# rear derailleur jockey wheels - grease or oil?



## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

hey kids...

simple question.... i just took apart and properly cleaned my rear derailleur pulley wheels... lots of grit.. anyways, while putting them back, i first oiled them w/ motor oil... nice and free spinning... then i freaked that they would not be properly protected and redid it w/ bearing grease.... any opinions on this? def not as free running as just oil, but from memory this is how it was new.... stops pretty much as soon as your finger loses contact w/ the pulley... w/ oil i'd actually spin a bit...

bit pointless, but curious re: opinions and practice of others... i generally dont like grease as it attracts sand here.. and thus grit ... 

cheers,

joe


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## Dinosaur (Jan 29, 2004)

I just clean mine with a rag. Lubing your chain takes car of the rollers..grease will attack grit, like you said..


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*bushings..*

You're talking about the pulley bushings, not the pulleys themselves, correct? I prefer to apply a few drop of oil every week in the form of a good spray lube like Slick 50 1-lube.

You should not expect a pulley to keep spining when spun with your finger. The plastic pulley weighs almost nothing and has hardly any moment of inertia like a wheel.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I use something really light, like TriFlo. As Dino noted, whatever you put on the chain will end up in the pulley bushings, too, so it doesn't matter too much.


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

yep, the bushing, not the teeth... like i said, it spun when i just used oil....grease stopped it... might remove it and go back... i'll start regularly taking it apart from now on... 15k maybe too much...


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

JCavilia said:


> I use something really light, like TriFlo. As Dino noted, whatever you put on the chain will end up in the pulley bushings, too, so it doesn't matter too much.


yep, that's the problem... the chain lube will get in there (i use homebrew) which will quickly dilute the grease and cause a leaky sticky mess... hrmm... going back to oil again methinks! not such a biggie if that gets diluted, doesn't seem to attract much dirt and is easily flushed w/ home brew which is made of the same stuff anyhow...

i really don't like grease anymore... prefer to use anything else if i can...

thanks guys :thumbsup:


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

wankski said:


> yep, the bushing, not the teeth... like i said, it spun when i just used oil....grease stopped it... might remove it and go back... i'll start regularly taking it apart from now on... 15k maybe too much...




are you noticing problems with shifiting?


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

FatTireFred said:


> are you noticing problems with shifiting?


nope, why? just general cleaning and maintenance while i'm waiting on a replacement frame as my current one died at the weld...


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Yes*



wankski said:


> bit pointless, but curious re: opinions and practice of others... i generally dont like grease as it attracts sand here.. and thus grit ...


Since any grease you apply would be under the dust caps, it doesn't really attract grit any more than any other lube. My practice, going on 40 years, is to first apply grease, and then add oil on top of it. IMO you get the best of both worlds with this approach: long lasting lube that doesn't offer much friction. It has worked great for me.


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## roadbat (Oct 29, 2012)

The need for a light clean lube that allows rotation can be solved with either, but the upper pulley on Shimano and Campy slides side to side in order to optimize chain line after each shift. I've used both, but suspect grease doesn't make this work as well - or, it may get dirty faster, making it stick or bind, or even fill the void with gunk so it couldn't slip even if it still spins freely. A lighter, teflon-type oil lube that dries pretty clean, doesn't attract dirt, like Finish Line Dry, may be the best trade-off, but that may require more frequent re-lubing, especially if rain, dirt, or road grit gets in there. It's still a cheap, easily maintained area, but that takes elbow grease, not uber-tech pricey magic after-market parts, which in my 50 yrs experience provide mostly placebo benefits. Negligible gains generally are found from magic items, in comparison to well-maintained OEM parts, and it is easy to deceive oneself, especially after dumping dollars on a part that just must be so much better that I can feel it. I just laugh and think when Lance A rode up a Tour climb with a brake pad rubbing the whole way - now that would have been measurable, but he didn't think to consider such a thing.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

From 2008, brought back to life in 2015.

This should win the thread-dredge-of-the week award.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

roadbat said:


> The need for a light clean lube that allows rotation can be solved with either, but the upper pulley on Shimano and Campy slides side to side in order to optimize chain line after each shift. I've used both, but suspect grease doesn't make this work as well - or, it may get dirty faster, making it stick or bind, or even fill the void with gunk so it couldn't slip even if it still spins freely. A lighter, teflon-type oil lube that dries pretty clean, doesn't attract dirt, like Finish Line Dry, may be the best trade-off, but that may require more frequent re-lubing, especially if rain, dirt, or road grit gets in there. It's still a cheap, easily maintained area, but that takes elbow grease, not uber-tech pricey magic after-market parts, which in my 50 yrs experience provide mostly placebo benefits. Negligible gains generally are found from magic items, in comparison to well-maintained OEM parts, and it is easy to deceive oneself, especially after dumping dollars on a part that just must be so much better that I can feel it. I just laugh and think when Lance A rode up a Tour climb with a brake pad rubbing the whole way - now that would have been measurable, but he didn't think to consider such a thing.


Please...pay attention to the fact that no one has felt the need to comment on this subject or ask about it for YEARS when you go dredging around for threads to comment on. Take a look at the date of the last post and use that as a barometer of the importance (or lack thereof) of the subject.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

cxwrench said:


> Please...pay attention to the fact that no one has felt the need to comment on this subject or ask about it for YEARS when you go dredging around for threads to comment on. Take a look at the date of the last post and use that as a barometer of the importance (or lack thereof) of the subject.


I'm amazed that roadbat is averaging one post / year and decided to make this year's contribution about lube...


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Opus51569 said:


> I'm amazed that roadbat is averaging one post / year and decided to make this year's contribution about lube...


Right? But this post probably took some time...


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## roadbat (Oct 29, 2012)

cxwrench said:


> Right? But this post probably took some time...



:mad2: First, cxwrench, Opus51569, ibericb, the lube issue is being constantly debated, ref Velonews story about wax being the latest/greatest and that's been 'dead in the water' for 30+ years. Krytox and other lubes weren't around in 2008, and by the way Triflow was an oil I stopped using like 20 years ago due to its dirt-attraction ability. The fact that I deem it appropriate to add info whenever I read a forum no matter what it's date only suggests that the information is pertinent, and also reflects the fact that I do not live on the 'net, in particular this one forum. That you apparently DO live here to pounce tells me you're both trollers, and have no useful info to add yourselves. Sheldon Brown is fortunate to have not lived to see a time when so little valid information is debated with so much invective and petty slurs. Don't bother replying as I won't cut bait.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I would ignore all of that madness, except I can't let it pass without comment when you say that Sheldon Brown is better off dead because of something that was said on the internet that offends you. Really? That's a pretty offensive way to invoke the memory of anyone, especially a great man deeply respected in this community. A man with a great sense of humor, BTW . . .

And now I will ignore . . .


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

ibericb said:


> From 2008, brought back to life in 2015.
> 
> This should win the thread-dredge-of-the week award.


He should be tazed repeatedly.

Thread dredge is only allowed on Tuesdays.

Someone ban him.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

Opus51569 said:


> I'm amazed that roadbat is averaging one post / year and decided to make this year's contribution about lube...





ibericb said:


> From 2008, brought back to life in 2015.
> 
> This should win the thread-dredge-of-the week award.





roadbat said:


> :mad2: First, cxwrench, Opus51569, ibericb, the lube issue is being constantly debated, ref Velonews story about wax being the latest/greatest and that's been 'dead in the water' for 30+ years. Krytox and other lubes weren't around in 2008, and by the way Triflow was an oil I stopped using like 20 years ago due to its dirt-attraction ability. The fact that I deem it appropriate to add info whenever I read a forum no matter what it's date only suggests that the information is pertinent, and also reflects the fact that I do not live on the 'net, in particular this one forum. That you apparently DO live here to pounce tells me you're both trollers, and have no useful info to add yourselves. Sheldon Brown is fortunate to have not lived to see a time when so little valid information is debated with so much invective and petty slurs. Don't bother replying as I won't cut bait.



Relevant or not, you still cannot bring back a dead thread unless it's Tuesday.

:aureola:


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

roadbat said:


> :mad2: First, cxwrench, Opus51569, ibericb, the lube issue is being constantly debated, ref Velonews story about wax being the latest/greatest and that's been 'dead in the water' for 30+ years. Krytox and other lubes weren't around in 2008, and by the way Triflow was an oil I stopped using like 20 years ago due to its dirt-attraction ability. The fact that I deem it appropriate to add info whenever I read a forum no matter what it's date only suggests that the information is pertinent, and also reflects the fact that I do not live on the 'net, in particular this one forum. That you apparently DO live here to pounce tells me you're both trollers, and have no useful info to add yourselves. Sheldon Brown is fortunate to have not lived to see a time when so little valid information is debated with so much invective and petty slurs. Don't bother replying as I won't cut bait.


You had to spend some time hunting this thread down, so you must be on the inter webs a decent amount. And to bring Sheldon up like that...very poor form.


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## roadbat (Oct 29, 2012)

When someone says "George Washington must be rolling over in his grave," they are not insulting his memory. I am not too far from the late Mr. Brown's age and suspect he would appreciate intelligent discourse about all things bicycle, far more than the shedding of crocodile tears by total strangers, who are clearly now focusing on trying to engage in activities Mr. Brown had no truck with. So little expertise is evident so far in this forum, that I actually felt my limited knowledge and experience might benefit others; apparently that was my mistake, as I see clearly now what the primary purpose of the forum is - to provide a bully pulpit for a few to expound their gospels and rail against the heretics. cxwrench, you've posted close to 10,000 times over 11 years, and you don't grasp how Google does the hunting for us? Three times a day, every day, how do you get any wrenching done at all?


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## goodboyr (Apr 19, 2006)

Lol. This is great entertainment. No longer about really old jockey wheels. No longer about how to lube a jockey wheel ( a very low priority in the hierarchy of bike mtce). I think this is now a rather crappy flame war. Not sure what prompted this level of aggression. "Roadbat" is starting to sound a lot like my dear friend "roadworthy". Coincidence?..... I think not!


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

What I find amusing is the great length he (roadbat) has gone to to defend his initial post in this thread, and then his attack those who did nothing other than note the lack of timeliness in his initial reply to a thread some 7 years dormant. I guess the good news is he set a new PR for himself - more than one post in a year. Cool!


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## Sasquatch1000 (Dec 20, 2012)

ibericb said:


> From 2008, brought back to life in 2015.
> 
> This should win the thread-dredge-of-the week award.


Well, I have my derailluer apart and cleaned up so I was searching for lube suggestions before I reassemble it. This forum was the at the top of the search so I value info no matter when it was posted.
Since this is a fat bike ridden year round, I am using AMSoil products.


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

bushings are bearings.

always use grease on bearings, not oil.


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Wow, talk about a newbie with attitude.......


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