[ejewels]

Hey everyone. I have Bontrager line comp 30 wheels and I’m doing the popular upgrade of going to 108 poe as well as replacing the Shimano driver to XD. Apparently I need bontrager hub grease to install properly. Are there any other alternatives to use for grease? Lithium grease OK?

 

[Shark]

Do you know if that is a light or heavy grease?

I use Pedro's synthetic for just about everything, it's fine inside Hope hubs.

 

[ejewels]

Taking apart the hub, the pawls have this gooey stuff for sure. Not thin.

 

[Fajita Dave]

I've never had a 108 poe hub but generally any thin grease is fine in my opinion. Lithium grease is good, I've also used slick honey. Just don't use to much causing the pawls to stick.

 

[Lone Rager]

^^^ yeah. Something thin and non-sticky is best. If the pawls are slow to engage, you can wind up putting a lot of force on them before they fully engage and damage pawls or the ratchet ring. This is a pretty common problem and cold can make it worse.

I find that a small amount of Slick Honey can be OK. I also use gear oil on some hubs. Dumonde Tech makes a specific pawl lube which is very good. If the freehub is louder, it means the pawls are moving faster, which is a good thing.

 

[ejewels]

Interesting. The goop that is in there now seems thick? Almost like vasoline.

 

[Shark]

How old is the stuff in there?

 

[ejewels]

It’s bontrager line 30 comp wheels off a 2018 so bit old at all.

 

[frdfandc]

I normally use either Slick Honey, or Phil's Tenacious oil for hubs. Never had a problem.

 

[Harold]

Interesting. The goop that is in there now seems thick? Almost like vasoline.

The old, gummed up stuff can't really be used to determine the characteristics of the stuff that was used.

Think about how gummy chain lube can get when it's old and full of dirt. Or what happens to the light lube shimano puts in its shifters after years and years of use (it gets gummy and the shifter starts misbehaving, requiring that you hose the thing out with degreaser and put fresh lube in).

I've been using Phil's Tenacious Oil in my hubs for years, and when it gets old and dirty, it gets thick and gummy, too, totally different from its properties fresh out of the bottle.