Originally Posted by Pete Hamer
The one thing I never got was why cyclists are always so offended when a company states that their grease is "bicycle specific". They are not claiming that there is magic pixie dust in the grease. They are simply stating that it was designed with bicycles in mind. People assume that this is marketing b.s. based on a comparison to automotive grease. Their argument usually goes someting like, "If automotive grease is good for cars is must be great for bikes. Since automotive grease is so great for bikes and is cheaper than bicycle grease, the bike companies must be trying to rip me off." That simply isn't the case. This is paranoia bred from a lack of understanding.
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Well, I can tell you what really gets *me* hacked off. It's a company re-labeling a simple marine wheelbearing grease and THEN implying that it's "bicycle specific". Know who does this? Phil Wood. The highly touted (by some, not by me) "Phil Waterproof Wheelbearing Grease" is none other than Drydene Marine Wheelbearing grease, repackaged and sold without acknowledgement. This came to light here on the Forums back in '05. I had always been skeptical about that grease because there was no technical info whatsoever on the tube--so no way to know what thickener is used, or anything else. And for me, the "Phil" mystique ain't enough. I think it's outrageous that they do that, and I lost a lot of respect for the company when I learned that. I don't mind at all if a company labels a grease as "bicycle specific", but they darn well better be able to explain why, or at least reveal the minimum of facts about the product.