Grease for Shimano Nexus 8 internally geared hub and Shimano shaft drive

[ShortBuSX]

Why did you buy a Nexus hub if you wanted to tinker??? Thats one of those ride it till it breaks and then replace it type things(with only minor cable adjustment/replacement)...I dont know anybody who repairs internally geared hubs or coaster brakes...replace em!

But if you did want to find a grease that would work, why not the normal Shimano green stuff? You should be able to bu this stuff online if need be...but Id suggest that Nexus grease only because thats whats recommended, although I like Bullshot for normal hubs.

 

[moribundman]

1. I already found the correct lube for the Nexus hub. (SEE ABOVE!)

2. I can't help but tinkering. Also, the NEXUS 8 should be serviced once a year. It's not a big deal. The whole unit can be pulled out of the hub housing in one piece. The grease on it does wear out.

The proper grease for the shaft drive is WHAT I STILL NEED!

 

[brian fix]

for shaft,,use any NLGI number 0 or 1 ,prefer synt.,,,,check with a John Deere outlet,,get the cotton picker grease it is called,,green in color,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BL

 

[moribundman]

Okay Brian, I'll give it a shot, thanks. *looks up John Deere in Yellow Pages*

I suppose any NLGI #0 or #1 will work, regardless of maker (BP, CHEVRON, AMSOIL etc)?

 

[Konst]

The Plastilube is Loctite product. It is the Disc Brake Caliper grease, mineral base with bentonite. The service temperature range is –45 ˚C to +180 ˚C. This is not good for car racing application.
Moribundman, please send me the digital photo of the shaft drive, I will to try advice the proper grease for that. I need define this grease for myself also, because I have mountain bike too.

BRGDS, Konst

 

[moribundman]

Hi Konst! I have Plastilube made by Henkel, by Teroson and by ATE (TEVES). It's all the exact same stuff. I like it a general grease for all sorts of things. I've never come across Plastilube by Loctite, but it doesn't surprise me that it's also available under that label. Actually, I believe Loctite = Teroson, depending on the country.

I'm going to take my bike's shaft drive apart next week, and I will gladly post a picture of the components. It's pretty simple really: The bottom bracket contains a bevel gear that meshes with the drive shaft bevel gear. The end of the drive shaft contains another bevel gear that meshes with the hub (also bevel) gear. The rear hub contains a Shimano Nexus 8-Speed transmission. All bevel gears are made from hardened chromoly steel. The manufacturer simply recommends bearing or joint grease. I am going to try AMSOIL Synthetic Heavy-Duty Grease NLGI #1.

 

[moribundman]

Oh well, it's already Friday, so I took the shaft drive mostly apart.

Here is a picture (not huge) that shows most of the bike's shaft drive components: pretty picture

Here is a closer view of the rear transmission gear (smaller gear) and the hub gear. The latter is directly mated to the NEXUS 8:

There is a total of four chromoly bevel gears. The factory lube is dark grey.

 

[moribundman]

Today I found out what grease the shaft drive manufacturer recommends for the bevel gears:

Pak Tool PolyLube 1000 Lubricant
Park Tool's poly-urea lubricant was developed specifically for bicycle maintenance and repair. PolyLube 1000 has an extremely high shear strength to protect vital parts under extreme conditions. PolyLube 1000 also repels moisture and is compatible with conventional greases.

The MSDS lists as ingredients:

- distillates, petroleum, hydro-treated heavy napthenic, 30-50%

- distillates, petroleum, solvent-refined heavy paraffinic, 10-30%

- polyurea thickener (proprietary) 5-10%

- carbonic acid, calcium salt, 1-5%

- calcium carbonate, 1-5%


Does anybody believe I can't safely use the AMSOIL Synthetic Heavy-Duty Grease NLGI #1 grease?

 

[wavinwayne]

moribundman,

The Park Tools grease will serve you well. I've used it for years on everything from cables, to derailleurs, to wheel bearings, to forks, etc...

Here is a pic of all the bike related lubes that I use on a regular basis:

The Rock-N-Roll grease is awesome, but it smells really, really bad. The Motorex suspension lube works very well in summer, but it aint so great in the winter. Either of the chain lubes pictured work just fine. The fork oils are also equally good.

 

[moribundman]

Red Devil Rock'N Roll grease? You sure that's a BIKE lube?

Of those that you show, I have the ProLink chain lube.

 

[Tempest]

You might want to check out MPC Voo Dew Goo. You can see it Here. I have not used this particular product before, but their FP10 lube for firearms is probably the best out there. This grease is made especially for bikes, and has a Timkin of 60+, with a washout of only %3.2 . They also make Voo Dew which is a chain oil for bikes.

Just an FYI.

 

[moribundman]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

After consulting Pablo, I settled on, and this mouthful decidedly deserves (note alliteration -- dang I'm getting wordy these days!) its own paragraph

AMSOIL Series 2000 100% Synthetic High Performance Lithium Complex RACING GREASE #2&EP GC LB

I'm using this on the four drive shaft/transmission gears in my bike, and after 30 miles I have to say it's a vast improvement over the OEM grease. The drive shaft runs super-smooth and quiet. At under 15 mph I can sneak up on roadside cats and racoons and scare them to death, so quiet is the bike! When I pulled the rear transmission cover off, I could not tell any wear on the gears -- everything appears to look good. Friction in the drive unit is definitely lower now, as evidenced by a 3 mph higher average speed than before. If I had one, I'd proudly slap an AMSOIL sticker on the drive shaft tunnel.

If anybody again wonders why I prefer a drive shaft bike, well, just today I rode 7 miles along the beach, with 20 mph wind gusts blowing sand and salty air at me. Bye-bye, chain gang!

Thanks for your help, Pablo!

 

[JHZR2]

what kind of bike is it??? a euro type commuter bike??? I think theyre really the only kind that use such things... even beach cruisers dont use these as far as I know.

JMH

 

[moribundman]

It's a Sussex SX0600 full suspension MTB. It's the same as this one, but with a Nexus 8, and it's black:
Sussex SX0600 aka "Outback"

Sussex, which is a Taiwanese company, has been making chainless bikes for 15 years. They're quite popular in Asia. In Japan, I saw bicycles with drive belts.