Marine grade grease…is it all that?

I need aome new grease. All round but mainly for shimano wheel bearings

I sometimes see people recomend marine grade grease?

Is it really the best?

I have some green coloured bearing grease currently…it OK but seems to wash out a little easier than I’d like

In a nutshell, regular grease isn’t waterproof and mixes with water which dilutes it and washes it out. Marine grease is waterproof and doesn’t mix with water and so lasts longer before degrading in wet environments.

Yep marine grease is great i purchased a tube similar size to silicone sealant of blue stuff (mobil) online. It will last me forever. It lasts much longer in my bearings and bb. I race or used to race cx and in the sloppy gloop it definitely outlasts the regular grease.

So why don’t bike manufacturers use this stuff as standard then…whats the downside

for wheel bearings it’s probably overkill unless you have a jetwash fetish.

I use what Hope recommend for their hubs: MOBILGREASE XHP 222, not sure if it’s marine grade.

So why don’t bike manufacturers use this stuff as standard then…whats the downside

Much drag.

Not a clue I just get it free from work that’s why I use it.

I’d guess marine grease costs more so bikes come with cheapest grease.

TBH in bikes I’m not sure it’s that important. I use XHP222 (er, probably, it might be 221) and it’s not as waterproof as the really full on marine greases that people used to recommend, but also nothing like as sticky, it seems a good compromise.

(I use proper thick gooey marine grease in RC cars, because the manufacturers don’t even bother to seal those against water, but everything gets soaked and I like driving them underwater. Overkill for bikes though)

I use what Hope recommend for their hubs: MOBILGREASE XHP 222, not sure if it’s marine grade.

Yes it is.

The jeadset bearings in my stumpy are leaking brown water after just four months..

Got some lucas oil Red n Tacky after much googling to pack out the new ones with.

So why don’t bike manufacturers use this stuff as standard then…whats the downside

Bike manufacturers don’t usually make or fill bearings tbh, in terms of numbers, they’ll be a very small player to bearing manufacturers.

If you want some mobil 222, I’ll pop some in a tub and send you it, I’ve got tubes of the stuff.

Highly reccomend this stuff for MTB use – it’s bright blue so easy to keep track of, very water resistant, a good spec for the requirements of bikes (low speed, low temp, wet and grimy). It’s also quite close in specification to that magic Green shimano grease (thats how I found it).

Its a tenner for a big cartridge in amazon, I just decant it into a grease gun.

https://www.rocol.com/products/sapphire-2

Red n tacky is my go to for headsets, pedals, outer wheel bearing and freehub seals. Amazing stuff.

I bought a pot of wheel bearing grease for boat trailers. It doesn’t look very posh (solid beige) but hopefully its better than the fancy colourful translucent grease you get in your posh Enduro bearings.

Another vote for the Mobil stuff, just don’t get it on any clothes you actually like! Huge tube for less than a tenner on eBay. You’ll never buy bike branded grease again.

How do you dispense it out of the big tube? I’ve got a grease gun for small tubes with a threaded lid which is great for getting grease into tight spots, but 400ml for £10, and I’m in.

My grease gun has a little can – I just decant (spoon!) some in every so often.

Or an old paint brush dobbed in the top.

I thought A Milwaukee 18 volt cartridge grease gun was a bit overkill for the odd headset or something every few months!

Just bought this, figured it’s easier to use from a tub….

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOBILGREASE-XHP-222-500g-TUBS/392312562904?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908103841%26meid%3D29f4ff5f01694e72a70ee15987474ee2%26pid%3D100227%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D392312562904%26itm%3D392312562904%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2053904%26brand%3DMobil&_trksid=p2053904.c100227.m3827

I bought a job lot of Mobil xhp222 400g tubes years ago, worked out at a £5 each, flogged most of it on Ebay and also give small tubs of it away with bike parts sold on Ebay, i just squeeze it into tubs then slice the tube open and use a little silicone spatula to scrape the last bits out, you could buy a cartridge grease gun but they’re a bit cumbersome.

I use Maxima waterproof grease. Its designed for use in dirt bikes so its really thick/heavy and a little goes a long way. Plus cos its for dirt bikes, it doesn’t have the “lifestyle” price tag of a mtb specific grease.

I got it from an online dirt bike accessory store for about a fiver a few years back and have only used less than a quarter of the tub. My pivot bearings last longer since I started using it for sure.

I’ve got Bell Marine grease as it’s certified safe for carbon fibre…

I’ve also got MOBILGREASE XHP 222 which I now use in bearings on the Hope Hubs etc… No doubt if I check it’s carbon friendly too.

Both last really well and the tub (Bell) and tube (Mobil) will last me a lifetime I would think so good value.

When you buy a Hope product the blue grease on it is mobil xhp222, Enduro also use it in their abec5 bearings, its perfect for mountain bikes IMHO, the good peeps above will send you a tub if you pay postage. Manufacturers will typically use the cheapest and least messy grease, marine grease clings better and is often dark coloured so definitely harder to clean up.
Mobils a good choice to keep cup n cone hubs well sealed. Its main use is in agricultural applications.

Another one to consider – Silkolene Pro RG2 

I buy a 500g tub and it lasts a few years (2x MTB and various car duties).

111 Molykote is considered amongst the best for greasing the stern gland

When you buy a Hope product the blue grease on it is mobil xhp222

Any hope hub or bearings I’ve ever bought hasn’t had 222 in there, a very light (and often sparse) white grease instead. They show it on their instructional videos though.

+1 for Maxima waterproof grease, i have used it for a good few years now in hub, headsets, pedals, bb’s and wheels and it does a great job, very sticky but stays put.

Manufacturers will typically use the cheapest and least messy grease,

Or none at all, the last few Specialized’s, Scott’s, Trek’s, Airdrop’s and Transitions I have had in to do bearing swaps have all had their pivots dry assembled, made pulling the pivot axles out a miserable job.

Should have said-= The stern gland is the bit where a boats propshaft enters the boat from the propeller, so pretty important water doesn’t leak in through there. As such any grease would need to be extremely sticky, and not be affected by salt water.

I was told that wool-grease(Lanolin) was also an effective grease for this job.

I have a 5kg tub of Shell grease used for pellet press bearings (24 hours life span at high temperature with steam as an added complication). I expect that it will see me out until I can no longer ride or see to pack bearings. After 15 years I’ve barely dented the contents.

Nobeer I said on not in, not all Hope products have the grease, rotors, chainrings for example, I was referring to the visible blue grease on the levers, seat clamp, stem etc, I was answering seftons why don’t manufacturers question, you seem confused by this question, he wasn’t referring to whats inside cartridge bearings, he’s referring to general assembly and loose ball bearing use, I think.

I like Shimano grease.

I’ve been using water pump grease made by GB Lubricants in Gateshead, for about 25 years.

Another one to consider – Silkolene Pro RG2.

I bought a tub in 1997. Only use it on the bikes and very occasional stuff round the house.

Got about half left!

Is there a decent light grease for freehub pawls etc?

Nobeer I said on not in, not all Hope products have the grease, rotors, chainrings for example, I was referring to the visible blue grease on the levers, seat clamp, stem etc, I was answering seftons why don’t manufacturers question, you seem confused by this question, he wasn’t referring to whats inside cartridge bearings, he’s referring to general assembly and loose ball bearing use, I think.

Not confused at all, I’m well aware that chainrings and rotors won’t come with greases, on or in, none of my hubs, Pro2, Pro2evo, or Pro4 have ever came with 222. I notice as I use it on everything, and prepack new bearings with it too.

Mineral oil works well for freehub pawls. A couple of drops on each one is all you need. Well, that’s what I was told but I use DT swiss hubs now so use their grease on the ratchets.

Best stuff i’ve used is JCB Branded Blue Grease –
I first used it on Diggers being used for coastal defence work (trawling about in seawater moving rocks) and figured it must be pretty good.
It was by far the best stuff i’d ever put in Landrover wheel bearings/UJs and works really well in everything else i’ve tried it on.

Cheap as chips (because they use a huge amount on Diggers)

Is there a decent light grease for freehub pawls etc?

Nearly any semifluid grease will do, NLGI viscosity 0, 00 or 000. In the absence of that a mix of regular grease (i.e. NLGI 2) ‘thinned’ with some oil will do.