Grease fittings on road bikes - old guard says avoid, I got burned

So I had this debate with a veteran mechanic named Pete who's been building wheels since the 80s. He told me grease fittings on bottom brackets and headsets are just a way to sell more tools, that they actually attract dirt over time and cause more wear. I argued they keep water out and let you lube without tearing everything down. Well, I followed his advice on a 2014 Cannondale Synapse I was rebuilding for a customer, skipped the fitting, used regular grease. 6 months later the customer comes back complaining about creaking and I pull the crank to find rust spots on the cartridge bearings. Pete saw it when I showed him and just shrugged, said your mileage may vary. I'm thinking of switching back to fittings on my builds, but part of me wonders if he has a point for dry climates. Has anyone else dealt with this grease fitting vs. no grease fitting debate, and what did you end up sticking with?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley_harris55d agoMost Upvoted

Hold up, did Pete ever explain what he thinks happens to the water that gets past the seals on a bottom bracket without a grease port? Cause in my experience, that moisture just sits there trapped, doing way more damage than a little bit of dirt ever could. I'm not buying the dirt argument unless someone can show me a bearing failure from a grease fitting that was actually caused by contamination from the zerk, not just a bad seal already failing.

seanlewis5d ago

Used to be in the anti-fitting camp myself but seeing rust on decent sealed bearings changed my mind real quick. Grease ports beat pulling cranks apart every season, dry climate or not.