At our shop, we frequently use Wako's "Brake Protector" grease.
Originally it's meant for the automotive and motorcycle world,
applied to disc brake pads,
but in bicycle maintenance there are spots where you need
a silicone-based grease with high consistency,
so we use this for those applications.
Consistency (ちょうど) refers to the hardness of grease, and
since the kanji for "consistency" isn't in common use, it's often written as "ちょう度".
For the spots where I want to use this,
the same company's SSG, or "Super Silicone Grease," would work,
but the Brake Protector
has such uniquely hard consistency
that it's a complete upgrade for my purposes,
so currently I only use this one.
I initially wrote "grease" in my own words,
then wrote Super Silicone "Grease" using
Wako's original spelling.
It's not a spelling variation, so don't worry about it.
Due to the container design, toward the end
you have to cut it and squeeze it out this way
to use it completely.
Regarding the container, there was another usability issue I noticed.
The hole diameter at the tip of the tube is large,
making it difficult to fine-tune the amount dispensed.
But recently it's been improved.
↑The "consistency agent" in the ingredients
seems to be what creates this extraordinary hardness.
What I'm counting on this for is two things:
water resistance and not damaging carbon.
I sense comments coming asking where this is used,
so I'll mention it upfront:
First, around the head bearing area with cartridge bearings,
then the contact points between frame and press-fit BB cups when you don't want to use threadlocker,
and also between the replaceable rear dropout and the frame.
Especially the rear dropout—those creaking noises under hard pedaling
often stop with just a grease-up and proper bolt tightening at that spot.
If you don't suspect that area, the noise sounds like it's coming from around the BB,
so most people never notice.
Moreover, many cases where noise wouldn't stop at other shops
got fixed with greasing and bolt tightening at that spot,
which shows those shops have barely more knowledge and skill
than an amateur.
Apply it inside the head tube and even when you insert
the lower bearing, it won't fall out,
apply it to the frame dropout and even if you position
the rear dropout like you're sticking it on, it won't fall out—
that's the incredible consistency we're talking about.
Probably, if you applied equal amounts of various greases onto glass plates
and ran equal water showers over them, conditions depending,
this would be the grease that resists washing away the most.
I'd recommend it for spots where such a characteristic would be appreciated.
Update:
I received very educational comments about
the difference between silicone and silicone oil.
So I've made some corrections to the text.
Thank you very much. I'll keep learning.
Originally it's meant for the automotive and motorcycle world,
applied to disc brake pads,
but in bicycle maintenance there are spots where you need
a silicone-based grease with high consistency,
so we use this for those applications.
Consistency (ちょうど) refers to the hardness of grease, and
since the kanji for "consistency" isn't in common use, it's often written as "ちょう度".
For the spots where I want to use this,
the same company's SSG, or "Super Silicone Grease," would work,
but the Brake Protector
has such uniquely hard consistency
that it's a complete upgrade for my purposes,
so currently I only use this one.
I initially wrote "grease" in my own words,
then wrote Super Silicone "Grease" using
Wako's original spelling.
It's not a spelling variation, so don't worry about it.
Due to the container design, toward the end
you have to cut it and squeeze it out this way
to use it completely.
Regarding the container, there was another usability issue I noticed.
The hole diameter at the tip of the tube is large,
making it difficult to fine-tune the amount dispensed.
But recently it's been improved.
↑The "consistency agent" in the ingredients
seems to be what creates this extraordinary hardness.
What I'm counting on this for is two things:
water resistance and not damaging carbon.
I sense comments coming asking where this is used,
so I'll mention it upfront:
First, around the head bearing area with cartridge bearings,
then the contact points between frame and press-fit BB cups when you don't want to use threadlocker,
and also between the replaceable rear dropout and the frame.
Especially the rear dropout—those creaking noises under hard pedaling
often stop with just a grease-up and proper bolt tightening at that spot.
If you don't suspect that area, the noise sounds like it's coming from around the BB,
so most people never notice.
got fixed with greasing and bolt tightening at that spot,
which shows those shops have barely more knowledge and skill
than an amateur.
Apply it inside the head tube and even when you insert
the lower bearing, it won't fall out,
apply it to the frame dropout and even if you position
the rear dropout like you're sticking it on, it won't fall out—
that's the incredible consistency we're talking about.
Probably, if you applied equal amounts of various greases onto glass plates
and ran equal water showers over them, conditions depending,
this would be the grease that resists washing away the most.
I'd recommend it for spots where such a characteristic would be appreciated.
Update:
I received very educational comments about
the difference between silicone and silicone oil.
So I've made some corrections to the text.
Thank you very much. I'll keep learning.