# what grease to use in coaster brake hubs



## relic_rider

ok...  I've rebuilt more than a few coaster brake hubs since ive been on this earth. and every time, Ive used either white bicycle specific grease or regular moly grease...    and things always seemed to be alright.   so now that Ive gotten more into the older stuff...  (hubs with oil ports)  im curious...  what did people pour into these hubs back in the day?    and i also got to thinking that maybe using high temp grease would be better for that application...   Im just looking for everyone's opinion and preference here...   

current hub rebuild

http://www.flickr.com/photos/master_of_none/2768814017/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/master_of_none/2769662528/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/master_of_none/2769662624/


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## MartyW

I use regular old moly grease on my older bikes. I also use Park Bicycle Grease on my MTN Bikes because I beat it beyond belief.
I've heard of guys actually using Vaseline on thier lightly riden show bikes.:eek:


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## 37fleetwood

wheel bearing grease on the bearings and 30 wt. motor oil on the brake is what is recommended, personally I use Phil Woods throughout and add a little light weight oil along the way between rebuilds.
Scott


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## sm2501

Hate to disagree, but never, ever use automotive axle grease on bicycles. Axle grease needs heat for it to work best, and you will never create enough heat to loosen it up to allow bearings to operate properly. Use bicycle grease, as it is designed for the relatively low rpm that bicycles produce.

I know some folks swear by axle grease for coaster brakes, but as a lifelong bike shop guy, I would never recommend it.


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## 37fleetwood

sm2501 said:


> Hate to disagree, but never, ever use automotive axle grease on bicycles. Axle grease needs heat for it to work best, and you will never create enough heat to loosen it up to allow bearings to operate properly. Use bicycle grease, as it is designed for the relatively low rpm that bicycles produce.
> 
> I know some folks swear by axle grease for coaster brakes, but as a lifelong bike shop guy, I would never recommend it.




actually I think you're agreeing  the literature from back in the day recommends the bearing grease and motor oil, I personally love Phil woods.
Scott


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## relic_rider

thanks for the replies you guys...   I find it interesting that you would put 30wt on the brake surfaces (even though it makes sense)  I always thought to myself that the oil port was there for a reason, but figured any oil would eventually mix with the bearing grease and water everything down...    I agree fleetwood..  phil woods makes some great stuff..  Im not sure they make it anymore, but shimano had this stuff called slippery spit, which Im just about out of now...  but had a very similar viscosity and feel as Phils


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## balloontirecruiser

*Pedros Grease*

I recently bought a tube of this product called "Pedros Bicycle Grease" which has made my bearings super smooth and silent. However, I put some in my coaster brake and encountered some very odd problems... My cog started skipping spontaneously and my brakes were SLOW. I opened my hub up again (the second time after the original lubrication; one of MANY instances since) and thought a little more about how it all worked. I decided that I needed to I remove a little here and there and now the brakes are mint; still a little too much play and noise in the hub bearings and cog, though.


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## balloontirecruiser

*SAE-20 Clean motor oil*

Here's an interesting bit of info- some old bicycle sales brochures actually suggest clean SAE-20 motor oil as a coaster brake hub lubricant (applied primarily through the oil port). I picked up some Accel SAE-30 motor oil today for test purposes. (I couldn't find any SAE-20; the SAE-30 was supposed to be designed specially for motor vehicles pre 1930, and seems to be the perfect consistency for a coaster brake hub lubricant. It's mildy sticky and very smooth). I will be testing this out in a junky hub in the near future. I will post the results as soon as I can...


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## balloontirecruiser

*An odd discovery...*

I got the chance to relubricate the Colson today, and made an interesting discovery. Clean Accel Sae 30 motor oil seems to be the perfect coaster brake lubricant! (Its about $3 for a good sized jug at a Wal Mart or automotive store). My skipping problem seems to have disappeared altogether, and the brakes are extra fast to stop you; even at a very steady cruise. The bearings click a little bit as you ride but even this is quite a bit quieter than when I lubricated with reccomended bicycle grease. I was planning on buying an eye dropper to apply the motor oil to the internals, but forgot to, and had to do it very carefully by pouring it and spreading it about by hand. If you're careful, you can get just the right amount on the parts so as not to make the hub leak at the ends. An eye dropper would probably work perfectly for this applying this sort of lubricant as it's a thick liquid (but by no means a gel). Hope this is helpful info.


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## AntonyR




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