Is lithium grease any good for hub bearings?

[marcoluz]

Hi,

I have lub my front hub bearings with a good quality lithium grease. Because it was the only grease I had in the house. It´s not the white version, but the version for bearings , high temparture, etc... but because it´s a fancy bike and because there are a lot of fancy greases for bikes, my question is if is it fine to lub hub bearings with this kind of grease or should I buy some fancy one to lub my hubs?

I´ve removed the old redish grease and gave it a good clean, hub, bearing balls, etc before applying the new grease.



Thank you.

 

[fooferdoggie]

yes all that matters is its last.

 

[retiredNH]

Interesting to see a hub that can be greased. My bikes all have sealed bearings.

 

[marcoluz]

Interesting to see a hub that can be greased. My bikes all have sealed bearings.

My rear wheel has bearings but the front wheel hub has ball rollers.

 

[rob feature]

That's probably just fine for the bearings, but you probably don't want to use it in the freehub. That may require a specific grease. The manufacturer should be able to tell you what to use there.

 

[rob feature]

Interesting to see a hub that can be greased. My bikes all have sealed bearings.

Cup & cone bearings need to be cleaned & greased periodically.

 

[retiredNH]

Cup & cone bearings need to be cleaned & greased periodically.

Yes, of course, but most hubs are now sealed bearings. BTW, I first had sealed hubs back in the 1970s when I built a set of analog wheels with phil wood hubs.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Yes, of course, but most hubs are now sealed bearings. BTW, I first had sealed hubs back in the 1970s when I built a set of analog wheels with phil wood hubs.

I think most of the lower end e bikes are not. even my bulls bosch powered bike came with loose or non sealed bearings in the headset. one winter of rain rides rusted them out.

 

[rob feature]

I think most of the lower end e bikes are not. even my bulls bosch powered bike came with loose or non sealed bearings in the headset. one winter of rain rides rusted them out.

I have a set of new XT wheels with cup & cone bearings. Pretty sure XTR gets them too. I think there are some higher end road hubs that use them. But yeah, they're more common on cheaper bikes.

You pay a good bit more for sealed bearings in headsets, but they're worth it!

I do prefer sealed bearings and most higher end wheels use them these days, but not all.

 

[rob feature]

Yes, of course, but most hubs are now sealed bearings.

Not the OP's

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have a set of new XT wheels with cup & cone bearings. Pretty sure XTR gets them too. I think there are some higher end road hubs that use them. But yeah, they're more common on cheaper bikes.

You pay a good bit more for sealed bearings in headsets, but they're worth it!

I do prefer sealed bearings and most higher end wheels use them these days, but not all.

ya it seems Shimano will go both ways. my trek has sealed bearings all around. I had them put in the bulls. they make life so much easier.

 

[rob feature]

ya it seems Shimano will go both ways. my trek has sealed bearings all around. I had them put in the bulls. they make life so much easier.

It really depends on the application. Roller bearings make more sense in high use hubs that don't encounter much in the way of lateral loads - like most ebikes. Roller bearings will take a lot of force in a linear direction, but when you side load them - they don't like that. Cup and cone types can better handle lateral loads and don't rely as much on design compromises that allow the use of easily-replaceable and longer-wearing roller bearings.

 

[retiredNH]

It really depends on the application. Roller bearings make more sense in high use hubs that don't encounter much in the way of lateral loads - like most ebikes. Roller bearings will take a lot of force in a linear direction, but when you side load them - they don't like that. Cup and cone types can better handle lateral loads and don't rely as much on design compromises that allow the use of easily-replaceable and longer-wearing roller bearings.

There are sealed bearings designed for side loads too. They're not tough to design.