I finally saw someone try to fix a creaky bottom bracket with a whole tube of grease

A guy came into the shop last week with a bike that sounded like a bag of rocks. He said he already 'fixed' it by packing the bottom bracket shell full of grease, thinking it would quiet things down. In my experience, that just makes a huge mess and traps grit inside. We had to clean out about half a pound of the stuff before we found the real problem, which was a loose crank arm. Has anyone else seen a 'fix' that made you just stop and stare for a minute?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan_ramirez25d ago

Ever wonder if that much grease actually stops the crank from turning smoothly? Wyatt_thomas has a point about rust, but too much grease can make things overheat and break down faster (like in some motors I've seen).

adam_thompson5322d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of the time I tried to quiet a squeaky floorboard with cooking spray. Let's just say my wife was NOT happy with the greasy, sticky mess I made. Sometimes you just grab the nearest can and hope for the best.

wyatt_thomas25d ago

Okay but is it really that bad? Grease keeps water out and stops rust. A loose crank arm is a simple fix, but that grease probably saved the bottom bracket shell from corrosion. Sometimes a messy fix is still a fix.