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

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Nexus 8 internally geared hub:

What's the best lube and how often (miles or time) does it need to be applied?


Shimano shaft drive:

The manual says to us a joint or bearing grease rated for -10F to 140F. It should be a thick but not sticky grease that will protect gear teeth. What's the best choice lube?
 
Yeah, I wouldn't try anything but cleaning and lubing the hub internals. It's a rather complex piece of engineering. It works flawlessy, though -- at least until now.

I forgot about Sheldon Brown. He should know!
 
After a lot of searching I found that only one type lube is recommended for the Nexus hub: Shimano Nexus Hub Grease

Now I have to find what works for the shaft drive. Thick, but not sticky bearing grease seems a bit vague. What type grease might be the best choice for chromoly bevel gears?
 
I'm diappointed in you all! And you want to be greaseheads!
wink.gif
 
It IS a new bike. Only one month old. I want to be prepared (And I tinker with things).
 
Are we talking about bicycles? I'm in the middle of rebuilding my bicycle. Our resident grease expert at work gave me some Kluberplex BEM 132-34. It's calcium-based, very water-resistant, extremely fret-resistant (bicycle steer bearings), and good for lighter-duty bearing applications such as motorcycles.
 
Yes, this for a bicycle with a shaft drive. The propeller shaft has chromoly bevel gears and ball (roller/needle?) bearings on both ends. The rear transmission bevel gear meshes with the chromoly hub gear. The front transmission chromoly bevel gear meshes with the chromoly crank axle gear. The crank axle has a ball (roller/needle?) bearing on each end. One and the same grease is supposed to be used on all these parts. I would say there a fair amount of pressure on the chromoly bevel gears, which certainly are the most prone to wear and failure in this design. The assembly needs to be serviced every 6 months. I'd like to clean out and regrease the unit after a few hundred miles to get break-in wear particles out.
 
I have a PDF file about Plastilube from ATE. There are several makers of Plastilube (Henkel, Teroson, ATE, Kodak, etc). It's always the same stuff. It's made from a highly refined mineral oil: Metal-soap-and fatty-acid-free, non-corrosive. Offers increased lubrication intervals and reduced maintenance frequencies thanks to excellent fluidity. Water-insoluble and with excellent washout resistance. It's a heavy-duty lubricant for brakes, chains, gears, seat runners, hinges and battery terminals. Offers good PH stability, resistant to weak alkalis and acids. Its synthetic thickener does not ouse. I can't find any specific figures on temperature range.
 
I can't see anything wrong with Plastilube. I believe the main feature you're looking for is washout resistance. Though you probably ride only on dry days and keep you bike sheltered or in the house, there's always a chance it can get wet for a variety reasons. Unlike automotive applications, bicycle bearings aren't sealed.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Kestas:
Unlike automotive applications, bicycle bearings aren't sealed.

Not always...but sometimes they are. I have many sealed bearings on my Ellsworth Truth mountain bike (bottom-bracket, hubs, pivots & headset).

But Shimano is a big fan of non-sealed bearings, so I'd have to imagine their Nexus hub may also have non-sealed bearings.
 
Well, I'm not considering Plastilube for the NEXUS hub, but for the shaft drive. The shaft drive is totally encased and splash-water and rain-resistant. That's one of the main reasons why I went with a shaft drive instead of with a chain drive. I literally ride my bike here next to and even on the beach. Looking at the the mechanics of the drive gears, I'd say there's a lot of pressure on those gears. I don't know if Plastilube is sufficient. Again, the manufacturer recommends a non-sticky bearing or joint grease that's rated -10F to 140 F.

PS: There are sealed bike bearings, for example in Son hubs. They even have a feature that prevents moisture from getting sucked into the bearings when moving a bike between indoors and outdoors at great temperature differences.
 
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