Old bike shop guy told me to leave grease out of hub bearings

I was rebuilding the rear wheel on my 80s Fuji and a mechanic at the local co-op said to just put a tiny dab of oil in the hubs instead of packing grease. Said grease just slows things down and traps dirt. I followed his advice and 200 miles later the bearings sounded like gravel in a blender. Rode it back to the shop and another mechanic said the old guy was wrong for that kind of riding. Has anyone else run into advice from old timers that just doesn't hold up anymore?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_park24d ago

Gravel in a blender" is exactly what happened to my old Schwinn. Same bad advice there.

julia_anderson24d ago

Funny you mention the Schwinn. That's a solid bike brand generally, but the advice people give about "just taking it to a local shop" doesn't always work if the shop doesn't know what they're doing with vintage parts. Your bike probably got treated like a modern one when it needed a gentler touch, you know? My brother's old Paramount had the same issue after someone told him to just swap the bottom bracket. Ended up with a stripped cup because the thread pitch was different on older Schwinns.

emery_white24d ago

That old timer gave you straight up bad advice for anything other than maybe a super slow cruiser on flat ground. Grease is there to stay put and keep water and grit out, not just to lube things up. A dab of oil will fling off in a few miles and leave the bearings dry, which is exactly what wrecked yours. Some of those old school guys get stuck in their ways from a time when bikes saw way less miles and way less weather. You need a proper grease pack in cup and cone hubs, no two ways about it. Don't let one stubborn mechanic talk you into ruining another wheel.