Bicycling takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It also requires a bit of oil and grease to keep your bike moving smoothly with all the blood, sweat and tears you’re getting on it. You might ask “What should I oil on my bike?” Every so often and just once in a while? What should I never oil? Although we’ve had a similar post in the past, we wanted to dive into this question in more detail. Here are our mechanic recommendations on what to oil, grease and what to keep nice and dry. If you’ve got any questions we don’t cover here, give us a call or email. Or stop by our repair shop in Portland
What Should I Oil on My Bike?
Essentially, you want to make sure all moving parts are oiled/greased appropriately. Be sure to use bicycle lubricant, not WD40 or another solvent. Putting anything other than bike lube on your components can cause them to corrode faster. I’ve had customers tell me they’ve used motor oil,baby oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, etc. Sounds like a good idea right? Actually it’s not, it ends being more work to clean up since it picks up more dirt onto the drivetrain. Besides the nice scent of the non bike oil of your choice, the only thing you are left with is a bunch of parts needing replacing often. We use Finish Line at our shop and it’s a fantastic lube to use for almost anything that needs it, plus it smells pretty great! As for grease, we use Phil Wood Waterproof Grease, great for all the threads and keeping your non drivetrain parts and bearings working smooth.
At best, excess oil can collect dirt. At worst, it can make your bike less stable or safe. Even after you oil something like a chain, its a good idea to wipe off the oil from non-moving parts (like the faceplates of the chain).
Handlebars
Bottom Brackets (grease, but don’t oil)
Threadless Stems
Anywhere near your braking surface
Cassettes
Disc Rotors
Brake Pads
So the next time you’re looking at your rusty steed and a bottle of lubricant, refer to this list and ask yourself “what should I oil?”
Be sure to use bicycle lubricant, not WD40 or another solvent. Putting anything other than bike lube on your components can cause them to corrode faster. I've had customers tell me they've used motor oil, baby oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, etc.
In general, oils with a higher viscosity are better for older engines with more wear, while oils with a lower viscosity are suitable for newer engines. But it is always best to follow your motorcycle manufacturer's recommendations. These numbers are known as SAE grade.
One important application for grease is bearing systems, such as those found on hubs, headsets, pedals and bottom brackets. Bearing systems that use loose or caged ball bearings, such as cup-and-cone bottom brackets, cup-and-cone hubs, and threaded headsets, rely on grease for smooth operation and minimal excess wear.
Modern bikes are equipped with indicators to let you know when the oil level is low. When the oil warning light comes on, it is a sign that your bike is low on oil which means it is time to check the oil level.
Rapeseed (canola) oil adheres to chains better than olive oil, but olive oil will work if you can't afford bicycle chain lube. It's just not as good at lubricating and preventing wear.
Only if you want to accumulate road dirt and grime on your chain and gears. WD-40, of which fish oil is reportedly the main ingredient, works well as a solvent or to protect against rust, but is certainly not the ideal lubricant. Use a wax or Teflon based lubricant designed for bikes.
Vaseline would be a terrible chain lubricant. As a petroleum jelly, it may share somewhat similar qualities to some chain lubricants, but the design and application are far apart. I would advise you to use lubricants and grease designed for cycling use. Another great product to use would be WD-40.
Sure. It ain't the best lubricant for the application… but it also isn't the worst and some lubricant is always better than nothing. Understand that everything in line with the chain will have grease on it.
Yes, the wrong engine oil may cause component damage
If the precisely adjusted properties of the engine oil do not match those of the manufacturer's approvals in the engine, extreme wear or even costly component damage can occur. Errors in oil selection therefore usually become noticeable after just a few kilometres.
Very mildly blended mineral-based single-grade motor oil. Specially tailored to the requirements of classic cars and motorcycles without oil filter or with cyclone separator (disk filter).
If your bike has cable-actuated brakes and clutch, you should be lubing those cables regularly. Water and junk can make their way into your cables and corrode them. The pivot points of the cables themselves should also be lubed so that when the cable is tensioned, the wires themselves do not bend.
Keep in mind, the only part of the chain that requires lube is the rollers. Excess lube on the links, cassette, pulleys, and chainrings should be wiped away because it will attract dirt, dust, and grime.
Lube and clean your chain after every ride if you are riding in wet, snowy, salty, conditions, or conditions where there's more dirt and especially sand. If you are riding in dusty, sandy conditions, you can use dry or Teflon-based lubes, which don't attract abrasive dirt and sand as much as oil-based lube does.
Dirt and grime quickly build up and may affect your bike's performance. Since most modern crankset systems contain sealed bearings, you don't need to lube the area or regrease the bearings. Simply wash the bike after each ride.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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