Originally Posted by
grumpus
Biodegradable lubricants - good or bad? Discuss. :-)
It's a user issue. If you clean and re-oil regularly, biodegradable lubes are just fine. But if the bike sits 5 or 10 years and you wheel it out, jump on and ride a century - do you still have grease in your bearings?
Olive oil does last a long time. Centuries, even millennia properly stored and maybe years exposed to air. (Probably past best taste but my bike's taste buds aren't so good.) My bikes haven't seen much olive oil but it's been used. I"d use it without thought if I were touring in the third world and that was the only option.