How to grease a CREAKING Shimano 12 speed Micro Spline free hub (SLX, XT, XTR)

[@EscMoto]

Checked all the drivetrain and that creeking sound is no where to be found. Your a life savior thank you my new slx hub dont have grease. Dont know why.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Thanks for your feedback! Shimano has let huuuuuge lots of ungreased hubs to the market. Yours is one of them. But you are not alone, lots of us here had the same 😁 Keep on riding! 🤘

[@BD-xi1tv]

I had the noise problem after a few hundred miles on a new Trek e-bike, took it to my bike dealer and they said it was the rear hub, not enough grease from the factory. They greased it up, I rode 300 - 500 miles and the same noise is back, my dealer has it again in the shop. I am glad I found this video, now I can fix the problem myself, I believe this is going to be a regular maintenance item with Shimano Free-Hub. I have a Shimano Deore XT Freehub 142x12 E-Thru Axle.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Hi, BD! Right you are. Every ~500 miles it is likely to be back. But once you overhaul it yourself, the procedure will go pretty easily 🤘

[@jakubrezac9162]

You saved me man. I bought a new bike and after aprrox. 500km this terrible creaking sound started driving me crazy. I inspected the bike many times and never find the source of the noise. After greasing the spacer everything runs normal and quiet. Thank you.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Thanks for the feedback, mate! You've just helped others to find the solution when they face this problem!

[@ringll]

У меня цокает при нажатиях на педали.

[@ringll]

Дайте мне номер, я скину видео на whatsapp, возможно сможете мне помочь.

[@paulb9769]

Did the noise happen only under load?

[@benmillns8976]

Thanks for making such a detailed and thorough video on this. I've killed my M8110 freehub in 300 miles of muddy English trails so I'll be replacing the whole thing shortly. I just hope it's an isolated incident as I don't want to be doing this every few months if the sealing is failing somewhere.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Hi, Ben! If you came to a point of complete hub replacement, it might be a good idea to switch to smth else. DT Swiss, Hope, … Another M8110 would likely fail in the same way!

[@benmillns8976]

@@ZavyalovCycling Thankfully it's just the freehub body and not the whole hub. I do hope this is a one off though and it's a shame the freehubs aren't serviceable. I've got DT Swiss 240s on my hardtail and they've been flawless for 2 years and around 2500 miles.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

@@benmillns8976 I also hoped that my hub wouldn't be a nightmare, but after 5000 km I had to conclude the nightmare exactly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZO0gnaQbbyZl80

[@timcollins516]

Thank you so much for the video. My creaky XT hub was driving me insane. Problem solved! I slogged up the mountain today in silence. :-)

[@ZavyalovCycling]

A familiar relief 😀Keep on riding! 🤘

[@apofly2880]

thx man very helpfull video after three months of cracking sound and searching for source of noise is my bike finally silence. You can't imagine how happy I am :D

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Glad for you! And thanks for taking some time to share the feedback! 🤘

[@donak2773]

Thanks for the video I did what you said and I even used toothpicks to remove. cleaned and re-greased, and now no more creaking!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Hi! Glad it has worked fine for you. Enjoy, but keep in mind that in 500-1000 km the creaking is likely to be back. Requiring this service one again 🤪

[@cjbcaptbennett]

WOW Thank you so so much. I have been chasing this creak for weeks. It was so frustrating to have a newish expensive bike that creaked like that. When I took my XT hub apart using your perfect instructions it had NO GREASE in it! Thanks for also including advise on how to attempt this without special tools.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Absolutely right! With some experience and caution this could be done with no special tools. Glad it has worked fine for you! 🤘

[@nejcpetric2732]

Very good video. I had creaks and i opened it up and it was so dry literal dust came out. Not a drop of grease. Greased it up and put it back together. Nice and silent now.

[@johndef5075]

I wish I had seen this before buying an XT hub. I just built a wheel up. I think I will do this before I even ride it as a preventative measure.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

I guess we all wish pretty much the same on this 😂👍

[@petrsembol3520]

Thanks a lot for sharing. Greased, back to xc ride in silence for 200km, but now creaking back again. So frustrating, Shimano really screwed this up …

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Yeah, this can come back, but 200 km seems too little of an interval. Did you use a fair amount of grease or just a tiny bit?

[@SebastianMorales-rp6li]

Shimano Fuck up with this système..l'ESS than 500 kms and make crazy noise...hellooooo...this is my second XT rear hub...so for me 12 speed Shimano forget it..

[@gora6045]

9:14 Motorex Bike Grease 2000 - это синтетическое масло ("fully SYNTHETIC resin-free grease") Shimano Premium Grease - это минеральное масло ("high-quality refined MINERAL green fat") В некоторых обстоятельствах они не эквивалентны. Как показательный пример - указания по эксплуатации авиационных двигателей Lycoming в условиях влажного климата. В случае регулярных полетов допускается использования синтетического масла, поскольку оно лучше препятствует износу. Но в случае нерегулярных полетов - использование синтетического масла запрещено, допускается только минеральное. Это связано с тем, что минеральное масло гораздо лучше долгосрочно удерживает маслянную пленку, что защищает двигатель от коррозии. Предположу, что инженеры Shimano при конструировании Micro Spline, из-за компромисов в миниатюризации не смогли добиться достаточной закрытости системы, поэтому синтетическое масло слишком быстро выходит из системы и поэтому они рекомендуют использовать минеральное масло.

[@DenmasCobain]

Thank you very much, Brother!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Welcome 🤜🤛

[@ThomasSlaney]

Nice video. With mine, I was pretty sure it's one of the cartridge bearings inside the freehub body, which was bone dry from the factory. Repacking it with grease is what I thought fixed it. The spacer rings are definitely a weird feature of this freehub though, as almost all the pins have now broken off of mine. I did regrease the spacer for reassembly as directed and the noise went away, so maybe I was wrong.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Hi, Thomas! No one knows your exact case better than you do. But the most common source for creaking of these hubs is the spacer. Just ride for another 1K or so. Once it starts creaking again, you'll have a chance to decide whether it's a bearing or the spacer. But I wish it never creaks, and you just have years of worry free riding! 🤘

[@RTARRO17]

Thank you so much! creaking sound on my slx hub are totally gone🙂 more power to you brother!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Thank you for the feedback, and have a nice ride! 🤘

[@demoanddestroy]

I have a XT rear hub and I had to replace the plastic spacer with the teeth.. It was creaking, So I put a new part in there and greased it according to your advice. It works fine but I wonder if I got the big seal back in correctly the snap ring doesnt look right.. I noticed once I greased it. It is quiet now I dont hear it like it used to.. Mine came with no grease in it.. The plastic spacer came out in pieces..

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Take time to thoroughly check the teeth, separated with the spacer. After 5000 km mine are so damaged that any new spacer won’t last a couple of rides 🤪

[@paulb9769]

Did the noise only happen under load?

[@juanpablograsso4355]

una pregunta cada cuento se le hace el mantenimiento normal para que no se dañe el Micro Spline...saludos

[@unclealig]

My lock does not have the holes to enter with the pliers. Its just a black ring with no openings or holes. How to remove it?

[@ovidiupodar1453]

Dude, my one-forty with slx drivetrain has the exact same problem. Thanks!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Welcome! Keep on riding! 🤘 Actually, all factory bikes of the last couple of years with 12spd Shimano drivetrain have this problem sooner or later 🤯

[@ovidiupodar1453]

@@ZavyalovCycling Maybe they all do, but it is quite frustrating that it appeared after 150km of forest riding. Shimano has fked it up. I will try to service this at home because the local bike shops here are a nightmare. Keep up the good work with these videos!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

@@ovidiupodar1453 Hope you handle it with ease! Some service skills are always a plus for us riders!

[@14TacomaDR]

I am going into the 3rd week waiting for a delivery for a Shimano free hub for my 2020 Specialized Turbo Levo . They say in it shipping but can't say when it will arrive . Summer flying by and I can't ride. The number on mine is fh-mt510-b . Would any of the other models be compatible ? I need the 28 hole version.

[@pastori70]

Nice video, five stars! I just bought the M8110-B. I propably have to inspect it and see if it is greased and if it has black spacer. Any idea if the black spacer is more durable?

[@filipalin9014]

Your video help so much . Thank you bro !

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Thanks for the comment! It motivates to keep making new videos! 🤘

[@afonsoramosdasilva8865]

Acho que seria bom usar esse sistema sem.essa aranha ela.só atrapalha material fraco ...alias esse modelo aí o xt e o 501 às esferas são presas nos cones outro problema deverias ser soltas apenas os guarda pó em volta deixa ele mais durável mais solto logo menos problemas pra resolver em uma simpels manutenção ou revisão .

[@afonsoramosdasilva8865]

Claro remodelar está peça pra ser usada sem aranha

[@richibierk3680]

Это надежная втулка 8110(hub)? Я продал mt410 и хочу купить эту, надеюсь оно того стоит

[@thatthingyoudo6398]

Bro that first cap, got stuck in the trhu axle and don't allow to release it in order to replace the rear tyre. What can I do?

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Sorry, cannot get it this way. A video with your problem might help.

[@tymdab]

You made my day, grate video. Thanks

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Welcome and have a nice ride! 😉

[@andreicazacu3321]

what do u think about mt-601 hub rear ? how it sound?

[@yonis31]

Does this lubrication for a long time solve the problem?

[@kcyclopoints]

Nice 👍

[@markanthony9256]

Hi my rear wheel is rotating botu sides and having sticky hub. What do you think tue problem? Hope you noticed. Thank you.

[@aaivilchip]

I hope my upcoming FH-MT401 (microspline for QR135, my bike just old 26er too) doesn't face this problem. Based on Shimano exploded view, FH-MT401 designed more simple compared to higher Shimano 12-speed Freehub

[@ZavyalovCycling]

You are right. FH-MT401 has a classic ratchet with 3 spring loaded paws. Won't have this problem.

[@baconprod3647]

​@@ZavyalovCyclingare they durable?

[@wincysalandanan9862]

Can you convert that into quick release?

[@ortsae]

thx for video. The noise disappears immediately after greasing my XT free hub

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Welcome! The grease won't last forever, but for now you can enjoy riding with no creaks 🤘

[@jvinceeeent]

how about nonseries shimano microspline can u help?

[@m1sh683]

Great video! Many thanks. Served my XT hub as shown in the video. There is almost no creak left, but under very heavy load it still creaks. Maybe there are some tips and tricks for maintaining this hub?

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Thanks for your experience. Frankly, you are the first one to report some creaking left after greasing. As you can see from the comments, normally it goes away completely even with some light greasing. At least for some hundreds of kilometers. If I were you, probably I'd grease once again. Shouldn't take long since you are familiar with it now! If it still creaks right after, consider uploading a video to share.

[@coreymtb]

Good video. Thank you!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Thanks for watching! KZbin doesn't show chapters for easy navigation right now, even though they are arranged in the description, but I hope they'll fix it. Does your DT Swiss hub look similar? I think I've read somewhere that this Shimano hub family was designed in cooperation with DT Swiss.

[@coreymtb]

@@ZavyalovCycling So I just did some searching, and the DT swiss hub is very different. This may not be my issue. :/ This page shows their ratchet system and it is nothing like the shimano: www.dtswiss.com/en/wheels/wheels-technology/ratchet-technology

[@ancogbernard]

what if we removed the plastic apacer, what would happen?

[@ZavyalovCycling]

I have not done this, but I expect much more noise and rapid demolition of connecting splines on both your hub and freehub body. I'd compare it with riding on bare rims, with no tires. Possible, but not for long.

[@gmbmedia28]

Nice video but I think you already damaged the lock ring?

[@christophersmith6574]

Hi. Fantastic video👍🏻 I have had this terrible creaking noise for a couple of months on a new e-mtb. Unfortunately for me, I bought it from a factory manufacturer (Canyon Bikes) and they don’t have a manufacturer service network. Either you have to send in the bike or drive to their distribution center after getting an appointment. Too far and too time consuming for me. Other bike shop dealers aren’t happy to service. I have a shimano xt FH-M8110 rear hub. However, there is no slider on the spring (the inner one with the dog leg) 🤷🏻‍♂️. Shimano‘s Dealers Manual shows the slider in the explosion view, however there isn’t one. Is it possible, that the sliders were introduced to post production, as a solution to prevent creeping? I inspected and serviced my hub today, in particular greased the specific stated parts with shimano‘s special grease. I am amazed!!! No more creaking👍🏻. Whilst replacing the spacer, I noticed one of the tiny plastic arms had bent and broke off. Will this effect the way the micro spline works drastically? Thanks for any replies.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Hi! Pretty much sure your hub gets to a next service absolutely fine even with one spacer leg compromised! This will just take one contact point out of the game, but there’s still a plenty of other. As for the missing slider, it’s not the first time I hear about it. Someone on MTBR forum thread reported the same. Gonna order the slider and the spacer now?

[@christophersmith6574]

@@ZavyalovCycling thanks for the rapid reply. What is the actual function of the slider?

[@ZavyalovCycling]

@@christophersmith6574 First of all, there are two springs, but only one of them requires a slider, the inner diameter spring. It touches the rotating part of the freehub body. The slider acts as a bearing reducing friction between the two and allowing easy rotation against each other.

[@christophersmith6574]

@@ZavyalovCycling Cheers. I thought it was to do with friction reduction. Thankyou for confirming👍🏻

[@paulb9769]

Was you noise only under load?

[@emteebee1872]

Glad I’m not the only one with this issue… thanks for the video. Do you know if I can use Park Tool PolyLube 1000 Bicycle Grease on all small parts you greased up? I’m kind of disappointed at Shimano at this point and prefer not to buy Shimano specific grease.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Pretty well understand your disappointment with Shimano! A solid advice on alternative greases should be backed up with some long term test data, I guess. But nobody is capable of providing such data for today. In general, my answer to your question is YES. PolyLube will grease the spacer fine. It might be not as good as a sealant grease for the cap and the gasket, but still pretty enough for typical use.

[@ezequielpiacenza3776]

Excelente 👍

[@1969mtb]

Just bought a brand new Deore XT rear hub and after less than 100KM started to make that ##$#$%$#$%&%###$$% noise. Thanks for the solution btw!!! but my point is...how on earth Shimano is dealing with this? The workaround they suggest is to grease some parts and be happy? this is so frustated mostly when you are dealing a a brand new hub, not expecting any "workaround"...i would happily do it! of course after lots lots of use and kilometers .....just saying....thanks anyway

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Shimano hope this just goes by and one day they introduce an updated generation “reliable as never before”. And yes, they don’t care much about our struggles, but they won’t put it straight. It’s a blemish on their image, but it won’t kill them.

[@utfhunter]

У меня вопрос, многие говорят, что мазать нельзя вообще, так как попадает пыль внутрь, и будет только хуже потом. Что можешь сказать?

[@radektandler7058]

The original Shimano maintenance maual advised not to grease. The updated manual - valid now - advises to grease. So Simano changed their mind in the meantime.

[@onetwo1800]

First of all, a great video. But hey, squeaking creaking and so on... This hub is too new to be having this issues. So, I'll pass out and stick to my old novatec hubs.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

These hubs are "too new" in terms of mileage to be causing this mess, absolutely true. But they are also "too new" in terms of design in comparison to classic "polished" paw-style freehubs. This is where the problem comes from! It will take time before Shimano addresses all these issues of this new design. Sadly, the experimental phase took the end users 😁 I'm glad if the video helped you to make a right decision and wait before these Shimano hubs can be truly relied on 😉🤘

[@mitivi3]

I just can't believe that Shimano has made a specific grease for freehub seals only. 😐 Pretty sure that any normal grease, like Shimano premium, Motorex like yours or just basic vaseline will work just fine.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Considering the scale of problem with these hubs, the need for the specific seal grease looks pathetic indeed 😂👍

[@bennguyen1867]

Great video. Question - what is the name and part number for the tool that you used to seat the seal ring? Thanks.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Shimano TL-FH16. It's a handy tool, but not 100% necessary. You can live without it if you need to! 😉

[@bennguyen1867]

Thank you.

[@OYeahan]

Hi. Nice video, but I notice you never cleaned the splines inside the hub itself - why? I'd disassemble the rest of the mechanism and then clean it thoroughly. I had my hub star locking up, I opened it and it chewed app all of the 'legs' of this stupid fragile plastic spacer... Worn the aluminium parts after that as well a bit I reckon. It was after it was replaced as a warranty from this light coloured spacer to a black one, and they applied grease there as well (no grease there from factory) - back then it started creaking and that's why I took this hub body off the hub, and some of the legs of thwere partly broken and they broke completely off when cleaning. Now it even somehow destroyed/opened up the cover of the driveside bearing as well, and probably contaminated it... wondering if the races are still OK. This hub is very nice when it works well - after this 'grease mod' they applied it was working like a real 'scylence' hub, and a lot of engagement points - but the reliability is a nighmare when used for climbing in the mountains. I'd like to go to Japan to ask the designers etc. how the hell did they test this shit, if at all.

[@ZavyalovCycling]

You are right. To clean everything up 100% thoroughly, we need to go for the inside as well. However this "thorough" clean would take 3x more time or maybe even more. This wasn't a time when I was eager to spend so much. But I'm glad you've asked, cause the thing was on my mind during this service as well. Let's see how my hub lasts with this approach. If anything goes wrong, I'll surely let everyone here know. So far the hub has clocked ~2K kms (~1.3K miles). Keep on ridin'! 💪

[@CptTacklesEnnis]

Had the same happen to me when I opened it up the spacer was all bent and broken, I wonder how it will run without one hehe ? :/

[@ZavyalovCycling]

@@CptTacklesEnnis I'm afraid without the spacer it will be the metal splines to go "bent and broken". The spacer is a cheap part to replace. But not always easily available to buy, true 😂

[@CptTacklesEnnis]

@@ZavyalovCycling I just ordered the black XTR version I hope it's kinda the same part since it was the only one i could find in stock.

[@OYeahan]

@@CptTacklesEnnis yeah, the Shimano service actually seems to replace the SLX/Deore XT one with the XTR ones. Not that it helps though. I'm replacing my hub, and spokes for that matter unfortunately (Shimano is 2-cross, DT is 3-cross. At least a stiffer wheel it is)

[@TrailsnGravel]

What quality of grease would you recommend as an alternative to Shimano premium grease and the scylence grease.. I can't find either in India..

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Personally, I use Motorex 2000 as a substitute for Shimano Premium in this hub: www.motorex.com/en-us/bike-grease--49342?category=5772 But I cannot recommend any seal grease alternative. BTW If you order some bike parts from a foreign e-shop to India, do you have to pay additional customs fees in your country?

[@TrailsnGravel]

@@ZavyalovCycling yes, customs duty is 50%. And because of territory restrictions I cannot order shimano stuff from overseas to India.

[@hooha1939]

Bro. Your arm sometimes block the view and can't see what you were doing. You need to have a better camera angle rather than a fix position.

[@ludekrichter6049]

Unfortunatelly most of the important steps are hisden behind the right hand. Next time, please try a different angle.

[@ringll]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoXbhXetg62Dj7s what do you think the reason is that you need to lubricate?

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Form your video it looks like you have the common problem with this type of hub. I'd remove the freewheel body and check the condition of the plastic spacer inside. If the spacer is nor crashed yet, greasing it should help for a while.

[@y.morales6898]

U speak like Nino Schurter mechanic😂

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Hi! Noted 😁 Pity that Scott stopped posting videos with him about 2 years ago!

[@oscarg8667]

That's a shimano wheel, mine is different, and i've got the same problem. My wheel is a progress, and the freehub is totally different. So I think the problem is in the cassette.

[@dcmix2]

hello! cassette or hub problem? here's the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIm5e4p7q86drZI thanks :-)

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Probably, the hub. But it's a completely different problem to what this video is about. No instant solution for you, sorry!

[@EllasPOSEiDON]

Worst design ever seen.

[@sebastiengiovannelli8556]

terrible design

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Absolutely! More servicing than riding 😂

[@davidparkins6241]

Great video, thsnks!

[@ZavyalovCycling]

Welcome!