Review on 🔧 Optimized SHIMANO Dura-Ace Lubricating Grease by Ryan Gilliam

Some might say that a large tube of branded general purpose lithium automotive grease (like Castrol or Valvoline) should work equally well in 95% of bikes and cost a lot less. as "special" tubes of essentially the same product. These people are almost right, well, almost. I've used some bike lubes regularly. Yes, some of them are designed for specific applications, but in reality most are only sold as general purpose lubricants with the clever name "bike specific". There are many brand names, many of which are owned by manufacturers of bicycle components or bicycle tools. I now use a few special lubricants much more often than all the others combined. Of course, the vast majority of brands behind these products do not manufacture lubricants, despite all claims to develop and mix special formulas. The simple fact is that due to the very low speed, low tension, and relatively low cost of most bike bearings, bike lubes in general shouldn't be anything special. Just as much grease gets into the saddle tubes, pedal threads or cables as into the bearings. There are many chain lubes and bike lubes out there, but not because they are so different. because you can make money selling them! The products are mainly supplied by a chemical company (or refinery) and finally packaged and sold in relatively small quantities after being pre-flavored and colored. They are then sold as a bicycle brand on a tube, inner tube or bag in a bicycle environment (store) where customers pay big bucks for them. If people didn't buy them, there wouldn't be so many of them. Boat trailer lubricant is effectively economical and abundant, heat-resistant and waterproof. but it can also be smelly and brown in color. For bikes, a regular sized tube of grease will last a long time for the average person, is more convenient, and is also an effective way to avoid contamination (open containers at ground level, a dropped tub, etc.). I use quite a bit of lube. Park Tool 'Polylube' grease, but only because I'm too lazy to buy cheap. It's colored green (in new condition), which can sometimes help tell new lube from old, and comes in convenient tubes that hold a decent amount, have a slight nozzle extender, and are easy to close. Importantly, though, it's also a fairly common lubricant that's prone to prematurely damaging bike hubs, isn't waterproof at all (ends up turning to white goo everywhere), and even flakes off at relatively low temperatures. Next is Pedro's "Bio Grease,” a clear, biodegradable grease that generally does what I call cleanliness better due to the lack of seatposts and exposed wiring. It's better than Park Lube but not as comfortable, harder to see and the tube caps are unwieldy. However, since it is a clear lubricant, it also makes it easier to check for grease in the bearings. Next is Phil Wood Grease, a dark green grease that is waterproof and very reliable in the hubs. It costs more and comes in small tubes with annoying little caps, but for decent quality sockets it's a much better choice than the Park. (For medium bushings I use Pedros, for higher quality bushings I use Phil Wood, but I just fill unnecessary bearings with Park). Finally, the most expensive of all, Dura-Ace is a yellow, almost fluorinated grease recommended by Shimano for use in their best cup wheel bearings (and headset/bottom bracket/pedal). It's hard to argue with the logic of using a Shimano recommended product in quality Dura Ace bushings when the bushings are so well designed and the cost of lube is pretty negligible when used in small amounts to protect such expensive ones becomes. Article. It is interesting to note that Shimano insists that users do not completely fill the bearings with Dura-Ace grease, instead using a much smaller amount. Dura-Ace grease has a pleasant consistency that is ideal for mounting (holding) individual ball bearings in lubricated cups. It's slightly sticky, but not viscous, and it's also a bit "stretchy" than other lubes. This is slightly different from the consistency of Pedro's fat, which is "drier" and slightly thicker. and doesn't really hold ball bearings. Dura-Ace is much lighter and much more transparent than Phil Wood. which can also seriously help track ball bearings. Ultimately, DA grease is a dependable product designed to extend the life of quality bearings. and is the polar opposite of Park Lube (which should be kept away from anything good). Using DA grease in cheap Alivio or Sora level wheel bearings is fine if you want to, but it's probably just a waste of money. In fact, it is more important to change the lubricant regularly when necessary than no lubrication or expensive contaminated lubricant. This DA lube also comes in a small 50g screw cap container and a huge 500g tube which is expensive. I bought this latest 100g can from Extreme Bike & Sport's Revain for $17.63 which is pretty good for what it is and should last me forever. Hope I helped someone.