Sorry, perhaps some explanation is necessary.
I come from a boating background, a very expensive hobby. Any boater will attest when you buy anything that has "MARINE" on the label expect to pay a premium of 50-100%. I got to be pretty savy about buying products of the same quality through varying sources but without "MARINE" on the label for much less.
That being said when I went to buy bicycle hub grease I paid my $6 for Park Polylube 1000 for 4 oz. of grease. Not too bad. While I was replacing the bearings it dawned on me that this grease was $24 per pound. I reached up on the shelf to check the price of some car bearing grease I had bought some years ago and it was $2.75 per pound. I then came to realize that the word "BICYCLE" came with a premium.
So I investigated the properties of a bike grease to see if I cound find it from an industrial source. I doubt that Park makes their own grease or has a huge R&D staff working on lubricants.
The NLGI (National Lubricating Grease Institute) rates grease by its consistancy on a numerical scale. For bearing use in automobiles a NLGI 2 rating is common. For bicycle bearing use a 0 to 1 NLGI rating is common.
Most bicycle hub greases are polyurea or an aluminum complex grease. Both are heat resistant and water resistant. Some are fortified with moly or PTFE.
I have found McMaster-Carr, an industrial supply house has a large selection grease. I can order NLGI 0,1, petroleum based, aluminum complex, moly fortified, 10-400 F rated temperature range for $6.70 per pound plus shipping. It comes in 14 oz. tubes so I'll order 6 for a lifetime supply.
Another product which is new to the market is Dupont Multi-Use Lubricant with Teflon Fluoropolymer. Notice no "BICYCLE" in the name. I tried it. Better than any chain lube I have used. It costs $4 for 4 oz. The last chain lube I bought was $6 for the same size.
[ July 28, 2006, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: deoxy4 ]