When maintaining your bike, you must always have high-quality grease at your disposal. After constantly undergoing shear stress, the moving parts and bearings of your bike eventually experience corrosion, rust, and damage.
Using grease on these parts, especially the bottom bracket, prevents or at least delays the degradation of your bike. That’s why grease should be applied every once in a while.
So if you want to lengthen the lifespan of your bike, it would be a good idea to “stick” to this article as we find out the best grease for bottom bracket with my honest reviews on popular grease products. With the right grease, you’ll do wonders for your beloved bike.
Best Grease for Bottom Bracket Reviews
1. Park Tool PolyLube 1000 Bicycle Grease
The first entry is the Park Tool PolyLube 100. The main reason why I recommend this grease is because of polyurea, a substance with a high tolerance for scraping and corrosion. These characteristics of polyurea give this grease an advantage over conventional greases.
Additionally, due to its high shear strength, the grease is capable of protecting the bottom brackets often scraped by parts made of harder materials. It will take care of the grinding noises that always annoyed many bikers. Also, I love how it helps you have peaceful biking in addition to the improved resistance.
Another notable thing about this grease is its moisture-resistant feature. It is important as bikes tend to rust when left outside or in a place with extreme weather.
Furthermore, I consider this product as my all-purpose grease. It works well on most of the materials I applied to, such as steel, titanium, aluminum, carbon fiber, and more.
The entire tube contains 113 grams or 4 ounces of grease which is common for Park Tool grease. This is enough to maintain the optimal state of your bike for at least a year. As for mechanics, the whole tube can be used to fully service at least 10 bikes.
- Consist of polyurea that can withstand scraping and corrosion
- Capable of enduring shear stress
- All-purpose bicycle grease for most metals
- Work well in preventing corrosion from humidity
- Contain 113 grams of grease
- Thick texture results in a longer and messy application
2. Finish Line Premium Grease for Bicycles
My second recommendation for bottom bracket grease is Finish Line Premium Grease. This time, the main substance used for the grease is Teflon, the most popular fluoropolymer brand on the market. For your information, Fluoropolymer works well as a thickener to provide the grease a high tolerance to liquid, acids, and bases.
With this grease, bearings, bottom brackets, and other moving parts exposed to water won’t suffer from rust and corrosion. Hence, I love using this grease when I plan to go to a wet environment. I like how the grease also prevents rust and corrosion when the bottom brackets are exposed to saltwater, where rust often forms more quickly.
The grease specializes in preventing seizing, where parts of your bikes tend to come loose and start grinding into each other. I experience improved performance whenever I grease parts of my bike with this product. So I can perform freewheeling, which is very crucial when riding downhill to avoid damage.
The tube contains 100 grams or 3.5 ounces of grease. This is slightly less than most grease sold today. But because of its texture, you can make full use of this amount to maintain your bike for a long time.
- Contain Teflon that prevents rust and corrosion from liquid, even saltwater
- Benefit bikers who often ride in a wet and muddy environment
- Prevent seizing that may lead to serious damage
- Improves the performance of race bikes
- Thick texture for maintaining bikes for a long time
- Grease can’t prevent noises that may result from grinding and scraping
3. Park Tool HPG-1 Bicycle Grease
Park Tool HPG-1 is a grease product specifically designed for application on high-end bicycles and bicycle parts. It is suitable for carbon fiber as it is a special kind of grease.
And we all know that carbon fiber parts will get damaged when applied with grease that is not a carbon grease. The grease is also highly resistant to water, similar to Finish Line’s grease.
HPG-1 can endure extreme temperatures from -20°F to 540°F. Exposure to extreme temperatures will result in the oil content of grease being gradually lost and becoming less and less potent. Due to its tolerance to extreme temperatures, HPG-1 has a longer lubrication life than most grease.
The incredibly smooth and glossy texture of the grease allows for precise application on parts such as ceramic bearings, brackets, hubs, and cones. The small tip of the container also contributes to its preciseness. The color of the grease is apparent, making it easier to see where you applied it and where to apply it next.
One tube contains 113 grams or 4 ounces of grease, similar to PolyLube 100. I think the main difference between the two is their texture. HPG-1 has a smoother texture which allows you to apply it easily and avoid wasting the grease.
- Specifically designed for high-end bikes and components
- Highly resistant to water (high-viscosity)
- Adapt to extreme temperatures which allow for longer lubrication life
- Smooth texture, small tip, and obvious color for precise application
- More expensive than other products in the same category
4. White Lightning Crystal Grease
Another one of my recommendations is White Lightning Crystal Grease. This product is 100% waterproof, just like HPG-1.
The grease prevents water from invading the deep parts of the bottom bracket. As a result, you will have a better experience with road trips in rainy weather and wet environments.
This product doesn’t have a particular smell that causes irritation. Moreover, it is proven to be non-toxic and biodegradable. All of this prevents any harmful chemical reactions when used inside your home.
In addition to its harmless characteristic, the product also works well with carbon fiber and other types of bottom brackets, bearings, and seals. With this, you can apply an extra amount of grease without causing over greasing. And for those who don’t know, applying too much grease, especially on carbon fiber, can cause the moving parts to churn and collapse.
Another striking detail is how the container’s tip can be cut to suit the size you want. This feature makes it easier to control the preciseness of grease application. One tube contains 100 grams or 3.5 ounces of grease, which is similar to Finish Line.
- 100% waterproof designed for rainy conditions and wet surroundings
- Odorless, non-toxic, and biodegradable grease
- Suitable to carbon fiber parts
- No tendency to cause over greasing
- Customizable tip to control the accuracy of grease application
- Clear color makes it a bit tricky to apply grease
5. Finish Line Ceramic Grease
I highly recommend Finish Line Ceramic Grease if you plan on riding your bike through a hot environment.
This product contains ceramic additives, allowing it to endure high temperatures and pressure. This results in a much longer lubrication life. This ceramic grease can also prevent seizing and other kinds of damage to your bike’s bottom brakes.
On top of that, the ceramic grease has a very slippery texture. It can reduce friction, making the surfaces smoother and easier to manage. Due to the smoother surfaces, it can minimize the noise that comes from the grinding and scraping of different metals which can be very annoying.
In addition to the ceramic additives, it also has Teflon. This substance provides the grease a high resistance to water and other liquids. With this, I can travel to hot and wet environments with no problem.
Another impressive thing about this product is its non-staining feature. Since it doesn’t damage the paint, it’s applicable to bikes with custom painting.
A single purchase of this product provides you with a can containing 1 lb or 16 ounces of grease, four times the amount of typical grease products. This much will last you for years, but you have to maintain the container so the product won’t spoil.
- Ceramic particles can withstand high temperatures
- Makes surfaces smoother for less friction, noise, and better performance
- The Teflon substance makes the grease water-resistant
- Applicable to several types of paints
- A single purchase comes with 1lb or 16 ounces of grease
- Clear color and very slippery texture can lead to messy application
6. WPL Absolute Bike Grease
Another all-purpose grease that I recommend is WPL Absolute Bike Grease. The most notable feature of this product is its environmental-friendly properties.
It’s biodegradable and non-toxic, so it’s safe for work and home as it will slowly dissipate after some time. It is also made with bio-based substances. Simply put, you can enjoy riding outdoors without harming the environment.
And for that reason, I don’t have to worry about grease sticking to my hands all the time since I’m aware that it’s not a harmful chemical substance.
This product has high thermal stability, which means it can withstand high temperatures without oil loss. This contributes to a longer lubrication effect. It is also water-resistant, so there’s no need to worry about corrosion or rust.
I also love its compatibility with rubber and other elastic polymers. Normally, applying grease to rubber will cause swelling. This is especially true when you slather your bottom bracket copper grease.
Since rubber is often found in road bikes and mountain bikes, this will be the perfect grease for people with these kinds of bikes.
Absolute Bike Grease also has a very slippery texture similar to ceramic grease. This may make the application messy, but the process will be faster. Plus, it won’t matter since the product is harmless.
- An environmental-friendly substance that has little to no harmful effects
- Withstand high temperatures, improving its lubrication effect
- High resistance to water and other liquids to prevent corrosion and rust
- Slippery texture makes it easy to apply
- Compatible with rubber which can be found on mountain bikes and road bikes
- Spillage happens very often due to slippery texture
7. Sta-Lube Water Resistant Marine Grease
The last entry is Sta-Lube Water Resistant Marine Grease. As an aluminum-complex grease, this product has a feature that allows it to strengthen metals, thus improving the performance of the bike. This is something that high-performance riders look forward to.
Additionally, it can withstand high temperature, allowing it to last longer. This aluminum-complex grease also has a high resistance to corrosion and rust.
The grease retains the characteristics of polymer – one of its ingredients. This gives the product a sticky texture, making it possible to use for adhesion. By doing so, it’s easy to distribute the shear stress evenly among all the parts of the bike.
However, since it’s a marine grease for bottom bracket, its main purpose is to prevent water intrusion. Its resistance is top-notch even among the grease products found in this review. Since bottom brackets often end up very wet when in wet environments, I consider a very helpful characteristic.
Each purchase comes with a tub that contains 14 ounces of grease. It will last for several years if you only use it on your bike.
- Aluminum-complex grease strengthens metals for improved performance
- Endure extreme temperatures and longer lubrication effect
- Highly water-resistant which prevents corrosion and rust
- Sticky texture provides high adhesion for several purposes
- It wasn’t specifically designed for bikes
What to Look for When Buying Mountain Bike Stems
A mountain bike stem clamps the handlebars of your bike’s steerer. Since you often handle the steerer tube when biking, it’s a must that your mountain bike stem is durable and stable. That way, you can be comfortable riding your bike.
Ultimately, it depends on your bike. But there are three main things that you must consider when buying mountain bike stems. I’ll break down each of these factors, starting with stem length.
Length
I should mention that mountain bike stems come in different lengths. This will affect how you handle the bike, that’s why it’s quite important to take some time to find the right length.
With a longer stem, your body is easily pushed towards the front, which is often a good position when pedaling on steep mountains. A stem with a length of 50 to 60 mm is considered a long stem.
A short stem usually has a length of 35 mm, and is best if you’re looking for a comfortable fit. So basically, long stem for performance and short stem for comfort.
Rise
The stem rise has a massive effect on your bike’s performance. It refers to the angle taken from the stem to the steerer. The lower the angle, the lower your position will be.
This is perfect for mountain bikers since it provides better aerodynamics. Normally, a 6° rise is a low enough stem rise. For a more comfortable ride, try to increase the angle.
Material
The last factor has something to do with the material. Most bike stems are made of alloy. Some are built using carbon fiber and titanium. I recommend choosing a stem that is made of alloy since it’s lightweight and cheap.
Carbon fiber stems are expensive, but it provides much better performance. It’s often used by racers and bikers who plan to climb steep mountains. So if you want to have better performance carbon fiber is the best choice.
These three factors both have the same concept. Your decision will depend on whether you want better performance or comfortability.
Should You Grease Bottom Bracket Threads
Now that you’ve come to find out different grease products, it must have come to your attention that there are parts that don’t need greasing. One particular part of your bike that seems to work well without greasing is the bottom bracket threads.
This has become quite a controversy among bike mechanics, but the answer is quite simple. It is up to your preferences. There are advantages and disadvantages to greasing your bottom bracket threads.
You also have other options to choose from besides grease for bottom bracket threads. Anyway, some advantages of greasing the bottom bracket threads include:
- More uniform position of the crank which often leads to smoother biking
- Longer lifespan of the bottom brackets and bearings
- Minimal noise from cranking
Despite these advantages, many argue that there are better options besides greasing such as anti-seizing and thread locking. It’s a given that both of these are excellent ideas, but they have their strengths and weaknesses too.
- Anti-Seizing: Anti-seizing works well only if you tend to travel to places with extreme conditions. However, since most grease products nowadays have the endurance to withstand such conditions, more and more people are choosing to grease their bottom bracket threads rather than anti-seizing it.
- Thread Locking: The main advantage of thread locking is its durability. It often lasts more than two times longer than greasing or anti-seizing. The main downside is it’s hard to undo what you’ve done to your bike once you’ve applied thread lock.
You may encounter mechanics suggesting that you avoid greasing your bottom bracket threads. Remember that this is their preference. It’s not required and you can have your preferences depending on your needs.
How Often Should You Grease Your Bottom Bracket
This is another subjective question that doesn’t have a specific right answer. It also depends on your preferences and your situation. This time, however, there is a recommended frequency for greasing the bottom brackets of your bike.
There are several factors to consider for this question. So before I answer that, you must first have to answer the following questions?
How often do you ride your bike?
When you ride your bike more often than average, you need to apply grease to the bottom brackets more often as well.
Do you travel regardless of the weather?
If you travel without regard to the weather conditions, it’s safe to assume that your bike suffered a big deal from this experience. It may have been very wet from a rainy road trip, or the previous grease may have dissipated due to the hotness of the sun.
Where do you often travel?
This has a huge effect on how often you should grease the bottom brackets. Several environments may cause damage and shorten the lubrication effect. This includes steep hills or mountains, wet environments, especially with deep puddles.
What grease do you plan to use?
Most importantly, you have to know what type of grease you’re using. Oftentimes, there are grease products that have a longer lifespan than others.
I highly suggest picking from general-purpose, aluminum-complex, or lithium grease for bottom bracket.
If that’s the case, you don’t have to apply grease on your bottom brackets, let alone on the whole bike. On the other hand, if you find that your bicycle is somewhat struggling to keep up, it should be time to apply grease.
Most of the time, it takes 6 to 12 months before it will need greasing again. In other words, you have to grease your bike at least once every year.
Conclusion
Every decent bike owner has the desire to keep their bike in its optimal state. That’s precisely why you were looking for the best grease for bottom bracket. It’s also natural to have some questions regarding this subject.
Hopefully, this guide can help you decide which to purchase and come up with some strategy with answers that you got from me.
- 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.
- Available in a handy 4oz. tube (PPL-1) and a 16oz. tub (PPL-2).
- Park Tool's poly-urea lubricant was developed specifically for bicycle maintenance and repair.
- Formulated with Teflon fluoropolymer, advanced rust or corrosion inhibitors and extreme pressure additives
- Prevents wear and distortion in headsets, hubs, and bottom brackets - even in brutal downhill racing and Grand Tours
- Functional thickener totally prevents rust and corrosion (even in saltwater)
- Polymers prevents washout and water emulsification
- Withstands higher pressures without sheering
- Proprietarily blended to meet the demanding needs of today’s high performance bicycles and high end components
- Perfect for high end applications including precision ground and ceramic bearings, pivots and suspension components
- Extreme temperature range: -20°F to 540°F (-29°C to 282°C)
- Superior adherence, water resistance and lubrication life
- 4 oz. (113 g) tube
- Road version is designed for road derailleur pulleys, while MTB formula is for GXP bottom brackets (road and mtn) and mountain derailleur pulleys
- Volume: 0.34
- Case Pack: No
- Specially formulated grease for ceramic bearing applications. Both Road and MTB formulas available.
- USER FRIENDLY: A grease gun is used to add lubrication to bike parts, such as bottom brackets, headset bearing, hub bearings etc. The gun injects...
- ONE HAND OPERATION: One-handed operation allows you to hold the parts while greasing them.
- COMPATIBILITY: Compatible with all the big brand grease tubes, such as Parktool and finishline. Thread Size - 9/16" American threads. Grease is NOT...
- RECOMMENDATIONS: Screw in the grease bottle completely and squeeze grease in the unit before using. Please clean the nozzle regularly to avoid grease...
- ORDER NOW, WORRY FREE! We're so confident about our product quality that we can provide 5-year warranty! Made in Taiwan.
- Keeps your bike running quieter and smoother for longer
- Our long-lasting lubrication handles extreme loads and has a high resistance to water washout
- Readily biodegradable, protects from corrosion, and is carbon safe
- Compatible with all oils of a mineral or synthetic nature except for PAG based products
- Before use, fully degrease and dry parts to be greased
- Reduces friction in threaded and press fit connections
- Protects parts from corrosion and rust under the most extreme conditions
- ASC-1 also seals and protects parts from corrosion and rust under the most extreme conditions.
- For use on steel, aluminum, and titanium. 4 oz tube.