Should I use something else for the chain? I have a hybrid bike in the pnw, really just biking recreationally and for light transportation. I've used this for maintaining my indoor bike but am a little lost for outdoor cycle maintenance!
by foreign_lauren
10 Comments
You shouldn’t grease chains. Use chain lube or wax, only apply chain lube to the rollers and remove the excess with a rag.
Don’t use that on a chain but it is great for most other things. Depending on the climate where you live will determine which chain lube to use.
PPL grease for general assembly and parts that move (jockey wheels, bottom bracket, crank spindle, headset, etc)
Anti-seize for metal parts that don’t move but you want to be able to disassemble someday (crank arms, aluminum seatpost, etc)
Carbon paste for carbon parts (seatpost, handlebar, stem)
Chain lube or wax for chains
Thank you all*! Helpful to know what to look for and that grease and lube are in fact different things with distinct purposes for varying parts of the bike.
Not recommended for chains. Not sure what you mean by crank arms threading but it’s fine to use on pedal threads and crank bolts. However the interface between the crank and a square taper bottom bracket should be bone dry. Not even a fingerprint.
The spindle grease is widely debated- seems best to seek manufacturer’s instructions as they will have accounted for dry or greased taper in their torque specs.
For example White Industries ENO instructions:
“4. Lightly oil or spread a thin film of grease onto the tapers of your bottom bracket spindle. Take the drive side crank arm and chain ring assembly and slide it onto the drive side of the bottom bracket spindle (Fig.9). Apply some grease to the internal threads of the crank arm just beyond the end of the bottom bracket spindle (Fig.10).”
You don’t grease chains – you lube them.
You grease threading, bearings, and other spots to prevent corrosion
[Park tool](https://youtu.be/4WdQIXmwN8M?si=0qGTRp7rpVqpgTxw) has a good vid on this.
Oil the chain, don’t grease it, it needs to be able to sleep into the inside of the chain.
You said you use this on crank arms, not on the taper I hope. It’s good for threads and bearings.
That’s for basic bolts and attachments. Not for chain, not for seatpost or stem (you need carbon paste for seatpost and stem).