Re: [CR] old campy grease

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Chater-Lea)

Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 15:50:51 -0400
From: "John Betmanis" <johnb@oxford.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
References: <1274600981.586519604@192.168.2.228> <2E590EB4088242589DCF2AA7795AED2D@ownerd556865ac>
In-Reply-To: <2E590EB4088242589DCF2AA7795AED2D@ownerd556865ac>
Subject: Re: [CR] old campy grease


Re: "Campy Grease" (although, not being American, I prefer Campagnolo, or just plain Campag for short, the way I learned it over 50 years ago).

From http://www.campagnolo.com

"Campagnolo professional lubricant grease, the famous "white grease" used at the industrial level for assembling Campagnolo components and wheels, is now available on the market.

Campagnolo decided to make this grease available based on the requests of many bike enthusiasts to be able to use a top level professional grease for servicing their bikes that is formulated and produced specially for bicycle maintenance, but which up to now was only available on the market in industrial sized packaging and therefore not accessible to individual customers.

Campagnolo professional lubricant grease is recommended for specific parts such as the steel or ceramic bearings and balls of wheels, cranksets, and derailleurs. Thanks to its special composition, it eliminates friction, maximises smoothness, protects from wear and tear, and prolongs the life of the mechanical parts of your bicycle.

Developed in collaboration with Klüber Lubrication, a leading producer of industrial lubricants, Campagnolo grease is available in 100 ml bottles."

Interesting that Klüber Lubrication is a German company, so when Masi Carlsbad used Fiat grease, it was being more Italian than the original factory in Italy.

I have to admit I've never had any personal experience with "Campy Grease" (or "Phil Grease" for that matter), but it sounds remarkably like any number of white greases like Lubriplate.

-- John Betmanis Woodstock, Ontario Canada

On 23/05/2010 9:58 AM, paccoastcycles wrote:
> I would have expected that old Campy grease would have turned almost
> solid over a long time. That's what I usually find in old parts with
> that grease.
>
> At the Masi factory in Carlsbad, we had tins of grease that we used for
> bike assembly, which was my first job there. It was in tins that said
> "Fiat" and it was indeed, from Italy. In other words, it was from the
> car company Fiat, as the logo was theirs.
>
> Fiat grease instead of Campy; that surprised me. I was also surprised to
> see what brand of files we had at the factory: an exotic Italian brand ?
> .........Nicholson!
>
> Chuck Hoefer
> Pacific Coast Cycles
> Oceanside, California
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <wisco@campusbikeshop.com>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 12:49 AM
> Subject: [CR] old campy grease
>
>
>> It's so funny that Sean should mention old campy grease. Just a day or
>> two ago, I was dissassembling my Dad's 40 year old Peugeot PX-10 and
>> found Campagnolo grease in the bottom bracket....I could smell it the
>> very moment I cracked open the bottom bracket. And..it was still in
>> pretty good condition and I had exactly the same thought as
>> Sean...."how can I save this stuff?". Sean, we're both sickos!
>> After quite a bit of hand-wringing and dithering, I grabbed a rag and
>> wiped the parts clean. But, I kept the rag. It's hanging from a
>> clothes line in the garage. Twice today I have come into the garage
>> and been greeted by the perfume of that grease and the accompaying
>> wave of nostalgia brought on by that scent. I have been transported
>> back in time, and I am sitting in my Dad's garage surrounded by
>> bicycle parts, rebuilding a hub for the very first time.
>> I guess in a way I have found further use of that old grease.
>> Chris Wiscavage
>> Where it is still 1972 in Mountain View CA