What grease to use between rear cassette and hub?

[chris.steenkamp]

Hi, busy converting to 1 X 11 and need advice. What grease to use between rear cassette and hub?

[Keezx]

Nothing.

[foxyrider]

Grease?

[Brucey]

depends what cassette, what hub, and what you are trying to achieve.

cheers

[David9694]

This is an unusual question as the OP must have understood quite a lot of tech stuff to make this upgrade and to have got to this point.

I recommend some thread locker on the cassette locknut, having had this come undone on my wife’s bike a couple of times.

[Samuel D]

I grease Shimano freehub splines with Mobilith SHC 1500, an NLGI 1.5 grease with a high-viscosity base fluid, good water resistance, and corrosion inhibitors. Since this spline interface doesn’t have preload except axially from the locknut, movement can happen under pedalling forces. With movement comes wear and creaking unless the interface is greased.

Besides, rust is not impossible in these steel components, and I don’t see downsides to grease here. Maybe a non-greaser above can inform me about those. I’ve never had a problem.

[pwa]

I've always smeared any old grease over the splines, but my splines have always been steel. Same on the locknut threads and they have never come loose.

[KTHSullivan]

What ever you decided, do not use this!!

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-ma ... gL_3fD_BwE

Goes all thixotropic at temperatures below 25 C in the shade, if it gets to the pawls in the free hub its a strip down and solvent job!!

[foxyrider]

I grease Shimano freehub splines with Mobilith SHC 1500, an NLGI 1.5 grease with a high-viscosity base fluid, good water resistance, and corrosion inhibitors. Since this spline interface doesn’t have preload except axially from the locknut, movement can happen under pedalling forces. With movement comes wear and creaking unless the interface is greased.

Besides, rust is not impossible in these steel components, and I don’t see downsides to grease here. Maybe a non-greaser above can inform me about those. I’ve never had a problem.

Having used cassettes since their inception i've never put grease on that interface. I've also never had it suggested to me or seen any mechanic do so (i've worked as a spanner and in a bike assembly environment).

In all those years i've never had any issues with rust, if there is any movement causing 'creaking' - well that's an indicator that something isn't fitted correctly / tight enough. Lubricant does get to the interface - excess from the chain will migrate there over time.

A loosening locknut is indicative of either insufficient tightening torque and or the locking not tightening the sprockets down fully. There should be no sideways movement of the sprockets, if there is there's something awry and yes as the LR isn't engaged properly it can and probably will loosen.

[pwa]

I grease Shimano freehub splines with Mobilith SHC 1500, an NLGI 1.5 grease with a high-viscosity base fluid, good water resistance, and corrosion inhibitors. Since this spline interface doesn’t have preload except axially from the locknut, movement can happen under pedalling forces. With movement comes wear and creaking unless the interface is greased.

Besides, rust is not impossible in these steel components, and I don’t see downsides to grease here. Maybe a non-greaser above can inform me about those. I’ve never had a problem.

Having used cassettes since their inception i've never put grease on that interface. I've also never had it suggested to me or seen any mechanic do so (i've worked as a spanner and in a bike assembly environment).

In all those years i've never had any issues with rust, if there is any movement causing 'creaking' - well that's an indicator that something isn't fitted correctly / tight enough. Lubricant does get to the interface - excess from the chain will migrate there over time.

A loosening locknut is indicative of either insufficient tightening torque and or the locking not tightening the sprockets down fully. There should be no sideways movement of the sprockets, if there is there's something awry and yes as the LR isn't engaged properly it can and probably will loosen.

Funny really. I've also been using cassettes all that time and have always smeared the outside of the freehub body with grease to prevent rust. If it isn't necessary I've been wasting the odd ten seconds and 2g of grease.

[reohn2]

I brush a thin film of copper grease on the splines of the (Shimano)freehub body.

[Samuel D]

Is there a downside to greasing, foxyrider? The time and cost, however minimal, might count in a production environment. But for my personal bicycle, those considerations don’t apply.

[Brucey]

if the freehub body is aluminium, greasing the splines is likely to accelerate whatever tendency the cassette will have for 'biting' into the freehub body.

cheers

[foxyrider]

I grease Shimano freehub splines with Mobilith SHC 1500, an NLGI 1.5 grease with a high-viscosity base fluid, good water resistance, and corrosion inhibitors. Since this spline interface doesn’t have preload except axially from the locknut, movement can happen under pedalling forces. With movement comes wear and creaking unless the interface is greased.

Besides, rust is not impossible in these steel components, and I don’t see downsides to grease here. Maybe a non-greaser above can inform me about those. I’ve never had a problem.

Having used cassettes since their inception i've never put grease on that interface. I've also never had it suggested to me or seen any mechanic do so (i've worked as a spanner and in a bike assembly environment).

In all those years i've never had any issues with rust, if there is any movement causing 'creaking' - well that's an indicator that something isn't fitted correctly / tight enough. Lubricant does get to the interface - excess from the chain will migrate there over time.

A loosening locknut is indicative of either insufficient tightening torque and or the locking not tightening the sprockets down fully. There should be no sideways movement of the sprockets, if there is there's something awry and yes as the LR isn't engaged properly it can and probably will loosen.

Funny really. I've also been using cassettes all that time and have always smeared the outside of the freehub body with grease to prevent rust. If it isn't necessary I've been wasting the odd ten seconds and 2g of grease.

TBH I can't ever remember seeing a rusty freehub body - not on the splines. Oh destroyed bearings yes but certainly not on the outside - well maybe a slight stain - no not even that!

[foxyrider]

Is there a downside to greasing, foxyrider? The time and cost, however minimal, might count in a production environment. But for my personal bicycle, those considerations don’t apply.

As Brucey says, it can accelerate wear on Al components. Steel on steel it maybe doesn't do any harm even if it serves no purpose. Of course any grease will attract dirt and you really don't want any more of that around your hub than is really neccessary.