TWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE

GREEN OIL ECOGREASE LONG-TERM TEST

(12 month) 213g £8.99

Green Oil Ecogrease has been serving my working bikes for the past twelve months. Minor quirks aside, I have been mightily impressed by the buttery smooth lubrication and staying prowess.

We tested the 200ml tube with a threaded neck, designed so it can be delivered quickly and efficiently - perfect for hubs, headsets, bottom brackets and other threaded components. Despite being used on other people’s bikes, there’s still around 100ml sloshing around in the tube.

Composition

Exact ingredients are so secret, that Green Oil’s MD would dispatch a contract killer were I to let them slip! I can tell you it’s made from natural, domestic plant derived wax. Sustainably sourced rubber is employed as a tracking agent and also serves to prevent the grease washing away, or breaking down too readily.

Obviously, it’s not a smoothie substitute and chances are you and any offspring/pets consuming it would feel decidedly rough for a while. Otherwise it’s completely harmless to all lifeforms, including fish.

Given the popularity of carbon and other sensitive materials, modern synthetic, petrochemical formulas are generally friendly to composites. They aren’t necessarily so kind to skin or rubberised components. I’ve happily slathered the eco grease inside hubs, headsets, suspension elastomers and titanium contact points.

Flow rate

Now, I said in my initial, short-term test that the flow rate is comparable with stiff synthetics.

I still stand by this remark, though it seems slightly bashful when the temperatures tumble. No problems from the comfort of the kitchen, or similarly ambient workshop but during winter, when working in chilly garages/outbuildings I’ve found leaving it to stand in tub of hot water makes all the difference.

Talking of which, the grease seemed to solidify inside bearing components when I hadn’t used one of the machines for a few days in colder weather. This was most apparent in the headset. Any stickiness vanished within a few gentle turns of the bars and this quirk wasn’t apparent when the mercury climbed into double figures.

Twelve Months (10,000 miles) Later…

Despite months of waterlogged roads and frequent washing, headsets, hubs and pedals were all still turning very smoothly. Threaded parts such as pedals and derailleur all released with nominal effort and though it was time to wipe and replenish, the yellow grease proved surprisingly stoical.

Turning my attentions to my fixed gear winter trainer’s Aheadset, both sets of races were still smooth but salty water and many miles sans mudguards had dissolved most of the grease. Crucially, though slightly discoloured, the Headlock preload system, bearings and races showed no hint of corrosion.

Wipe with a clean rag dipped in solvent and allow a few minutes air drying time before delivering another generous load of Ecogrease. Good to go again. Similarly, the seatpost’s thin layer was beginning to break down, so I’d strip and replenish every 6-9months on bikes shunning full-length mudguards.

Dirt/Contaminant

The Ecogrease attracts more dirt than space age synthetics but no worse than old school lithium or PTFE, which it’s designed to compete with. This is hardly a deal-breaker, so long as you remember to wipe away the excess at installation and after the first few weeks, especially in warmer weather.

Limitations

Given the Ecogrease is designed to compete with PTFE infused formulas, I’d be happy to use it on contact points, bearings and threaded components.

Fixed sprockets get blasted with a tsunami of crap during winter, largely forgotten until you want/need to replace them. For this reason, I’d still be inclined to use a really stiff synthetic paste such as White Lightning Crystal Grease

Mountain bikers and rough-stuff tourists fond of river crossings and similarly extreme antics should also take this route for their bottom brackets, hubs and headsets. Ditto commuters who do little, aside from inflating tyres, oiling chains and giving cables periodic blasts of GT85 between annual servicing.

Ultimately, given the conditions my bikes have been subjected to, Green Oil’s Ecogrease rivals bog standard PTFE formulas without the carcinogenic and environmental impact.

Verdict: 4/5 An excellent, durable lubricant that rivals standard PTFE blends-recommended.

Michael Stenning

PUBLISHED JUNE 2017