12
Shoutout to the old timer at the co-op who called me out on using too much grease
I was rebuilding a hub last tuesday and this guy who's been wrenching since the 70s walks over. He watches me pack the bearings and just goes 'you trying to butter a biscuit?' Said most new mechanics drown everything in grease and it just causes drag and attracts dirt. Told me to use just enough to coat the bearings. Tried it on my next job and the wheel spun way smoother. Now i wonder how many hubs i messed up over the years. Any other tips you picked up from old school mechanics?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
elizabethtaylor12d ago
@wyattrobinson probably heard about the old trick of using a little bit of grease on the threads before torquing, just enough to keep them from seizing. But that's a whole separate can of worms. More importantly, did that old timer happen to mention that overgreasing is basically a crime against bearings? Because I swear I've done exactly what you did - slathered on a full layer of the stuff thinking I was being thorough. Now every bike I touch is getting a whisper of grease, not a whole tub. At least we can all learn from our past mistakes, right? Unless you were the one who taught him how to pack bearings, in which case maybe keep your mouth shut.
6