Grease for threads

Tom Anderson

Hiyas,

Hope everyone is having some good cycling at the moment. Come on, summer!

I'm soon (as soon as the deliveryman comes) to replace various bits on my
bike, cranks and cassette among them. There are a couple of places there
where bits will be attached to other bits by threads which will then stay
done up for the lifetime of the components - pedals, cranks, cassette
lockring. Should i grease the threads before putting them together, and if
so, what with? Currently i have Finish Line Cross-Country chain oil,
3-in-1 oil, and GT-85 - would any of those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating
rather than a grease, but i'm hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can
use 3-in-1 for anything!

Thanks in advance,
tom

--
That must be one of the best things you can possibly do with a piglet,
booze and a cannon. -- D

vernon

"Tom Anderson" <twic@urchin.earth.li> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.64.0806151457360.7727@urchin.earth.li...

> Should i grease the threads before putting them together, and if so, what
> with? Currently i have Finish Line Cross-Country chain oil, 3-in-1 oil,
> and GT-85 - would any of those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating rather than a
> grease, but i'm hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can use 3-in-1 for
> anything!
>
None of the three lubricants can be described as a grease - they are all
oils. You have listed them in order of decreasing retention i.e. the chain
oil will han around longr than the 3 in 1 adn the GT-85 will disappear
first.

Some folk, myself included, oil the threads and periodically remove and
re-lubricate the components as part of servicing their bikes.

If it's grease you want then something like copper slip anti-seize grease is
the stuff to use. It's avalable from Halfords and the like.

Hope that helps.

Doki

Tom Anderson wrote:
> Hiyas,
>
> Hope everyone is having some good cycling at the moment. Come on,
> summer!
> I'm soon (as soon as the deliveryman comes) to replace various bits
> on my bike, cranks and cassette among them. There are a couple of
> places there where bits will be attached to other bits by threads
> which will then stay done up for the lifetime of the components -
> pedals, cranks, cassette lockring. Should i grease the threads before
> putting them together, and if so, what with? Currently i have Finish
> Line Cross-Country chain oil, 3-in-1 oil, and GT-85 - would any of
> those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating rather than a grease, but i'm
> hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can use 3-in-1 for anything!

I like blue loctite and copper slip, depending on how much I want it to stay
done up or be easy to undo...

Ian Smith

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:41:01 +0100, Doki <mrdoki@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tom Anderson wrote:

> > pedals, cranks, cassette lockring. Should i grease the threads
> > before putting them together, and if so, what with? Currently i
> > have Finish Line Cross-Country chain oil, 3-in-1 oil, and GT-85 -
> > would any of those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating rather than a
> > grease, but i'm hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can use
> > 3-in-1 for anything!
>
> I like blue loctite and copper slip, depending on how much I want
> it to stay done up or be easy to undo...

In answer to the first question, yes you should grease them. The
issue of whether to grease the taper on cotterless cranks is a matter
of deep religious argument, but I say you should. The issue of grease
on threads is less contentions, and I say you should.

As Doki says, either copper grease or loctite. They are both
available in 'pritt-stick' (or lipstick, depending upon what your
other past-times are) like packaging, which I find the best way of
getting the stuff onto threads. Well worth looking out for, if you
can find it like that.

A small pack of copper grease in particular lasts forever, I'd
definitely add it to your collection of lubricants, for almost any
threads.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Pete Biggs

Tom Anderson wrote:
> I'm soon (as soon as the deliveryman comes) to replace various bits
> on my bike, cranks and cassette among them. There are a couple of
> places there where bits will be attached to other bits by threads
> which will then stay done up for the lifetime of the components -
> pedals, cranks, cassette lockring. Should i grease the threads before
> putting them together, and if so, what with? Currently i have Finish
> Line Cross-Country chain oil, 3-in-1 oil, and GT-85 - would any of
> those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating rather than a grease, but i'm
> hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can use 3-in-1 for anything!

Oil is better than nothing, but doesn't last long. Grease lasts longer.
Copper anti-seize lasts practically forever, thanks to the metal flakes -
but is very messy.

Loctite Threadlocker: I only use on troublesome parts that I can't get, or
don't want to get, tight enough otherwise. It can prevent corrosion when
the threads are saturated with it, but also it makes removal more difficult.
There should normally be no need for it.

PTFE is only an additive in GT85. It's mostly solvent and light oil.
Grease is oil + thickner. The thickner holds the oil in place and prevents
it from evaporating - though it may dry up eventually, depending on the type
and conditions.

~PB

Pete Biggs

Doki wrote:
> "Ian Smith" <ian@astounding.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:slrng5afo4.uo1.ian@acheron.smithnet...

>> In answer to the first question, yes you should grease them. The
>> issue of whether to grease the taper on cotterless cranks is a matter
>> of deep religious argument, but I say you should. The issue of
>> grease on threads is less contentions, and I say you should.
>
> It very much depends on what it is. A lot of things shouldn't be
> greased or loctited, in particular anything that should be tightened
> to a specific torque - grease completely alters the torque reading
> for a given amount of tightness. Generally you're talking automotive
> stuff (head bolts in particular spring to mind) by that point and not
> bikes.

It's generally a very good idea to use something on the threads of bicycle
parts to prevent seizure. You can use your own judgement rather than a
torque wrench, or allow for any lubrication when using a torque wrench by
using a different value than you might otherwise. You can do this with
crank tapers as well, if you like.

Some parts come with dry Loctite on the threads anyway.

~PB

Jonathan Schneider

Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> writes:

> Hiyas,
>
> Hope everyone is having some good cycling at the moment. Come on, summer!
>
> I'm soon (as soon as the deliveryman comes) to replace various bits on
> my bike, cranks and cassette among them. There are a couple of places

Well I use normalish moly grease when fitting pedals because that's
what I have. They are always dead easy to remove again.

Jon

Doki

"Ian Smith" <ian@astounding.org.uk> wrote in message
news:slrng5afo4.uo1.ian@acheron.smithnet...
> On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:41:01 +0100, Doki <mrdoki@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Tom Anderson wrote:
>
>> > pedals, cranks, cassette lockring. Should i grease the threads
>> > before putting them together, and if so, what with? Currently i
>> > have Finish Line Cross-Country chain oil, 3-in-1 oil, and GT-85 -
>> > would any of those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating rather than a
>> > grease, but i'm hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can use
>> > 3-in-1 for anything!
>>
>> I like blue loctite and copper slip, depending on how much I want
>> it to stay done up or be easy to undo...
>
> In answer to the first question, yes you should grease them. The
> issue of whether to grease the taper on cotterless cranks is a matter
> of deep religious argument, but I say you should. The issue of grease
> on threads is less contentions, and I say you should.

It very much depends on what it is. A lot of things shouldn't be greased or
loctited, in particular anything that should be tightened to a specific
torque - grease completely alters the torque reading for a given amount of
tightness. Generally you're talking automotive stuff (head bolts in
particular spring to mind) by that point and not bikes.

Steve C

Ian Smith wrote:

>
> A small pack of copper grease in particular lasts forever, I'd
> definitely add it to your collection of lubricants, for almost any
> threads.
>
> regards, Ian SMith

Wasn't copper grease in the bad books a few years ago - something to do
with speeding up bi-metallic corrosion? Is Teflon grease also useable?

Steve C

Rob Morley

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:05:20 +0100
Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> wrote:

> I'm soon (as soon as the deliveryman comes) to replace various bits
> on my bike, cranks and cassette among them. There are a couple of
> places there where bits will be attached to other bits by threads
> which will then stay done up for the lifetime of the components -
> pedals, cranks, cassette lockring. Should i grease the threads before
> putting them together, and if so, what with? Currently i have Finish
> Line Cross-Country chain oil, 3-in-1 oil, and GT-85 - would any of
> those do? GT-85 is a PTFE coating rather than a grease, but i'm
> hoping 3-in-1 might be okay. Surely you can use 3-in-1 for anything!
>
I'd throw the 3-in-1 away because it's useless for bikes, although you
might use it for a squeaky hinge or something. I use a general
purpose moly grease for pedals, seatpins, quill stems etc. and nothing
on cranks (but some people will tell you they should be greased). I've
never encountered a seized cassette lockring and I've never greased
one.

Just zis Guy, you know?

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:57:32 +0100, Rob Morley <nospam@ntlworld.com>
said in <20080615225732.077ddd18@bluemoon>:

>I'd throw the 3-in-1 away because it's useless for bikes

Actually not bad for brake pivots and one or two other applications,
but generally less good than the specialist bike lubes.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Rob Morley

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:59:48 +0100
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <uce@ftc.gov> wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:57:32 +0100, Rob Morley <nospam@ntlworld.com>
> said in <20080615225732.077ddd18@bluemoon>:
>
> >I'd throw the 3-in-1 away because it's useless for bikes
>
> Actually not bad for brake pivots and one or two other applications,

It gums up - Sturmey Archer oil (if you can still get it) is a similar
product but doesn't seem to turn into a congealed dirty mess. I tend to
use engine oil because there's a part can in the cupboard and it works
fine.

POHB

On 15 Jun, 23:07, Rob Morley <nos...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> > >I'd throw the 3-in-1 away because it's useless for bikes
>
> > Actually not bad for brake pivots and one or two other applications,
>
> It gums up - Sturmey Archer oil (if you can still get it) is a similar
> product but doesn't seem to turn into a congealed dirty mess. *I tend to
> use engine oil because there's a part can in the cupboard and it works
> fine.

I tend to use engine oil for chains too because I've got a big can of
it and I can let the whole chain soak in a margarine tub full.
Similarly for grease I use a big pot of lithium grease I bought for
landrover maintainance years ago.

For smaller jobs I've just bought a bottle of Green Oil because it
looks like a good and right-on thing. Haven't had chance to use it
yet but the magazine reviews like it. http://www.green-oil.net/

Just zis Guy, you know?

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:07:02 +0100, Rob Morley <nospam@ntlworld.com>
said in <20080615230702.3381991a@bluemoon>:

> Sturmey Archer oil (if you can still get it) is a similar
>product but doesn't seem to turn into a congealed dirty mess.

Halfrauds (spit, spit) bike oil is what I use right now, it's a
light machine oil.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound