What grease? For be...
 

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What grease? For bearings/headsets etc

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I bought some Park Tools stuff. It’s ok but appears quite thin, and stinks. Used it on my headset and not many miles later it’s creaking again

 

So whats the current grease of choice ?


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 6:52 pm
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Long lasting waterproof grease?

Mobil XHP222 - the stuff Hope use 

Maxima waterproof grease - very similar

Silkolene RG2 - as above, but red 


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:02 pm
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Marine Grease


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:04 pm
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Xhp222

I also have some Shimano special grease. It's neon  green. 


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:30 pm
Keando reacted
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https://ebay.us/m/GHubMq


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:38 pm
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Another vote for Mobil XHP222


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:39 pm
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That eBay link is exactly where I got my current pot from.


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:48 pm
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Cheers looks like it’s that 222 stuff


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:49 pm
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fenwicks assembly grease ha been good, or weldtite TF2 lithium grease


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 7:59 pm
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XHP222 bought a huge tube 7 years ago and still have half of it left. 


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 8:05 pm
 nuke
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Posted by: jamiemcf

I also have some Shimano special grease. It's neon  green. 

This for me. The screw fitting on the tube fitted my old Turner grease port gun which has made it easier to apply to bearings etc


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 8:05 pm
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I have a tube of manitou grease and gun for ancient fork auto-grease ports, tube still going since 98. Forks no longer get ridden, but grease good for pedal threads etc but nothing more heavy duty. Probably going to run out before its 30th anniversary


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 8:14 pm
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I used marine grease for pivots, but weldtite TF2 for headsets, cranks, axles, etc. on the basis that marine grease is a bit thick for "spinny" things, but fine for higher load, smaller movement things.


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 8:14 pm
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I got some Maxima waterproof grease on the advice of the chaps at Bird. It’s very thick and very blue. I use it on bearings and headsets.

TF2 for everything else, apart from DT special grease and SRAM butter where that stuff goes. 


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 8:57 pm
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The pot of Comma bearing grease I bought in Halfords about 15 years ago.


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 9:19 pm
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castrol LM for me.  But then all my bikes are all sealed bearings that I do not open 


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 9:39 pm
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Sylkolene RG2


 
Posted : 11/06/2025 9:48 pm
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Posted by: Onzadog

That eBay link is exactly where I got my current pot from

Me too


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 5:40 am
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But then all my bikes are all sealed bearings that I do not open 

Mine are too. However what I have found is that the headset bearing cup on my Orbea Rise is not built to great tolerance ie the bearing race just pops straight out. Being a headset you can’t have it super tight as you need the movement. This then means the bearing race fits just snugly enough to still fractionally move in the headset cup, and this tiny movement is then massively amplified through the carbon frame. It’s fine under big downward load, but on small bumps or climbing it’s annoying as f@@

 

The Park Tools grease stopped this for all of about 50 miles. So want to try something more substantial 


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 6:06 am
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Silkolene rg2 or mobil xhp222


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 6:13 am
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Mobil XHP222 for 99% of things and I've got a big tub of RSP Ultra Slick Grease(Sram Butter) for anything suspension/seatpost etc but it sometimes comes in handy for things that don't require a thick marine grease.


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 6:15 am
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If I bought a pot of that Mobilgrease I wouldn't live long enough to use it all 😕 I'm still using a pot of that Silkolene red , by cripes that's thick no wonder it was referred to as tractor grease ! 😁


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 6:17 am
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Erm, I have a tube of thick white grease and a tube of thin red grease. And I put them where it feels right.

The white one may be TF2 actually.


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 7:21 am
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Posted by: FunkyDunc

This then means the bearing race fits just snugly enough to still fractionally move in the headset cup, and this tiny movement is then massively amplified through the carbon frame. It’s fine under big downward load, but on small bumps or climbing it’s annoying as f@@

 

 

No quite sure what you mean from the description but perhaps bearing fit locktite is what you need to take up the tolerance

 


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 7:33 am
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+1, the reason grease isn't working is it's the wrong tool for the job. 

Loctite 641 is what you need. 

The same stuff works well on creaky/clicky BB's. It's a bit like threadlock but for non-threaded components and fills the small gap between bearings and casings so they can't move.

 

 

 


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 8:21 am
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I have a tube of manitou grease and gun for ancient fork auto-grease ports, tube still going since 98

 

Grease nostalgia . My PACE grease gun and grease from my old PACE forks. Still use the gun

https://imgur.com/gallery/qCuNyCJ#L9gazKG

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/qCuNyCJ#L9gazKG


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 9:40 am
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I mostly use the pink Muc-Off stuff. It smells nice. And is pink.


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 9:53 am
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Mobil XHP222 for 99% of things and I've got a big tub of RSP Ultra Slick Grease(Sram Butter) for anything suspension/seatpost etc but it sometimes comes in handy for things that don't require a thick marine grease.

Snap


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 9:55 am
 Oms
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Posted by: jamiemcf

I also have some Shimano special grease. It's neon  green. 

Posted by: ransos

The pot of Comma bearing grease I bought in Halfords about 15 years ago.

Had both of those (the comma grease being NLGI2).

I really liked the Shimano grease for some reason. It just seemed to stay in place - keen to try one of the Mobil or Silkolene offerings in future. 👍


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 10:01 am
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Grease nostalgia?

Anyone else remember Ebony Lubricants and their Black Gold? That stuff was worse than copper slip for getting absolutely everywhere. Never washed out though.


 
Posted : 12/06/2025 11:53 am

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