Dumb Maintenance Question.....

[oldguy00]

I know this is likely the dumb of the dumb for questions......

Does bicycle grease ever go bad?? I have a tube of Finish Line white grease that I'm pretty sure is 15 years old. It still 'looks' fine, white pasty. Is there any reason not to use it?
Hey, anyone else remember the days when it was kind of like making art to work on things like re-packing your campy bottom bracket cups/bearings with the silly expensive white campy grease?? :) Them were the days.... :)

[regularguy412]

I still have a partial tube of white lithium grease that's almost 20 years old. I use it for seat posts, bar/stem intersections and stem/steerer intersections. Seems to work just fine. I prefer Phil grease for wheel bearings, headsets, etc.

MIke in AR

[A.L.Breguet]

All lubricants change over time. It doesn't matter if they are natural or synthetic, except that synthetics retain they're original characteristics longer in general.

[Dude]

Don't mean to hijack the post but i'm going to anyway.

@regularguy - please dont grease your bar/stem and stem/steerer junctions. You want as much friction there as possible.

[regularguy412]

Thanks for the concern, Dude. I've been greasing them for years,, to avoid creak. Also, I'm NOT talking about carbon bar/carbon stem/carbon steerer conjunctions. Mine are aluminum on aluminum or aluminum on steel.

:beer:

Mike in AR

[L84dinr]

I'll likel'y get flamed for this but WTH. Try some Mobile 1 synthetic grease from yer local automotive parts house and use that stuff for packing bearings, both wheels and BB. If you don't repack often the stuff outta last for ever, at least once a year. But if you live in a wet environment and repack often, then the cost is very little compared to what you pay at the lbs for the "bike" grease.

Of course then you run into the dealio of having a tub of grease lasting years instead of a tube, and wondering about the efficacy of your old Mobil 1 synthetic, awww never mind ;>)

[fogrider]

the grease might change ever so slightly over time, but the reason one needs to repack bearings is because of dirt that gets into the mix. slight changes in the grease should not change it enough to effect the bearings.

[Too Tall]

I'm with A.L.Breguet White lithium grease for gen. use is the same if you pay alot or a little...don't you hate that? ;)

PS - Old School Campag grease smelled so good I'd open the jar and use another!!!!! Mmmmmm campy.

[avalonracing]

I've been greasing them for years,, to avoid creak.
Mike in AR


+1!!!!!!!!!!!
No creaking and no slipping for many years (although I did break a couple bolts in my youth before learned to be a human torque wrench.)