30
Serious question, is a dab of grease on a derailleur hanger bolt ever okay?
I was working on a Trek Checkpoint yesterday that had a creaky rear end. The hanger bolts were bone dry, so I put a tiny bit of Phil Wood grease on the threads before torquing them to spec, maybe 8 Nm. The creak was gone instantly. An old mechanic I know swears this is a bad idea, saying grease can cause over-torquing and hide a bent hanger. But in my experience, a little anti-seize on steel bolts in an aluminum frame just makes sense for future service. Has anyone else tried this, or do you always keep those threads clean?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
henderson.wesley12d ago
Honestly how much over-torque are we even talking about with a dab of grease? If you're using a decent torque wrench and not just cranking it to "feel", the difference is probably tiny. Yeah @jesse994 has a point it's a real thing, but on a steel bolt into aluminum, fighting galvanic corrosion is a bigger win. That creak going away proves the threads were binding. A dry bolt at 8 Nm might not be holding the same as a lubed one at 8 Nm anyway.
8
oliver_morgan1d ago
Yeah the whole "grease causes over-torque" thing reminds me of when I used a dab of grease on a crank bolt and it totally changed the feel. It went from crunchy to smooth, but I did wonder if I was actually tightening it more.
6