Alternative Grease for servicing the CX seal.

[leverleg]

hi

I have the tools now to service this seal and want to get used to doing it to prolong the life of my motor.

I can't buy the Bosch official grease without spending 20 quid on delivery. The grease is 8 quid!!. tried a few sites all the same.

What type of alternate grease can I get that will do the job? I am pretty clueless about all this stuff but enjoying becoming more mechanical.

thanks for your help fellow emtb pals.

 

[MattyB]

@Bearing Man should be able to help you here, but I doubt anything special is needed - lard would probably do the job...

 

[SquireRides]

Pretty much any normal thick bearing grease. Same stuff you’d use for headsets, seat tubes etc. Go to your local shop and buy the cheapest grease they sell thats designed for bikes. Just avoid thin/spray greases that youd use on levers, forks etc.

 

[Doomanic]

Decant it into a syringe to make it easier to apply.

 

[Bearing Man]

Pretty much any normal thick bearing grease. Same stuff you’d use for headsets, seat tubes etc. Go to your local shop and buy the cheapest grease they sell thats designed for bikes. Just avoid thin/spray greases that youd use on levers, forks etc.

The grease is to go outside the bearing and repel water so it must be a grease capable of that job. Normal grease will emulsify with water and allow water to pass through. Most silicone based greases will work and probably the Pro RG2 mentioned above.
I do stock a cheaper alternative to the Bosch version if you want virtually the same stuff Bosch use but a bit more of it and an applicator nozzle so you can do the right hand crank bearing easily.
https://www.performancelinebearings.com/product/150/

 

[SquireRides]

Interesting point Bearing Man. All standard bike grease will inhibit water ingress, right? If it didn't, it would have little use on a MTB. But presumably lots of water will emulsify and wash away some types of grease quicker?

For grease behind the CX seal, my intention would be to regularly clean this area and re-grease, due to it's IP54 rating (dust and water *will* get past the seal). I'm also not riding through the ford on my favorite trail any more

So, personally, I'm not going to worry too much about which grease I go for. Because I'll be cleaning it all out and replacing well before it risks being washed away.

Please correct me if this isn't a good strategy!

 

[Bearing Man]

Interesting point Bearing Man. All standard bike grease will inhibit water ingress, right? If it didn't, it would have little use on a MTB. But presumably lots of water will emulsify and wash away some types of grease quicker?

For grease behind the CX seal, my intention would be to regularly clean this area and re-grease, due to it's IP54 rating (dust and water *will* get past the seal). I'm also not riding through the ford on my favorite trail any more

So, personally, I'm not going to worry too much about which grease I go for. Because I'll be cleaning it all out and replacing well before it risks being washed away.

Please correct me if this isn't a good strategy!

That is indeed an excellent strategy, if everyone was so fastidious with their maintenance, many problems would never arise.
I do have the same argument with many people with regards grease though. Grease is not generally a Hydrocarbon based product, it's normally a soap emulsified in synthetic or vegetable oil. But even if it were based on crude oil, if you see oil that has been mixed vigorously with water it still emulsifies and becomes part of the water. Marine grease and silicone greases resist this emulsification and therefore don't allow the water to transmit into the bearing.
Personally, I think everyone should throw their seals and grease away, I would then do a lot more business!

 

[SquireRides]

[Googles] Most greases have good water resistance, some are better than others. A few are bad (like calcium, sodium and silica based greases) but you just don't see those being sold as bike grease.

The 'cheap' bike greases tend to be lithium based which has 'good' water resistance. You're looking at £5 for 100g. Teflon/synthetic, with excellent water resistance, is more like £9 for 100g. After that, there's fancy expensive 'ceramic' or 'proprietary formula' grease, but they're variations on standard grease with additional ingredients added, for a quid or two more per 100g.

Not much in it really. As with all things, buy the one in the middle if you can afford it: It's better than the cheap one, and the most expensive is probably offering diminishing returns.

 

[leverleg]

thanks all for your help and knowledge

ordered some from the legend himself @Bearing Man

now await my next thread when I actually attempt the job

 

[Doomanic]

With the right tools it's a piece of piss.

You'll need an 8mm allen key, a crank puller and the Bosch Lockring tool.
Ice Toolz Crank Removal Tool with 8mm Hex Key - EMTB Forums
IceToolz Bosch Lockring Tool - EMTB Forums

 

[leverleg]

just wanted to say thanks again to @Bearing Man again I received my grease today thanks again super fast delivery and a reasonable delivery charge even to my rock in the sea.

some really helpful people on this forum . Hope I make it over for a group ride to meet some of ya one day.

 

[Russell]

Has anyone thought about fitting a grease nipple?

 

[Bearing Man]

Good idea!, Would be very tricky but maybe possible? Unfortunately, this would force silicone grease through the bearings seal and into the bearing and I am not sure the Bosch grease is suitable for deep grove ball bearings?

 

[Bearing Man]

Just a quick update for anyone reading this thread. Bosch have now released a new type of grease for the bearing seal. It's the same price but half the size! Hopefully it's twice as good
Available here: Bosch bearing seal grease -

 

[Doomanic]

What colour is it? My recon motor came with different grease behind the shield. Not much of it, but it was definitely green.

 

[Bearing Man]

Yup! It’s green

 

[Jackware]

This grease with replacement seals has been available for a while from various EU on line shops and is on Amazon UK as well;

 

[Beekeeper]

Just a quick update for anyone reading this thread. Bosch have now released a new type of grease for the bearing seal. It's the same price but half the size! Hopefully it's twice as good
Available here: Bosch bearing seal grease -

View attachment 11439

Can this grease simply be applied just behind the front chainring on those silver splines where I remove leaves and debris from. Perhaps i could use a thin syringe to reach this area without taking anything off the bike?
When I gently brush this area while cleaning I do see a tiny bit of grease there. My bike is almost brand new (cx motor 2019).

 

[SquireRides]

Can this grease simply be applied just behind the front chainring on those silver splines where I remove leaves and debris from. Perhaps i could use a thin syringe to reach this area without taking anything off the bike?
When I gently brush this area while cleaning I do see a tiny bit of grease there. My bike is almost brand new (cx motor 2019).

You really do need to take off the cranks, chaining and the seal to properly re-grease it. Just putting grease around the area will not create a barrier to water and it will probably wash away in no time.

It's a quick job, if you have the right tool.

 

[Beekeeper]

You really do need to take off the cranks, chaining and the seal to properly re-grease it. Just putting grease around the area will not create a barrier to water and it will probably wash away in no time.

It's a quick job, if you have the right tool.

Are there any of those c ring clips you have to remove also in the process?

 

[Chez]

I have previously used the Bosch white grease but are going to use motorex 2000 when I fit my mud stop this weekend

 

[SquireRides]

Are there any of those c ring clips you have to remove also in the process?

You do not need to remove any circlips to grease the seal, no. Just remove the crank arm using a normal crank removal tool, and remove the Bosch locking ring with the special tool. Then everything slides off (pay attention to the order and orientation when you take of the rings, spacers etc!)

 

[Bearing Man]

Blatant plug but you can see the Bosch seal being removed here and grease being applied (page 4 and 5)

 

[Beekeeper]

Blatant plug but you can see the Bosch seal being removed here and grease being applied (page 4 and 5)

As always, nice clear instructions.
I’ve already bought the Bosch grease which came with several black plastic seals. Just need the courage now and a few tools have a go at some point.
Bike has only done 250 miles (2019cx) however.
Only one muddy ride so far. It was amazing how much mud and rubbish gets caught around both sides of the front chain ring.
I just gently sprayed water around this area while keeping bike upright and used a plastic cassette tool to pick out all the garbage and mud both sides of the chain ring.
I really can’t imagine how I would ‘dissolve’ the mud away without sprinkling a little water around that area.

 

[Bearing Man]

I use a metal hook to rake out the twigs and dirt, then blow it clean with compressed air. But that's only because I have a compressor. But you're right, a brush and sprinkled water is the best you can normally do. If the seal is in place and greased you should be fine.
Also remember, Just because the cheap seals that don't really work that well came free with your grease...you don't have to use them

 

[Beekeeper]

I’ll try to keep the bike at a slight angle when cleaning so any water I use will drain away from the bearing and not into it.
From my limited research it seems that these motors are about as waterproof as an iPhone 6 (i.e. not very). I won’t be submerging either in water if I can help it.
Will be interesting to see if the Gen 4 is more resistant and also more reliable compared to the Gen 2. I’m guessing it has fewer moving parts.

 

[Kingfisher]

I just use bog standard shimano bicycle grease. And I can hear the comments coming already.

Or just get some quality teflon grease.

 

[MB1]

I’m using the mudstop and the inner seal with the green Bosch grease. Although I didn’t get the wire at the time, so had a ? of a job getting the inner seal to go on. Not helped by the grease I put behind it. Ended up using a tiny screwdriver to let the air/grease out. Both are a simple but a really effective solution, I get a lot less garbage collection down there now and it makes cleaning easy. Nice to see the clear instructions are available now, should make it really easy?

 

[Bearing Man]

I’m using the mudstop and the inner seal with the green Bosch grease. Although I didn’t get the wire at the time,

Sorry MB1, my bad not sending the wire Glad you got it fitted eventually And your motor and I thank you for buying them.
I have done a little write up on the MudStop that you may find interesting now you are using one.

 

[MB1]

No problem, really happy with the 2 seals. They are well made with tight tolerances giving good confidence that the protection is superior to the original. I’ve had quite a few rides now in poor conditions and the whole area can be cleaned with a quick rinse.