[Classicrendezvous] grease lifetime. was:Redcay Update

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2007)

Date: Sat, 04 Nov 2000 17:08:23 -0600
From: "Steve Kurt" <kurtsj@mtco.com>
To: Joseph Bender-Zanoni <jfbender@umich.edu>
CC: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
References: <3.0.5.32.20001104092651.01246d70@j.imap.itd.umich.edu>
Subject: [Classicrendezvous] grease lifetime. was:Redcay Update

Joseph Bender-Zanoni wrote:
>
>.......... It also had (and
> still has) an OMAS titanium BB, Chris King headset (first year made) and
> Hi-E hubs. Actually a Superbe sub-group really and all sealed bearings
> circa 1979. I certainly liked merely cleaning as opposed to overhauling
> that bike. So against that background the SR group is conventional.
>
> Joe

Here's a question for the group: what is the lifespan of grease in a sealed hub? I have a 25 year old Hi-E front hub, and was wondering if it is worth building up into a wheel. The hub has less than 500 miles on it, and the bearings feel silky smooth when the axle is spun. The hub has a non-standard flange diameter, and I'd hate to spend $20 or so on spokes if the bearings would only be good for 1k miles or so. If the grease/bearings are not trustworthy, how difficult would it be for a bearing shop to change the bearings? Or do I need to mail it back to Harlan? It's a great little hub, but I just never used it much. I built it up into a tubular wheel with a Hi-E rim, and then didn't use tubulars much after that time. OTOH, I've been using the funky QR skewer for all 25 years.

Steve Kurt Peoria, IL, where it was a beautiful day for taking the '74 Raleigh International out for a ride. Even wore my red&yellow&black T.I./Raleigh jersey!