# This is why you should not use spray on White Lithium Grease



## vladvm

*This is why you should not use spray on White Lithium Grease for repacking bearings*

Background

I repacked my headset with white lithium grease (spray on) two weeks ago. It says on the label waterproof. It says good for vehicles, home and bicycle use. I bought it from Canadian tire. Put it back together and the steering was perfect.

Then I head out for Sunday ride, little dusting of snow on the ground, it was -4C but no big deal. Went for a 50km ride. 

The bike got a little dirty so I took a watering can and filled it with water and used it to rinse the crap off the bike and components. No pressure, just good old gravity, and water out the spout. Wiped the bike dry and hung it in the garage.

A week later, I decided to go out again on a Sunday ride, re-lubed the chain and components and I was good to go, went for a shorter ride since it was snowing a little, and bit windy, about 35km ride. I felt that the steering was a little off.

Got home and rinsed the bike again. Hung to dry.

So tonight I decided to bring in the bike and put on the trainer in basement. As I was carrying it down the steps, I noticed the fork remained pointed straight. The steering was tight!

Took the headset apart to see what was going on and his is what I saw.


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## spookyload

It had nothing to do with it being white lithium grease. Spray on grease isn't meant for packing bearings.


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## Camilo

Why would you use spray on grease to pack bearings?


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## Jetmugg

To really "pack" bearings, the grease must be forced into every nook, cranny, and crevice until all the old grease is forced out and new grease takes its place.

My preferred method is to get a good sized dollop of grease in the palm of my hand, and then use the other hand to hold the bearing and "scoop" small amounts of grease from the first hand, forcing the grease into the bearing with the dolloped hand. It's hard to describe, but once you've seen it done, you will get the hang of it.

You don't want to just shove the bearing into the pile of grease, you need to manipulate the bearing in a way that forces new grease to displace the old grease.

SteveM.


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## JCavilia

Jetmugg said:


> To really "pack" bearings, the grease must be forced into every nook, cranny, and crevice until all the old grease is forced out and new grease takes its place.
> 
> My preferred method is to get a good sized dollop of grease in the palm of my hand, and then use the other hand to hold the bearing and "scoop" small amounts of grease from the first hand, forcing the grease into the bearing with the dolloped hand. It's hard to describe, but once you've seen it done, you will get the hang of it.
> 
> You don't want to just shove the bearing into the pile of grease, you need to manipulate the bearing in a way that forces new grease to displace the old grease.
> 
> SteveM.


Personally, if I'm overhauling a bearing, I clean all the old grease out, so there's nothing to displace. Then you fill the race with a thick enough bead of grease to overfill it (Phil Wood's tube is perfect), press in the balls, and reassemble.

In any event, we probably agree with all the other posters that spray-on grease, which only leaves a film, is inadequate.

Actually, as I consider it, I'm not sure what "spray-on grease" is. The spray lubes I've used are better described as oil; i.e., they're thinner than grease.

Update: just googled it. Seems it sprays on as a liquid, but sets up thicker. But that won't pack into the spaces in a bearing assembly.


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## AtlantaR6

Were they out of WD-40?


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## spookyload

JCavilia said:


> Personally, if I'm overhauling a bearing, I clean all the old grease out, so there's nothing to displace. Then you fill the race with a thick enough bead of grease to overfill it (Phil Wood's tube is perfect), press in the balls, and reassemble.
> 
> In any event, we probably agree with all the other posters that spray-on grease, which only leaves a film, is inadequate.
> 
> Actually, as I consider it, I'm not sure what "spray-on grease" is. The spray lubes I've used are better described as oil; i.e., they're thinner than grease.
> 
> Update: just googled it. Seems it sprays on as a liquid, but sets up thicker. But that won't pack into the spaces in a bearing assembly.


Spray on grease works great for lubing garage door tracks and wheels.


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## jwp3476

I prefer to use a marine grease that is used for trailer wheel bearings. There are special rust inhibitors that seem to help protect the bearings.


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## JCavilia

jwp3476 said:


> I prefer to use a marine grease that is used for trailer wheel bearings. There are special rust inhibitors that seem to help protect the bearings.


Everybody has favorite grease, it seems. That one seems to be popular. I like Phil's pretty green color, and the handy tube. Shows the dirt nicely, too. If I open up a hub a year after the last overhaul and see translucent green, I know things are still in good shape. If it's opaque black, I start looking for evidence of wear.

Hey, spooky, that's why I never heard of it: I don't have a garage door (ora a garage, for that matter).


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## PSC

Do you hang your bike from the one wheel on a hook? I use to hang my bike from the rear wheel after each ride, even after it got wet. My headset bearings rusted just like that. Now I lean my bike against my work bench until it dries out, let gravity get the water out just the same way it came in. Hanging it up pools the water in your heaset and it can't escape. After bike is good and dry I hang it up. No more rust problems since and I line in the PNW with lots of rain.


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## Touch0Gray

spookyload said:


> Spray on grease works great for lubing garage door tracks and wheels.


not really.......pretty marginal for that too.....MAYBE hinges on car doors....MAYBE


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## Peter P.

Thanks for the heads up with spray on grease. You would have thought it's ALL the same. Apparently not, and we've got good folks on the forum to keep up informed about it.


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## Mr. Versatile

I clean both bearings and races before greasing. They have to be immaculate before I start. I take a large gob of grease on my finger and smooth it around the races kind of like frosting a cake. I then place the balls in the grease which, if they're not caged, holds them in place. I then cover the balls with another thin layer of grease & assemble.


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## vladvm

PSC said:


> Do you hang your bike from the one wheel on a hook? I use to hang my bike from the rear wheel after each ride, even after it got wet. My headset bearings rusted just like that. Now I lean my bike against my work bench until it dries out, let gravity get the water out just the same way it came in. Hanging it up pools the water in your heaset and it can't escape. After bike is good and dry I hang it up. No more rust problems since and I line in the PNW with lots of rain.


I hang it by the saddle, and it is angled down towards the front. You have a great point of water pooling at the headset. But the waterproof/resistant spray on white lithium grease did not protect the bearing from water. 

I will remember your tip to let it dry before hanging.


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## JustTooBig

go figure. Spray "grease" just not doing the job. Makes me wonder if my decision to buy aerosol toothpaste might have been a bit hasty?


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## porkchop

These guys are right about the spray grease. Clean the bearings, cages, and races squeaky clean. Pack the bearing like Jetmugg describes. Put a generous layer of grease on both races. Assemble the joint (headset, wheel, etc.) Some of the extra grease will squeeze out of the joint just wipe it off with a rag. That extra grease that fills up the joint also prevents water and dirt from getting into the bearing in the first place.


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## Jim311

"Grease" should be thick enough so that it can't be sprayed for this application.


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## Indyfan

I'll add just a couple of things. For my own bikes, or if a customer requests it, I replace the caged bearings with loose balls. To me they feel smoother and get a better adjustment. As for the boat trailer bearing grease, it's really good stuff. If you think about how you trailer or launch a boat from a trailer, the trailer is completely submerged for several minutes to position it correctly on the trailer or to disconnect and launch it. Then you park your trailer somewhere for anywhere from a few hours to several months then repeat. And there's no repacking the bearings between. The only thing about the stuff is that it's a bit thick, so if you're packing hubs for performance, you might choose a bike grease like Phil or the sticky, white Rock 'n Roll stuff.

Bob


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## Jim311

My only concern with the marine grade trailer grease is that it's designed for much higher speed and temperature than your headset will ever see. It probably becomes much thinner and coats the bearing components better once it's reached that high temperature, which your headset will never see. I am probably overthinking it, though.


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## Camilo

Jim311 said:


> My only concern with the marine grade trailer grease is that it's designed for much higher speed and temperature than your headset will ever see. It probably becomes much thinner and coats the bearing components better once it's reached that high temperature, which your headset will never see. I am probably overthinking it, though.


I tend to think the same way, but agree it's probably over thinking. I do use marine grease though, because I always have some around for my boat trailer. I use it for threads, bearings, etc. I keep a little 35mm film cannister (remember film?) full of it in my tool box.

Other than possibly using a specific grease as suggested to shave that millisecond per mile off a racer's time, my opinion on all lubricants is: Choose one that is appropriate for the application (i.e. correct weight and type of oil), but after that, the quality and performance differences between the absolute "best" you can buy and the absolute "worst" is extremely negligible compared to just keeping the thing lubricated. In other words, any grease is virtually as good as any other.


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## |3iker

OP should change the title to 
*"This is why you should not do what I did for repacking the headset bearings".*


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## siclmn

I love the marketing of "waterproof grease". All grease is waterproof. Just try washing it off your hands with water. It does come in different thicknesses and colors. Bicycle grease is usually not as thick as automotive because it does not get hot and become thin. The Phill grease is just the right thickness for anything on a bike.


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## bicyclerepairman

AtlantaR6 said:


> Were they out of WD-40?


That was hilarious.


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## oily666

jwp3476 said:


> I prefer to use a marine grease that is used for trailer wheel bearings. There are special rust inhibitors that seem to help protect the bearings.


:thumbsup: for marine grease. I turned my LBS on to a synthetic marine grease I use. They love it. Impossible to displace because it constantly re-attaches itself to bearing surfaces.


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## Kuma601

I used a spray on lithium that needed a "light coating" on some other non-bike parts. Even at that, I thought it failed miserably. For my uses, I don't see it being much and even when I tried it i the garage door rollers...thumb down.


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## El Literato Loco

Jetmugg said:


> To really "pack" bearings, the grease must be forced into every nook, cranny, and crevice until all the old grease is forced out and new grease takes its place.
> 
> My preferred method is to get a good sized dollop of grease in the palm of my hand, and then use the other hand to hold the bearing and "scoop" small amounts of grease from the first hand, forcing the grease into the bearing with the dolloped hand. It's hard to describe, but once you've seen it done, you will get the hang of it.
> 
> You don't want to just shove the bearing into the pile of grease, you need to manipulate the bearing in a way that forces new grease to displace the old grease.
> 
> SteveM.


+1 old school

Dollop in the palm of your left hand, right hand holds the clean, degreased bearings. Press the bearings into the dollop, then draw the bearings toward the heel of the left hand. Rotate the bearings and repeat till packed.


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## TomH

I packed a set of shimano hubs with a grade 1 (very thin) grease, rode around, and repacked with thick marine grease and rode around.. felt identical. Marine grease will last longer and resist washout better, so its a good choice.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/milkygrease.htm

Some good info on grease, and washout/water contamination. I cant find any good reasons to use lithium grease over aluminum complex grease for a bike. While it sounds stupid, not all grease is really waterproof. Grease will repel water, but lithium grease will mix with water and thin out and turn milky. Alu complex grease is really waterproof.


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