[amanda jo]

Hello,

We have 4 boys who ride and we got them all pretty nice (for us!) bikes this year. We had the bikes basically on the beach in Texas on a windy day. Pre ride a helpful family member I may have married put white lithium grease on everything to try and keep the wind born sand off. When we got home the boys and I spent hours cleaning off the caked on sand/grease. Once they were cleanish the helpful family member regreased them with white lithium grease.... Chain and all (not the breaks at least...)

Is this okay?

I think we need to get some type of degreaser and just put chain oil on. Its caked onto everything. He thinks its helful?

-Amanda

 

[CrozCountry]

Not a great idea. Plain grease attracts sand and dirt. Use a degreaser like Orange or simple green. Another way to do it is to remove the chains from the bikes and soak in solvent. This is not always practical as some chains need to be broken.

I recommend rock and roll chain lube for mountain bikes. Do it outside as it needs to evaporate the solvent.

 

[amanda jo]

Thanks for the help. Can I put the degreaser on everything? The pully and derailer and brake parks?

Not a great idea. Plain grease attracts sand and dirt. Use a degreaser like Orange or simple green. Another way to do it is to remove the chains from the bikes and soak in solvent. This is not always practical as some chains need to be broken.

I recommend rock and roll chain lube for mountain bikes. Do it outside as it needs to evaporate the solvent.

 

[Harold]

oy!

your "helpful" family member needs to stay. away. from. the. grease.

basic rule for grease is that there shouldn't be any grease that's just exposed to the air. You experienced why. dirt sticks to it. you can put degreaser on just about everything. but try to keep it from getting into pivots and bearings and things that actually need to be greased. I'd recommend putting a little bit on a rag and cleaning smallish areas at a time so you can avoid OVER-applying it. make your family member do it.

remove your brake pads before doing anything so you can keep them clean. hopefully there's no grease on them.

And yeah, use a lighter chain lube. there are lots on the market. all are better than straight grease.

 

[Fajita Dave]

Very few things on a bicycle need grease and a chain is not one of them. Chains need a dry or a wet chain lube. Dry lubes are great if you don't put in to many miles and you're not riding in wet conditions. They don't create an oily chain that will put a black stain on anything your chain touches. Using a wet chain lube lasts longer and doesn't wash out so easily when riding in wet conditions. Using a wet lube you should give the chain a quick wipe at the end of each ride to avoid oil build up on the outside of the chain. One thing to keep is mind is you don't want lube on the outside of the chain. You only need lube inside the chain rollers and anything outside should be wiped off.

The only place that typically "should" have some exposed grease is on the bottom bracket bearings. Just a small amount against the bearing inward of the crank arms helps keep water and dirt out of the BB bearings. I personally don't leave exposed grease anywhere on my bike as it always seems to do more harm than good.

Any mild bike degreaser will be good at cleaning up the mess on your bikes. As someone else said it's probably best to put it on a rag and wipe the grease off. Remove the wheels when you clean the bike up and clean the braking surfaces with alcohol before you put them back on! Make sure the brake pads are clean too. If you have disc brakes it's probably better you leave the pads alone. They get contaminated easily and removing the pads will probably just increase the risk of getting something on there that shouldn't be. If they're rim brakes you can just wipe the pads off with some alcohol.

 

[Harold]

If you have disc brakes it's probably better you leave the pads alone. They get contaminated easily and removing the pads will probably just increase the risk of getting something on there that shouldn't be. If they're rim brakes you can just wipe the pads off with some alcohol.

My concern is the potential for thinned out grease to drip and run, which is where my recommendation to remove the pads came from. I guess it depends on how badly the grease was applied to the bike.

 

[rangeriderdave]

Places that I will use grease ,head set bearing , wheel bearing ,places I might seat post/saddle rails and if the seals can be removed bottom bracket.