What type of grease for headset loose bearings?
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What type of grease for headset loose bearings?
Hi, I'm currently servicing my headset and replaced the old grease with some multi purpose lithium grease. The old grease was kind of sticky and syrup texture, but felt much smoother. I would like to replace it with this type of grease, but not sure what type. Thanks
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Bike maintenance is far more about doing the work than what lube is used. Andy
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Do you spin your steering tube at 21,000 rpm?
Use what ever lube you wish.
Use what ever lube you wish.
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Everyone else is wrong. The best (and only!) way to lubricate loose balls is using grease extracted from the musk glands from polka-dotted (no other!) ferrets. The best of this type of grease is extracted only during leap years in which there has been more-than-average sun spot activity.
It's really the only stuff that really works. These people who suggest an industry standard grease (Phil Wood? Pah!) or worse, any standard bearing grease for the low rpm situation (cretins!) just don't get it...
It's really the only stuff that really works. These people who suggest an industry standard grease (Phil Wood? Pah!) or worse, any standard bearing grease for the low rpm situation (cretins!) just don't get it...
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I use the Phil or a synthetic grease I like but for headset bearings I have a tube of Wurth molybdenum disulfide.grease left over from 20+ years of Porsche maintenance.
It is a horrible black goo that is very messy. But great for "extreme pressure" applications.
I agree with Andrew above, the lube matters less than the fact that you do the overhaul but I happen to have this stuff so that's what I use.
/markp
It is a horrible black goo that is very messy. But great for "extreme pressure" applications.
I agree with Andrew above, the lube matters less than the fact that you do the overhaul but I happen to have this stuff so that's what I use.
/markp
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Everyone else is wrong. The best (and only!) way to lubricate loose balls is using grease extracted from the musk glands from polka-dotted (no other!) ferrets. The best of this type of grease is extracted only during leap years in which there has been more-than-average sun spot activity...
That's the ticket and that's what counts. Like Andy said, the grease is not that important. Try to simplify your lubricants. There is no need for special magic lubricants on your bicycle. It's the maintenance that matters.
When I use Grease, I use "Marine Grease", any flavor. I would suggest just getting a container of some generic Marine Grease and going with that for all your grease needs. The other thing I would suggest is getting a small Micro Grease gun... Magic!
Amazon
Note: Loose Balls Rule... (Sheldon Brown)
I remember back in the 70's I toured the campagnolo assembly sheds in Vicenza Italy. It was an old building with a big high ceiling and wooden tables with old Italian workers wearing aprons assembling those beautiful components. At the end of each table was a big 2 gallon bucket with military markings in Italian. They said Grasso Marino. You could smell the grease when less then 3 feet from the bucket of what appeared to be black tar. Latter at the end of the tour I bought a little white plastic container of Campagnolo Grease. The grease was smooth, odorless, and white. Every time I refill that little container with Marine Grease I think about that tour.
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Last edited by zandoval; 08-03-23 at 01:21 PM.
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Everyone else is wrong. The best (and only!) way to lubricate loose balls is using grease extracted from the musk glands from polka-dotted (no other!) ferrets. The best of this type of grease is extracted only during leap years in which there has been more-than-average sun spot activity.
It's really the only stuff that really works. These people who suggest an industry standard grease (Phil Wood? Pah!) or worse, any standard bearing grease for the low rpm situation (cretins!) just don't get it...
It's really the only stuff that really works. These people who suggest an industry standard grease (Phil Wood? Pah!) or worse, any standard bearing grease for the low rpm situation (cretins!) just don't get it...
Who here remembers Bike World's April's issue having a joke/April Fool's article. One year it was about the secret Russian chain lube that came from male yaks. Funny thing were the later letters to the editor (remember those) claiming to have gone to their LBS in search for said Yak Fat Lube. Andy (who can believe how modern people can be so miss led by someone's claims, sad as it is)
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I generally agree that just about any decent grease is more than adequate for bikes, but.....
Headsets present a unique problem. Most bearings wear from motion, but headsets wear because they don't move enough. They wear out by fretting, aka false brinnelling, due to vibration while stationary.
Lube works away from the point of contact, and since there's not enough movement to replenish it you get wear at the points of contact causing the dimples we see in dead headsets.
So, to the answer depends on how and how much you ride. High mileage road riders should consider a lube specifically made to prevent fretting. I use one from SKF figuring that a bearing company would know best.
Headsets present a unique problem. Most bearings wear from motion, but headsets wear because they don't move enough. They wear out by fretting, aka false brinnelling, due to vibration while stationary.
Lube works away from the point of contact, and since there's not enough movement to replenish it you get wear at the points of contact causing the dimples we see in dead headsets.
So, to the answer depends on how and how much you ride. High mileage road riders should consider a lube specifically made to prevent fretting. I use one from SKF figuring that a bearing company would know best.
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I generally agree that just about any decent grease is more than adequate for bikes, but.....
Headsets present a unique problem. Most bearings wear from motion, but headsets wear because they don't move enough. They wear out by fretting, aka false brinnelling, due to vibration while stationary.
Lube works away from the point of contact, and since there's not enough movement to replenish it you get wear at the points of contact causing the dimples we see in dead headsets.
So, to the answer depends on how and how much you ride. High mileage road riders should consider a lube specifically made to prevent fretting. I use one from SKF figuring that a bearing company would know best.
Headsets present a unique problem. Most bearings wear from motion, but headsets wear because they don't move enough. They wear out by fretting, aka false brinnelling, due to vibration while stationary.
Lube works away from the point of contact, and since there's not enough movement to replenish it you get wear at the points of contact causing the dimples we see in dead headsets.
So, to the answer depends on how and how much you ride. High mileage road riders should consider a lube specifically made to prevent fretting. I use one from SKF figuring that a bearing company would know best.
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Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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I've tried them all. My go-to tends to be Motorex 2000, Phil Wood or Park depending on what mood I'm in but just about any bearing grease will work just fine.
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To concisely summarize: for a headset, any grease is fine. You're overthinking this, which is a common problem when it comes to lubricants for bicycles.
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I'm struggling to agree, as this multipurpose lithium is all leaking around the gaps and spinning the bearing by hand sounds a bit dry. The original grease I replaced it with was very sticky, with a smoother feel and stayed on easily. So it kind of makes sense that, not all grease are the same.
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I'm struggling to agree, as this multipurpose lithium is all leaking around the gaps and spinning the bearing by hand sounds a bit dry. The original grease I replaced it with was very sticky, with a smoother feel and stayed on easily. So it kind of makes sense that, not all grease are the same.
So, for most people here, it's really about preference and secondary considerations.
For example, you have issues with the lithium grease weeping out, so that's argument for a thicker stringier grease that will stay put. OTOH, I know someone who does lots of stunt riding and finds that thick greases cause a low steering response, and lubes his headset with something thinner.
Last edited by FBinNY; 08-04-23 at 02:53 AM.
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Working in bike shops, white lithium was the grease we used. After years of seeing it dried up, I went with something else personally. Phil’s is great and I still have some, but when I opened up some 40 year old Shimano pedals to find the grease In perfect condition, I knew what I would use going forward.
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Everyone else is wrong. The best (and only!) way to lubricate loose balls is using grease extracted from the musk glands from polka-dotted (no other!) ferrets. The best of this type of grease is extracted only during leap years in which there has been more-than-average sun spot activity.
It's really the only stuff that really works. These people who suggest an industry standard grease (Phil Wood? Pah!) or worse, any standard bearing grease for the low rpm situation (cretins!) just don't get it...
It's really the only stuff that really works. These people who suggest an industry standard grease (Phil Wood? Pah!) or worse, any standard bearing grease for the low rpm situation (cretins!) just don't get it...
Seriously though, any grease will work.
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OTOH some stunts involve the fork and bars spinning, so who knows.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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I use Yamalube and it is completely waterproof to fresh and saltwater, and it's not expensive.
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FBinNY SKF doesn't know anything about bearings ! See pic below.
Seriously what is the stuff you're using ?
Seriously what is the stuff you're using ?
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FBinNY SKF doesn't know anything about bearings ! See pic below.
Seriously what is the stuff you're using ?
Seriously what is the stuff you're using ?
I can't say for sure how much difference it made, because I also used some other strategies, but my headset life improved considerably.
SKF now markets bearing lubes including some specifically made to prevent fretting.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#24
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Ha... Love It... And the most comfortable bike seats were snapped up by Elves in the late 1800's. Except for some hybrid human by the name of Brooks... So the search goes on.
That's the ticket and that's what counts. Like Andy said, the grease is not that important. Try to simplify your lubricants. There is no need for special magic lubricants on your bicycle. It's the maintenance that matters.
When I use Grease, I use "Marine Grease", any flavor. I would suggest just getting a container of some generic Marine Grease and going with that for all your grease needs. The other thing I would suggest is getting a small Micro Grease gun... Magic!
Amazon
Note: Loose Balls Rule... (Sheldon Brown)
I remember back in the 70's I toured the campagnolo assembly sheds in Vicenza Italy. It was an old building with a big high ceiling and wooden tables with old Italian workers wearing aprons assembling those beautiful components. At the end of each table was a big 2 gallon bucket with military markings in Italian. They said Grasso Marino. You could smell the grease when less then 3 feet from the bucket of what appeared to be black tar. Latter at the end of the tour I bought a little white plastic container of Campagnolo Grease. The grease was smooth, odorless, and white. Every time I refill that little container with Marine Grease I think about that tour.
That's the ticket and that's what counts. Like Andy said, the grease is not that important. Try to simplify your lubricants. There is no need for special magic lubricants on your bicycle. It's the maintenance that matters.
When I use Grease, I use "Marine Grease", any flavor. I would suggest just getting a container of some generic Marine Grease and going with that for all your grease needs. The other thing I would suggest is getting a small Micro Grease gun... Magic!
Amazon
Note: Loose Balls Rule... (Sheldon Brown)
I remember back in the 70's I toured the campagnolo assembly sheds in Vicenza Italy. It was an old building with a big high ceiling and wooden tables with old Italian workers wearing aprons assembling those beautiful components. At the end of each table was a big 2 gallon bucket with military markings in Italian. They said Grasso Marino. You could smell the grease when less then 3 feet from the bucket of what appeared to be black tar. Latter at the end of the tour I bought a little white plastic container of Campagnolo Grease. The grease was smooth, odorless, and white. Every time I refill that little container with Marine Grease I think about that tour.
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