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Best grease for bottom bracket bearings?

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Old 08-15-22, 04:04 PM
  #1  
rbrides
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Best grease for bottom bracket bearings?

Simple opinion question.
simple answers?
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Old 08-15-22, 04:09 PM
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Loose ball, wet conditions? Marine grease.
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Old 08-15-22, 04:10 PM
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Originally Posted by rbrides
simple answers?
You are probably going to get anything but simple answers.
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Old 08-15-22, 04:32 PM
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1) Are you racing? 2) Time trialing? 3) Riding in lots of rain? 4) Very deep puddles? 5) Want BBs that are the fastest? 6) Or go the longest distances between overhauls.

For 1) or 5), Campagnolo or Phil Wood. 2) Clean and use just oil; 3:1 or equivalent. (And expect to repeat the whole procedure every ride.) 3), 4) and 6) Marine grease. (The blue stuff in a can or grease gun cartridge at NAPA and the like.)
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Old 08-15-22, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by rbrides
Simple opinion question.
simple answers?
not ins this case you will get about a billion opinions, from possom fat to 30 year old aged white lithium

I prefer Phil's Waterproof. Unless you have lots and lots of bikes and wheel a tube will last for a long time it works and does not fail over time
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Old 08-15-22, 06:35 PM
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Just go for Phil Wood it is always good stuff. Or don't there are tons of grease options out there and probably many of them just fine.
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Old 08-15-22, 06:39 PM
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Synthetic automotive.
I used to use boat trailer grease and then realized I don't ride under water.
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Old 08-15-22, 08:59 PM
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The answer is the grease that you will enjoy cleaning out and repacking before anything bad happens Andy
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Old 08-15-22, 10:20 PM
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For my bikes it was Krazy Grease. But then the buggers went out of business and my jar is empty.
So far I tried 2 and their both miserable failures at not being washed out by motor oil. >> Park blue grease and a green boat grease.
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Old 08-15-22, 10:51 PM
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Marine grease or SuperLube.
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Old 08-16-22, 06:52 AM
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Remember you asked. I have a lot of bikes and retired so helping in the community so I use the best type grease for people who may not be fastidious (or as I have seen not careful at all) in cleaning out old lubes so use a polyurea shear stable grease, easily found at auto parts stores. They are compatible with most any grease used. Engineers can quibble with grease compatibility a bit but you are pretty sure polyurea shear stable, not conventional polyurea, will not react with others and dry out the grease pack.
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Old 08-16-22, 07:05 AM
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Used to use Phil's exclusively until I discovered the longevity of Shimano/Dura Ace Special Grease. I still have my tube of Phil's though.

Last edited by smd4; 08-16-22 at 08:27 AM.
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Old 08-16-22, 07:16 AM
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Phils. Readily available, very durable, excellent bearing life, very water resistant and not too viscous so bearing drag is minimal. It's a bit costly in small tubes compared to generic big box grease but good in 14-oz tubes or 600 gm tubs.
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Old 08-16-22, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by GamblerGORD53
For my bikes it was Krazy Grease. But then the buggers went out of business and my jar is empty.
So far I tried 2 and their both miserable failures at not being washed out by motor oil. >> Park blue grease and a green boat grease.
Uhm, you wash your bottom bracket with motor oil??
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Old 08-16-22, 08:05 AM
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Phil’s or Park Tools. But this is the 21st century and we have these things called cartridge bearing bottom brackets which makes the need for greasing them moot. All the grease I use now is for greasing threads.
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Old 08-16-22, 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun
Synthetic automotive.
I used to use boat trailer grease and then realized I don't ride under water.
HAHA! Good advice since I don't ride under water either!!
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Old 08-16-22, 08:20 AM
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Thanks all!
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Old 08-17-22, 11:34 AM
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At the risk of inciting a furor (which, truly, I am NOT trying to do):

I think Phil Wood grease is an excellent product and it always worked very well for me. But I doubt that Phil Wood has Grease Scientists who are staying awake at night perfecting their proprietary formula. It always seemed more likely to me that Phil Wood is buying and repackaging a high quality marine grease.

Several years ago, after doing some research into marine grease, I started using Peak Synthetic Marine Grease. It is blue-green in color and I have yet to find anything that distinguishes it — in appearance or performance — from Phil Wood grease. I have no idea if it is the same product or not, but it seems to hold up pretty well.

Apologies if all this has been posted before … I’m a longtime bike wrench but an infrequent visitor.
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Old 08-17-22, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by byscott
I think Phil Wood grease is an excellent product and it always worked very well for me. But I doubt that Phil Wood has Grease Scientists who are staying awake at night perfecting their proprietary formula. It always seemed more likely to me that Phil Wood is buying and repackaging a high quality marine grease.

Several years ago, after doing some research into marine grease, I started using Peak Synthetic Marine Grease. It is blue-green in color and I have yet to find anything that distinguishes it — in appearance or performance — from Phil Wood grease. I have no idea if it is the same product or not, but it seems to hold up pretty well.
No question that Phil, and everyone else in the bicycle industry, is buying and repackaging their greases, oils, chain lubes, etc. using existing commercial products from large chemical/oil companies.

That Peak Synthetic is indeed a bargain at $5 for a 14-oz tube at Pep Boys so when my near lifetime supply tub of Phil's runs out sometime in the next decade or two, I'll probably buy some.
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Old 08-17-22, 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by rbrides
Simple opinion question.
simple answers?
The "best" grease is not not greased.
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Old 08-19-22, 09:45 AM
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I just opened this one, this one is great. Silent smooth.

I have another marine grease that a clear green, I don't like that one as much. It's more like a marine version that is compatible with lithium lubes. Not so silent, thinner, I'm sure it's a good product. Just not the same as the above.
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