As the title says. Brought it into my LBS for my guy to install… and then as I watched him, realized that he didn’t use grease at all. Is it already cooked? Should I leave it as-is? Should I remove it and grease it myself and put it back in? Or would that cause more damage than it’s worth?
Thanks in advance!
by dcultrastar
14 Comments
Do you mean put grease on the threads of the BB?
Yes, absolutely install it with grease (or anti-seize). Otherwise it’ll seize in and be impossible to remove in a few years.
Tbh leave it as is maybe you will need to rethread if you ever need a new one and install it witha lot of grease but im a bike mechanic in the rental business so i dont know on bikes that arent in a good and well maintained state
Not cooked, take it back ask it to be installed with grease/anti-seize, the way the internet says!
Or anyone that’s had to bust a part out of a bike because the part wasn’t greased a bit when installed
It’s also worth asking if the shop can chase the threads and face the shell (facing won’t matter for this bb but if you ever go to a external cup it’s important), it’s usually standard procedure to do that when building up a new bike.
It’s not already cooked.
I would 100% just take it out myself and redo it, and then, since I have to tools, I’d never need to have LBS service it again.
Yes, remove and apply grease to the internal and external threads; this helps when removing it for maintenance. I do this myself on mine; every six months I disassemble, clean, and grease everything. Besides preserving the part, it keeps it always functioning well.
When it’s critical, I wash the bearings with WD40 and apply new grease, and also grease the outside of the part; this helps insulate against moisture.
Grease is not necessary for the bearings, if that’s what you mean. No open balls that would need it.
You typically grease the threads of the screw-in caps, but that’s more for future-proofing it – no way it’s already screwed. You might have to unscrew it again anyway if it creaks and try different options of silencing it, so it pays to have that standard tool at home (like 10 $ – quality will do if you need it only occasionally).
Don’t do anything. Just don’t let it get neglected for years and the next time you service it you can make sure it’s greased
Take it back and ask them to do it properly. People love to say “Go to your LBS” as a mantra, the true is that bike mechanics can be as crooked as car mechanics. LBS have tried to convince me that cable housing is exchangeable (brakes/shifter) or to buy a different size tube which I get is not a critical thing, but if I’m going to be lbs I expect them to have the right size, send me away, or give me some explanation rather than BS me.
Assuming the mechanic wasn’t a manager, first thing I’d do is go talk to the maintenance manager and ask them if you should be concerned about it, and hopefully that opens a door for them to fix their mistake with an apology. Then again, you might find out that the head mechanic is doing some piss poor training instead.
Cartridge BB threads are likely either plastic or steel.. the plastic side I wouldn’t worry about. But the frame looks to be aluminum? So steel + aluminum = galvanic corrosion so I’d definitely pull it out and grease it.
As for this bracket – many have one cup steel and the other plastic. If this is the plastic side, it will be fine, if it’s the steel one – absolutely redo it. This was a cost of learning.
If you are redoing it and this is steel on steel, virtually any grease would do. If this is aluminum, I would look for specific anti-seize – for the threads.
Just in case you were asking about packing this with grease – that’s not even possible, it’s cartridge bearings.
If it was me, I would have wrapped it into a curious question at the shop. I would NOT go back because if you have to watch them all the time, might as well do it yourself.
If you have to re-do it: you could have asked there and then, but opted not to – you won’t change your personality about these things. Other personality types – yes, they would go back to confront them, but then they can’t return later anymore. 🙂
Also: If they messed up, support another shop with your money in the future.
Nah, that’s a pretty low end bb. It’ll need to be replaced before it can seize. Jk, get the dude to redo it. Shouldn’t take ten minutes
is it a nylon cup? I think you don’t grease them