20, 10:54 PM
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ongbenghui
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Thanks for all the advice.
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Old 08-02-20, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by sch
Open bearings filled with the palm method pictured rapidly get rid of any excess grease. Sealed bearings, with seals removed and
repacked by any method tend to get over filled and with the seal replaced remain so. This increases bearing friction from the viscosity. Bearing
manufacturers have charts suggesting how much fill is best for function, IIRC above 60% is not a good idea, though most of us would never
become aware of the increased resistance from overfill which might suck a few watts.
I've never had good luck reinstalling a bearing seal without it being damaged in some way during the removal process. Due to that, I only repack sealed bearings if I don't have new sealed bearings to install.

Although, it does remind me of installing some of the first sealed and shielded bearings coming over from China 20 years ago that didn't have any grease in them. With those, I did pop the seals to add grease until I could find better bearings made in the USA or Europe. Considering some of the old machines I was working on from Czechoslovakia back then had bearings marked with CCCP on the shields meant the Chinese bearings were likely near the same grade, though.

BTW, one good thing with the palm method is one is in control of their own hands and can adjust the grease fill capacity as one sees fit.
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Old 08-02-20, 02:17 PM
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For the assembly line at Trek, we had bulk bearing greasers for bottom bracket and headset bearing retainers. The retainers were slipped over a steel rod, a pipe fitted over the retainers and rod, threaded fittings plugged both ends of the pipe, and grease was pumped into the pipe via a Zerk fitting. Once greased, the rod with all the retainers was positioned by the appropriate assembly station, and the assembler just picked nicely greased retainers off the rod.
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