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c/bicycle-mechanicscora_west5cora_west55d agoProlific Poster

Swapped grease brands on my hub rebuilds and stopped wrecking bearings

Used to swear by Phil Wood waterproof grease for everything, figured thick meant tough. After 6 months of hubs getting rough on cargo bikes in portland rain, I tried Mobile 28 synthetic. Turns out the thick stuff just thrashed the balls on cheap freehub bodies. Anybody else find a grease that handles wet commutes without destroying cheap hubs?
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3 Comments
xena_hernandez98
Have you tried the Red n Tacky stuff for wet rides?
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robin896
robin8965d agoTop Commenter
Phil Wood wrecked three sets of Shimano cups on my winter commuter before I switched to Mobil 28, never looked back.
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viola_garcia56
Well, at least the Phil Wood grease is good for something, like turning your hubs into a rock tumbler for bearings. I ran that stuff in a bottom bracket once and it felt like I was pedaling through oatmeal by the third week. Mobil 28 sounds like the smarter choice, unless you enjoy replacing cups and cones like they're disposable. Maybe the secret is just using whatever grease is cheapest and swapping it out every month, because apparently fancy means gritty.
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