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Lubrication
Wickens and Soderstrom No 2 TF GreaseWickens and Soderstrom No 2 TF Grease.jpg

Wickens and Soderstrom No 2 TF Grease

6
by Neil Gander
UPDATED Mon, May 09, 2016 15:45

First Published May 9, 2016

4
£14.00

VERDICT:

6
10
Perfectly good grease but more expensive than some and the pot means it gets dirty in the workshop
Weight: 
167g
Contact: 
www.wickenssoderstrom.com
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Everyone needs a dab of grease from time to time. Wickens and Soderstrom describe their No.2 T.F. grease as their "standard-weight grease, designed for general usage", which it does seem to be, but it's comparatively expensive and comes in a pot, which makes it difficult to keep clean.

Grease isn't what it was in the old days. Then it had to contend with unsealed bottom brackets, headsets and wheel hubs. Touring cyclists would load these bearings with marine-grade grease to keep the elements at bay. If you were a racer you might even replace it with oil to keep the friction down. Now, nearly everything turns on cartridge bearings. If they fail, knock them out and bang some new ones in.

Still, there are places grease comes in useful. If you like to make your BB30 bearings last longer than six weeks you will, like me, pop the seals off every now and then and squeeze a bit of grease in. Nuts and bolts should be lubricated before fitting, though I tend to use anti-seize paste for that. A smear on cables helps keep the water out of the casings (though the trend towards full cable outer runs and internal routing makes that tricky). Seatposts require greasing to stop them sticking – but only if you aren't using carbon, when it has to be carbon paste, and so on.

>>Read more: beginner's Guide to bike tools

That leaves Shimano wheel bearings as the last bastion of grease, the giant corporation standing steadfastly by its commitment to cup-and-cone bearings. Even so, the quality of its seals these days means little water seems to get in. Hence, bike greases have got rather less thick, and the Wickens and Soderstrom No. 2 T.F. is of that lighter consistency.

From the mechanic's point of view, the main reason for putting grease in the cups (aside from lubing them while you ride) is to hold the bearings in while you reassemble the hub. I'm pleased to report the No.2 grease did this admirably.

Unfortunately it comes in a glass pot, rather than a tube, which means it's difficult to direct into tight places (such as inside cartridge bearings); and it's never long before bits of workshop grot start landing in it. After that, I'm reluctant to let it near the more delicate areas of my bike. I fear, therefore, that this grease will be used mainly for stopping alloy seatposts from seizing up.

Verdict

Perfectly good grease but more expensive than some and the pot means it gets dirty in the workshop

road.cc test report

Make and model: Wickens and Soderstrom No 2 TF Grease

Size tested: 142g

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Wickens and Soderstrom No. 2 TF is our high quality, standard weight grease, designed for general usage."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Keeps parts rust and corrosion free

Acts as a barrier to prevent water ingress

High quality

(An alternative is the No. 2 HL grease which claims to be:

Fully synthetic

- Keeps parts rust and corrosion free

Acts as a barrier to prevent water ingress

Hygroscopic, if the water finds its way in

Extremely high load grease)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

This a medium thickness, soft grease which is fine for putting into headset or wheel bearings. The company makes certain claims about the environmentally-friendly and non-toxic nature of its products but since no ingredients are listed it is hard to verify these.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Quite a light grease, a little "wet" in texture, but good for holding ball bearings in headsets and bottom brackets.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Like all greases, the main job is to keep water at bay and this seems to do well so far, though W&S recommend their No.2 HL grease for heavy duty applications.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

£14 for 142g compares to:

£5.99 for 125g Weldtite TF2

£9.99 for 100g Finish Line with Teflon

£5.99 for c100g Park Tools Polylube 1000

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It holds bearings in place, seems water resistant and of a good medium consistency. Fine for general workshop duties, in fact.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Seems reasonably water-resistant, holds ball bearings in headsets and wheel bearings, "interesting" smell.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It comes in a pot, so is difficult to prevent contamination.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your score

While the grease itself seems fine, in the end a tube is much cleaner and more convenient, as well as more economical and easier to apply.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 50  Height: 6'2  Weight: 73kg and rising

I usually ride: Cannondale CAAD10   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Wickens and Soderstrom No 2 TF Grease
Wickens and Soderstrom
Wickens and Soderstrom 2016

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
srchar | 8 years ago
0 likes

Shimano wheel bearings, the last bastion of grease? Really?

Avatar
Simon E | 8 years ago
0 likes

£14?!? 

I'm happy with the tin of perfectly good Silkolene motorbike grease I bought 25 years ago, though I recently bought Weldtite's grease gun with their tube of red grease and that make some jobs easier (and cleaner).

Avatar
earth | 8 years ago
1 like

I'm going to stick with marine grease in a tube that attaches to my grease gun for a third the price. Maybe Wickens and Soderstrom should team up with Mr Kipling and start a chain of estate agents.

Avatar
StraelGuy | 8 years ago
5 likes

Ah haaa, Wickens and Soderstrom, we meet again... You see, this is awkward, but this isn't the right place for you. This is a website for normal road cyclists. We use greases such as Finish Line's excellent teflon grease (amongst others) which are cheaper, contain teflon and are almost certainly more waterproof. The Finish Line stuff even comes in a tube which means it stays clean!

To ensure your future success, may I suggest marketing your products to that most loathsome of modern lifestyle creatures, the 'hipster'? They have tons of money, little common sense, and are drawn like moths to a candle to such overly priced, exquisitely packaged products as you purvey?

Toodle pip!

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