XC Turner Czar

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Always with the guns isn't it @Zaf!

The grease ports allow you to grease the axles of your pivots, not the bearings. I feel like I've just taken a bite of pilchard.
The axles shouldn’t be rotating on bearing races though? Why do they need lube?
 
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Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
I mean you always put abit of grease on the axles when installing them to stop them creaking, but its a light coating. And it doesn’t go anywhere
 

Flow-Rider

Burner
The axles shouldn’t be rotating on bearing races though? Why do they need lube?
Pivot axles can creak a lot of times and you've got to strip the bike right down just to re grease them. There's nothing worse on a climb to hear that creaking sound on every pedal stroke.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
@Zaf @Ultra Lord

I feel very exposed here...kind of like when a marlin comes right up behind the boat chasing a large teaser, and then the switch bait happens.

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Anyway all the bikes I have grease ports on allow grease to be squirted in onto the axles running through the pivots. My OG nomad didn't have this feature and one day it was creaking like a retiree's pelvis. The lbs hooked me up with fresh DU and they also recommended I pop the pivots and refresh the grease. They also advised that this is why the modern ones have the grease ports. Anyway the bike was still groaning on the ride home. I popped the axles out, they very grim with sticky grease and water, cleaned them up, fresh grease in and bam...no more noise. I could he wrong about all of this (neck brace evidence?) but that is what happened and I was pleased with the outcome. Where's my flame suit?
 
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slider_phil

Likes Bikes and Dirt
To add to the bearing/bushing debate. @Zaf used wheel bearings as an example of something the car/machinery industry doesn't have an issue with. But I'd say the bike industry doesn't have an issue with wheel bearings either.

Cars/machinery uses bushings for suspension. If I car used bearings for suspension pivots they won't last long. I think they use bearings in the bike industry because they're trying to get that really "supple" feeling from the suspension and bushings require more force to move.

Example, machine I'm working on today. Main suspension pivot using bushings and grease points. Normal bearings in the wheels and they last the life of the machine. Bushings? About 2000hrs which depending on the farm can be 2 years or 6 years.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
^ further to that...in my experience the axles seem to be on a contact fit with the sleeve they run in through the frame. This doesn't stop water getting in. Sadly I get caught out in the rain a bit on the bike. Fresh grease helps the happy times continue.
 

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
That seems like a WHOLE lot of designing around something a cloth, a hex key and a finger could do in the same amount of time it takes to load the grease gun.

I don't know what to believe anymore.
Because what is can not not be!

^ further to that...in my experience the axles seem to be on a contact fit with the sleeve they run in through the frame. This doesn't stop water getting in. Sadly I get caught out in the rain a bit on the bike. Fresh grease helps the happy times continue.
Yep. But not greasing the bearings, like some people (zaf) would have us believe!
Marine grease for axles is the best stuff mate. You’re right, they dont seal that interface
 
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pink poodle

気が狂っている男
Is there any other grease than marine? I purchased some Lannox once trying to be a bit kinder to my hands and the planet...fucking stuff was toast the second it rained.
 

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Sheep grease does not sheep make.

I use lanotec where I would have used inox/fish oil, but it’s no grease.
 

Flow-Rider

Burner
Is there any other grease than marine? I purchased some Lannox once trying to be a bit kinder to my hands and the planet...fucking stuff was toast the second it rained.
Good quality automotive wheel bearing grease, Castrol HTB or an equivalent brand.

If you want bushing to last and have the least amount of friction, you normally have to hone it to size, we're talking measured in microns here and that can mean a lot of expensive tooling and labour not to mention the skill.
 

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Good quality automotive wheel bearing grease, Castrol HTB or an equivalent brand.

If you want bushing to last and have the least amount of friction, you normally have to hone it to size, we're talking measured in microns here and that can mean a lot of expensive tooling and labour not to mention the skill.
Gimme some bearing blue, lapping paste and a scraper! Nightmare of a job haha. Such pain, much boredom and monotony.
 
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