From: jbrandt@hpl.hp.com (Jobst Brandt)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Hypoid oil
Date: 9 Aug 2000 17:25:06 GMT

Pat Clancy writes:

> Hypoid 80 oil is typically used in gearbox applications.  It's much
> heavier than standard car engine oils.  I haven't heard of anyone
> using it for bike chains.  Although I suppose it would lube
> adequately, I would think it would be very grimey.  Dust and dirt
> would adhere pretty tenaciously to it.  You can get it at any
> automotive supply store.

The "Hypoid" part of it is that the oil is made for sliding gears such
as Hypoid and worm gears in which there is a large sliding component
of motion between gear teeth.  These oils draw long strings when a
film is stretched between fingers and they smell of sulfur.  The
reason to not use them on chains is that they act as excellent "fly
paper" catching any dust that comes by... in effect the extreme
opposite of chain wax.  The result is that the gear cluster becomes a
solid oil based mudpack block with only the teeth growing out of the
clod.

Don't do it.

Jobst Brandt      <jbrandt@hpl.hp.com>