Why am I finding so many bikes without grease?

Depends on what you mean. Threaded parts assembled dry, sure. The ability for later removal is rarely a concern for the original assembler. Bearings entirely devoid of grease, that is rare, even on BSOs. Seeing old bikes with grease dried up beyond recognition and past any lubricating properties is quite common.

Sealed bearings?

They're "regular" (what I call "open"😉 bearings, but I'm finding only a slight grime, not a greasy grimy mess if grease was originally used.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by lectraplayer

I'm going through rebuilding my bikes, and none of them has grease in the parts. None in the wheels, none in the cranks, none anywhere. Has anybody heard of this?

How old is the bike and how long have you been riding it? I've worked on plenty bikes that were neglected so long that the grease dried up.

One I've had a year, one I've had a few months, and one I just got home with. None had more than a slight coating of qrime. Even that JC Higgins cruiser I rode for some 25+ years (after it was passed down to me ragged out), that I did nothing to but (improperly) keep the chain oiled had a much thicker muck in the crank and wheels than this.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by lectraplayer

One I've had a year, one I've had a few months, and one I just got home with.

And where are you getting these bikes from? This is beginning to feel like 20 questions.

The one I just got home with and the one I got a year ago come from the thrift store, which does leave open the explination that somebody may have cleaned them out and not relubed them. (They rode fine, though) The latest, I got new from Academy. I also remember that a couple bikes I had before, which got stolen, come with only oil in the wheel bearings. ...or was that MY oil I was seeing? I was taught to hit the bearings with oil, but I quit that when I started tearing them down every so often.

That was my last question. I have no answers.

We're finally seeing the long awaited adoption of low cost cobalt-ceramic-carbide-cubic zirconium bearings.

CAMPYBOB said:

We're finally seeing the long awaited adoption of low cost cobalt-ceramic-carbide-cubic zirconium bearings.

Do those not require lube?

The bearings on your bicycles require lubrication. They will run with either grease or oil depending on a variety of factors ranging from speed to loading to weather to frequency of replenishment. Why yours have none...none of us have a clue.

That struck me as strange too. That's why I have been going through and greasing everything with marine (blue) boat trailer grease. I'm seeing holes on my bottom bracket. Is this for a Zerk grease fitting? There was also an early style grease fitting on my 1950's JC Higgins' coaster brake (however, that coaster brake was still full of grease despite frequent floodings with WD-40 through the fitting. Do I have to do anything to the front steerer tube?

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by lectraplayer

Do I have to do anything to the front steerer tube?

The steerer, no. But it has two bearings that should be lubricated.

Instead of asking us on a part-by-part basis, why not do some research on how the parts of the bike work and fit together? I suggest getting one of the several books on general bike maintenance and repair, or using this web site: parktool.comrepair helpOpen ↗. Just click on a part. You'll get the idea.

oldbobcat said:

The steerer, no. But it has two bearings that should be lubricated. Instead of asking us on a part-by-part basis,...

That was going to be my next question, where to find what I need to maintain on a frame. Now, if only I can find that info without having to use Flash... That locks it away from me for now.

oldbobcat said:

The steerer, no. But it has two bearings that should be lubricated. Instead of asking us on a part-by-part basis,...

That was going to be my next question, where to find what all I have to maintain. However, I keep finding this, which tells me nothing new: http://m.wikihow.com/Maintain-a-Mountain-Bike However, I cannot view Flash.

You're right, that site's not helpful at all.

How about a book, then? amazon.comref=sr 1 1Open ↗

This one's my favorite. It's out of stock at Amazon, but if you call around I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Or you can order through Amazon through one of their associate sellers.

You can also find instructional videos on YouTube.

Since it's out of stock, is there something on bn.com for my Nook? 😉

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by lectraplayer

Since it's out of stock, is there something on bn.com for my Nook? 😉

This is the one with the most enthusiastic reviews. It's the one I'd buy if I needed it. Good luck, player.
barnesandnoble.com1107873464Open ↗