Cassette fitting lube?

[The Bear]

I'm having a go at replacing my cassette, and have just taken the old one off ready for when the new one arrives.
Is it advisable to apply any kind of lube over where the new cassette slides onto. or best left dry?

 

[Ballynoes]

I always grease mine, you can get specific bike grease, if you feel flush.

Don't slap it all over, just a nice thin smear will do.

 

[The Bear]

Thanks, I'll apply a but of general purpose grease over it.

 

[soundwave]

id take off the free hub and give it a good clean first

 

[The Bear]

Cassette change didn't go as planned. As careful as I was to slide out the plastic packaging cylinder in the new one, I slipped and the cogs & spacers went everywhere. Exactly what I didn't want to happen!!

 

[Kwozzymodo]

Well, the good news is that they will only fit on the freehub one way! Wasn't the retaining screw secure?

I usually put a thin coating of copper grease on the freehub body before sliding the cassette on.

 

[The Bear]

Well, the good news is that they will only fit on the freehub one way! Wasn't the retaining screw secure?

I didn't even notice one to be fair.
Is it possible to fit sprockets back to front, e.g. the outer face facing inwards??

 

[soundwave]

the key system on the freehub body means you can not put them on the wrong way round mine are one complete piece and all pinned together but will only fit on a xd driver.

 

[calebb]

i had the same problem month ago

 

[Fat Rat]

I usually put a thin coating of copper grease on the freehub body before sliding the cassette on.

Very late to the party here but don't use copper grease on aluminum
It's OK if you have a steel free hub but most are alloy
Just as already said put on the hub a small amount of general purpose grease

 

[BazP]

Very late to the party here but don't use copper grease on aluminum
It's OK if you have a steel free hub but most are alloy
Just as already said put on the hub a small amount of general purpose grease

I’ve actually used copper slip for around 50 years with no trouble !!

 

[ColinJTod]

I have never lubed cassettes before fitting them and never had any problems because of that.

I also dropped a cassette once before fitting it, scattering the sprockets. I can't believe that I actually did what I did next, which was to accidentally swap the order of 2 of the sprockets so I ended up with 12,13,15,14,17... I didn't notice until I had put everything back together and was about to go for a test ride!

 

[Bikes4two]

I’ve actually used copper slip for around 50 years with no trouble !!

Me too (well, maybe 10 years or so) and no problems and prior to that, ordinary high temperature, general purpose grease.

Copper grease is an anti-seizing compund rather than a lubricant and is used in a wide variety of engineering applications. Yes, it does contain small particle of grease and maybe the warning above comes from the idea that dissimilar metals when together can create a problem.

A bit like the 'which oil is best for my car' discussion, opinions vary. In choosing whether to grease the freehub splines or not, I have all my cyling life greased them in the belief that if there's grease in there then that reducrs the chances of 'other stuff' getting in there. (And I also lightly grease the square tapers on the bottom bracket which is another often debated point, and don't forget the seat post unless carbon).

Now my approach may or may not be right - all I can say is, I've never had a cassette (or crank or seat post) seize up on me, so there'll be no change of habit in this guy's bike shed

 

[ColinJTod]

I've never had a cassette (or crank or seat post) seize up on me, so there'll be no change of habit in this guy's bike shed

Despite knowing about the potential problem, I forgot to grease** my titanium seatpost before fitting it to my (aluminium) best road bike. When I came to adjust my saddle height years later I discovered that the post is stuck fast and I am scared to take the drastic measures needed to shift it for fear of wrecking the bike's frame. Fortunately, the saddle height is just about spot on anyway. (I had intended to experiment with raising and lowering it by a couple of mm, but can't now so it will do as it is.)

** I think that there is a special type of grease for this but can't remember what it is.

 

[Fat Rat]

I’ve actually used copper slip for around 50 years with no trouble !!

Your choice but copper and alloys don't play well together
Aluminum will be very susceptible to galvanic corrosion in contact with copper, assuming that the two metals are also in contact with a common electrolyte such as water Almost any text or handbook on corrosion will have galvanic series table. The farther two metals or alloys are separated on the table, faster the corrosion of the less noble of the two will be when they are in contact
And after 33 years as a mechanical engineer it's a no from me
Use aluminium grease if you want if you have to grease it at all which I personally wouldn't
But again as with forums and people's advice you can take it or leave it the choice is yours
But if your giving advice the receiver of the advice should be aware of the potential chemical reactions no matter how small

 

[Nealh]

Despite knowing about the potential problem, I forgot to grease** my titanium seatpost before fitting it to my (aluminium) best road bike. When I came to adjust my saddle height years later I discovered that the post is stuck fast and I am scared to take the drastic measures needed to shift it for fear of wrecking the bike's frame. Fortunately, the saddle height is just about spot on anyway. (I had intended to experiment with raising and lowering it by a couple of mm, but can't now so it will do as it is.)

** I think that there is a special type of grease for this but can't remember what it is.

For seat posts don't use grease but a dry lube, on a lot of bikes you may notice a White powder lube has been used so Talcum powder would be an ideal dry lube.

 

[ColinJTod]

For seat posts don't use grease but a dry lube, on a lot of bikes you may notice a White powder lube has been used so Talcum powder would be an ideal dry lube.

Is that true for titanium in aluminium? (Not that it will help me, because my ti post is not going anywhere in a hurry!)

 

[Nealh]

Talc is inert so won't cause any metal to metal chemical reaction. Also grease on posts gets messy where as talc just dusts off.

 

[BazP]

Your choice but copper and alloys don't play well together
Aluminum will be very susceptible to galvanic corrosion in contact with copper, assuming that the two metals are also in contact with a common electrolyte such as water Almost any text or handbook on corrosion will have galvanic series table. The farther two metals or alloys are separated on the table, faster the corrosion of the less noble of the two will be when they are in contact
And after 33 years as a mechanical engineer it's a no from me
Use aluminium grease if you want if you have to grease it at all which I personally wouldn't
But again as with forums and people's advice you can take it or leave it the choice is yours
But if your giving advice the receiver of the advice should be aware of the potential chemical reactions no matter how small

I thought that free hubs were made of steel.

 

[Fat Rat]

I thought that free hubs were made of steel.

Hi
Lots of free hubs are made of alloy
hope and dt Swiss straight away as I have both
Also a lot of cassettes have alloy carriers especially the more expensive ones
If everything is steel there's no issues but there's many bikes with one or the other in aluminium