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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