Education on Lubrication. School me on slippery stuff.
07-21-18, 02:31 PM
#1
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Education on Lubrication. School me on slippery stuff.
Hey guys, just picked up a new (used) road bike and I want to service the freehub body. I've never had a Mavic wheel before nor have I ever had a wheel with sealed bearings. I usually just use a basic "Household Oil" from Ace to lube my freewheels and freehubs. Is it foolish to use that stuff inside of this newer tech? I watched a couple videos that recommended using the Shimano mineral oil but I don't have that on hand. I tend to think people way overthink bike lubrication. Oil is Oil right? What even is the difference between this Household oil and a fancier Mineral Oil?
Also do I need to drop anything onto the sealed bearing or just leave it be?
Also do I need to drop anything onto the sealed bearing or just leave it be?
07-21-18, 11:12 PM
#2
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If household oil is 3-in-1 then it's not ideal--also not for freewheels and freehubs. It breaks down and becomes tacky. For the freehub mechanism on Mavic hubs they spec a medium weight oil with low tack. In a pinch there are a lot of things that'll work OK in this application. Most oil based chain lubes work OK if they don't seem too tacky. In a professional context I either use the Mavic official stuff of Dumontech Freehub oil.
Do not casually drip oil into the sealed bearings--it'll just contaminate them. Mostly leave them well enough alone--if you want to clean them out without actually replacing them you can remove the seals from the bearings with a pick of small flat screwdriver, thoroughly degrease them (preferably with a heavy degreaser like hexane and compressed air) and then you can add new grease. Or just run them until they're unacceptable and replace them entirely.
Do not casually drip oil into the sealed bearings--it'll just contaminate them. Mostly leave them well enough alone--if you want to clean them out without actually replacing them you can remove the seals from the bearings with a pick of small flat screwdriver, thoroughly degrease them (preferably with a heavy degreaser like hexane and compressed air) and then you can add new grease. Or just run them until they're unacceptable and replace them entirely.
07-22-18, 02:29 AM
#3
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If household oil is 3-in-1 then it's not ideal--also not for freewheels and freehubs. It breaks down and becomes tacky. For the freehub mechanism on Mavic hubs they spec a medium weight oil with low tack. In a pinch there are a lot of things that'll work OK in this application. Most oil based chain lubes work OK if they don't seem too tacky. In a professional context I either use the Mavic official stuff of Dumontech Freehub oil.
Do not casually drip oil into the sealed bearings--it'll just contaminate them. Mostly leave them well enough alone--if you want to clean them out without actually replacing them you can remove the seals from the bearings with a pick of small flat screwdriver, thoroughly degrease them (preferably with a heavy degreaser like hexane and compressed air) and then you can add new grease. Or just run them until they're unacceptable and replace them entirely.
Do not casually drip oil into the sealed bearings--it'll just contaminate them. Mostly leave them well enough alone--if you want to clean them out without actually replacing them you can remove the seals from the bearings with a pick of small flat screwdriver, thoroughly degrease them (preferably with a heavy degreaser like hexane and compressed air) and then you can add new grease. Or just run them until they're unacceptable and replace them entirely.
07-23-18, 11:19 AM
#4
Senior Member
I remove a freehub pop the rubber seal off & dunk it in a covered plastic container of diesel fuel. Let it soak a few days. Wear heavy duty elbow length nitrile gloves. Grab freehub & spin it. Dunk it some more. After a week or so take it out & let it dry for a day or so. Then, dunk it in a tank of automatic transmission fluid. Let it soak a week. Take it out & hang it up & let excess drip out. Voila! Freehub just like new!
07-23-18, 12:08 PM
#5
Senior Member
I remove a freehub pop the rubber seal off & dunk it in a covered plastic container of diesel fuel. Let it soak a few days. Wear heavy duty elbow length nitrile gloves. Grab freehub & spin it. Dunk it some more. After a week or so take it out & let it dry for a day or so. Then, dunk it in a tank of automatic transmission fluid. Let it soak a week. Take it out & hang it up & let excess drip out. Voila! Freehub just like new!
