From: Mark Rehder <mark@re-cycles.ca>
Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] non-petroleum lube
To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org>
Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 11:32 AM

Bearing friction inside a hub, indeed, any metal on metal friction, does generate a quite a bit of heat, even at a cruising around town speeds.  Run hubs without proper grease and watch your bearings slowly disintegrate...

But yes a chain is a different matter. The biggest issue there is finding something that properly penetrates where it needs to go (the side plates of the chain don't need lube as much as the pins do), and also doesn't drip off or wash off in the first rain, or leave the chain a gunky mess that attracts more dirt. Which will be the fate of olive and similar oils. I know, as a few of my friends have tried it.

Mark


On 4-May-11, at 2:16 PM, james bledsoe wrote:

> Bicycles don't get hot like cars.   The main lube question i have is for the chain.  Chains  need to be lubed and cleaned  very often just because of the  exposure.  For Hubs, BB and Headsets of course it is different.   i will try olive oil  on my chain and report back later.
>
> jim
>
> From: Mark Rehder <mark@re-cycles.ca>
> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org>
> Sent: Wed, May 4, 2011 11:08:10 AM
> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] non-petroleum lube
>
> My Dad was a metallurgist. I once asked him about using plant-based bearing grease, and he said the main issue of course was the ability of any lube to withstand the heat from friction.  Petroleum-derived is the best choice for this, though he said one could use plant-based if one didn't mind far more frequent overhauls.  Now, this was fifteen years ago, and I'm sure someday someone will find a good formula for a non-petroleum lube. Maybe the linked stuff is it?
>
> Our shop uses MEC's Bio-Cycle for cleaning, but standard high-temp bearing grease for hubs. It'd be great if a plant-based product indeed works as advertised.
>
> Mark Rehder - Coordinator
> re-Cycles Community Bike Shop
> http://re-cycles.ca
>
>
> On 4-May-11, at 1:42 PM, Chris Chan wrote:
>
> > MEC used to stock a biodegradable lube.  It didn't work very well.
> >
> > If you build a covered shed, you can keep your solvent tank outside. You just need something to keep the rain from getting into your system--before we stopped using our varsol tank, our shed was just big enough for the system itself (you stood outside of the shed to actually use it). You can just hammer together something really simple.
> >
> >
> > On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 11:13 AM, Jonathan Morrison <jonathan@slcbikecollective.org> wrote:
> > Has anyone heard of or used this plant based lube line?
> > http://orontas.com
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Jonathan Morrison
> > Executive Director
> > Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
> > 2312 S. West Temple
> > Salt Lake City, UT 84115
> > w: 801-328-2453
> > c: 801-688-0183
> > f: 801-466-3856
> > www.slcbikecollective.org
> >
> > The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 10:33 AM, Michael Wolfe <gzuphoesdown@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Page 13 of the 1992 Bridgestone bicycle catalog has a unique recommendation of using olive oil.
> >
> > http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 4/2/08, Bob Giordano <mist@strans.org> wrote: Indoor air quality is tops on our list for a healthy shop atmosphere.  We
> > do not store anything that gives off harmful fumes.  Tooth brushes and
> > simple green (highly diluted) in a small wooden bowl is our parts cleaning
> > station.  We are even moving away from simple green (i've learned it is
> > harmful to some)- to a citrus based cleaner.
> >
> > I guess tri flow is the only thing with fumes in the shop.  Often we ask
> > people to use it outside.  I'd like to find a non-petroleum lube.
> >
> > -Bob Giordano, Free Cycles Missoula
> >
> >
> > Michael Wolfe wrote:
> > > Speaking of liver damage, etc..  Wondering if any shops out there have
> > had
> > > issues solvent tanks in their shop?  The fumes give me a headache but
> > others
> > > don't seem to mind it.  Mostly I worry about the health effects on the full
> > > time people in the shop.  Short of installing a hood or ventalation
> > system,
> > > what options are there to locate that stuff outside?
> >
> >
>
>
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