I wonder what is this grease on the ends of the derailleur spring and if I should replace it from time to time.
by Successful-Arm106
I wonder what is this grease on the ends of the derailleur spring and if I should replace it from time to time.
by Successful-Arm106
12 Comments
Yes you can and should lubricate these moving parts from time to time. I wouldn’t worry about the specific type of grease.
Most likely unnecessary. I live in one of the worst cities for winter bike rust on the planet, and the only place I’ve seen rear derailleurs getting seized up is the swivel where the bolt mounts to the derailleur hanger.
That said, it certainly wouldn’t hurt adding a peasized dab of grease every few years if you’re into meticulous maintenance.
As for the grease type, it may be Motorex (aqua or silvergrey container).
You should wipe off the excess grease
I put a drop of chain lube on the pivots you can see in the picture.
Grease like this attracts dirt – and causes more problems than it solves.
Shimano premium grease = Autol top 2000. At 230 min mark.
Mapdec cycling has a fantastic video on different greases.
https://youtu.be/_gBETk6_TeY
I think this is Motorex grease so should be easy to get more
It is rebranded “Motorex Bike Grease 2000”. You can also buy it branded from Shimano in a fancy tube [Shimano Premium Grease | Jenson USA](https://www.jensonusa.com/shimano-premium-grease)
Not really, it will just make it more quiet.
I wonder if that’s the same stuff that causes the shifters to goop up and quit working after a few years.
I’m not sure what a glob of grease there would do. That location has a spring sitting on a pin. But unless the derailleur gets super hot or something the grease isn’t going to thin out enough to move into an area where surfaces are rubbing.
We would apply thin lubes to the 4 vertical pivot pins through the derailleur body when doing a tune up. Let it soak in during chain lube and alignment, then wipe it off when done. Grease and lube sitting on top of a surface offers some rust protection, but no wear protection, and leaves a big mess. Unnecessary on aluminum and stainless steel.
Shimano has been using (shipping new parts with) this green grease for decades: it was on all new parts in ‘93 when I started working in shops!
It does resist water nicely, but it’s also applied liberally and tends to attract/collect dust and grime.
I’d always wipe the excess off of new parts and continue to clean (degreaser) and re-lubricate on a regular basis. No need to find this exact grease: regular bike chain lube (TriFlow, DumondeTech, whatever) works great at penetrating all the important pivots and springs.
I personally think it’s way too much as it will attract dirt. I would remove most of the blobs but keep a thin layer. Motorex Bike Grease 2000 is very similar to this