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Johnons & Johnsons baby oil Vs. Mineral Oil

DHperu

Monkey
Apr 14, 2005
240
0
hey guys, dont know if much of you know that you can actually run any mineral oil brake system with Johnsons and johnsons baby oil and it works PERFECTLY, a friend that races MX told me that they some pro teams even use the stuff in their clutch....CRAZY

anyways...

has anyone else tried this? im using it on my 4 pot XT brakes cus i've had some problems trying to get mineral oil so i just said screw it, and started using the baby oil, has been working great for months.
up to now i haven't had any problems altough some of my friends say that my brakes feel a bit more squishier...i think their the same, brake the same and each time i bleed my brakes they'll smell nice... :)

so people, try it out, post your opinions, you'll be surprised!

if this has been posted before...well its been posted again..hahaha
 

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,841
19
So Cal
Ask Mack about that, he just did it to his XT 4 pots, I believe. I just installed a set of XT 4pots and while bleeding them I noticed that the rear (which came assembled and filled, I just had to bleed) had clear oil in it, not the Shimano red stuff. Both brakes feel the same to me.
 

WhiteRavenKS

Turbo Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
1,270
0
neither here nor there
i did the baby oil stuff with my xt's once when i was in a bind. it performed just fine. didnt notice much of a difference at all after 5 minutes on the bike. when i bled it out it had turned all cloudy but was still working just fine. go for it.
 

Jayridesacove

Turbo Monkey
Feb 21, 2004
1,335
0
Falls Church, VA
Shimano tries to "scare" the ignorant with their bleed kits. I recall somewhere in the instructions that you need to use their oil because there are certain additives, including the pink coloring, that help the oil sustain the higher temperatures involved with disc brakes. Though there is no real scientific evidence to back their claim up.

I've only been using the regular shimano stuff since I got my brakes because I stocked up back in 2001; when this bike shop closed down and they had shimano mineral oil for like a 70% discount.

But, when I run out of my stock, I'll be trying out the mineral oil I can buy at CVS
 

Monkeybidnezz

Turbo Monkey
Dec 16, 2003
1,212
0
Pac NW
I used it w/o any problems before, I would just make sure to get the fragrance free ones since it seems like there could be additives that may not be good for the seals...
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
I just used plain generic "mineral oil" (no fragrances added) from rite-aid with mine...cheap and easy...

MD
 

DHDror

Monkey
Feb 7, 2005
181
-1
Israel
hmmm....I wonder whats the boiling point of baby oil ?....

funny nobody mentioned brake fade or lever pumping on long descents.
 

dhpimp

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
151
0
MILFS BEDROOM
I used 2.5wt Rochshox oil and it worked fine for a while, but after consistent braking it would just fade and i couldn't lock the wheels...

Shimano's mineral oil actually IS made for them by Shell Products. It contains no additives that the stuff at CVS does. You can swallow the stuff sold at drug stores, but not Shimano stuff.

As for J&J brand, I personally haven't tried that brand, but i know like all other mineral oils it is will absorb water over time. In the case of DOT fluid, this is why people use DOT 5 oil - it does not absorb water over time like DOT 3 or DOT 4.

Use it only if you don't mind bleeding your brakes often. I couldn't use regular mineral oil for more than 4-5 weeks without getting significant fade. Your lucky if you have gotten away with it for a while.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
vitox said:
hypoallergenic and your golden
Will your brakes break out in a rash if you don't?? Or get an odd swollen lump of some sort?
 

greenreese

Monkey
Nov 11, 2003
221
0
dhpimp said:
As for J&J brand, I personally haven't tried that brand, but i know like all other mineral oils it is will absorb water over time. In the case of DOT fluid, this is why people use DOT 5 oil - it does not absorb water over time like DOT 3 or DOT 4.
DOT 5 fluid is different from DOT 3 and 4. DOT 5 is Silicone based and should only be used in brake system specifically set up for it(not any bicycle brakes). Dot 3 and 4 are Glycol based. Most cars use 3. The only difference is the boiling point. DOT 3 boils at 401 degrees, DOT 4 at 446 degrees. If there is any kind of other moisture or fluid in the brake system, the boiling points drop to 284 and 311 degrees respectively. DOT 5 boils at 500 degrees, but starts to become compressable at a lower temperature, giving it a soft feel and less power.
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
greenreese said:
DOT 5 fluid is different from DOT 3 and 4. DOT 5 is Silicone based and should only be used in brake system specifically set up for it(not any bicycle brakes).

Both Hopes and Avid Juicy's can use DOT 5. I don't see the point as it costs about 10x as much, but you can.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
Ah, grasshopper, but mineral oil used for brake fluid should 'stop' you up, no?

MD
 

dhtahoe

I LOVE NORBA!!!!
Feb 4, 2002
1,363
0
Flying Low Living Fast
Ciaran said:
Ask Mack about that, he just did it to his XT 4 pots, I believe. I just installed a set of XT 4pots and while bleeding them I noticed that the rear (which came assembled and filled, I just had to bleed) had clear oil in it, not the Shimano red stuff. Both brakes feel the same to me.
Are you kidding I would not ask that guy how to tie shoes. DO NOT ues baby oil in your brakes. NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!! Man... where is that smack you along side the head smilie.
 
Feb 20, 2004
347
0
Oklahoma
dhtahoe said:
Are you kidding I would not ask that guy how to tie shoes. DO NOT ues baby oil in your brakes. NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!! Man... where is that smack you along side the head smilie.

I have used Mineral oil found at the drugstore and my brakes felt squshy. I think the viscosity was diferent. My friend is currently using mineral oil for treating butcher blocks and it seems to be working very well. I now use finish line mineral oil.
 

zerossix

Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
204
0
Arlington, VA
im gunna stick with my mineral oil made for mercedez-benz or BMW motorcycles. haha nah i wish id known about this before i dropped almost 30 bucks on a liter of that stuff that i used hardly any of. but then donated to my shop hoping to get 20 bucks for it but my boss wouldnt pay up...bastard.
 

Mani_UT

Monkey
Nov 25, 2001
644
0
SLC, UT
buildyourown said:
Both Hopes and Avid Juicy's can use DOT 5. I don't see the point as it costs about 10x as much, but you can.
It is NOT DOT 5 it it DOT 5.1 which is NOT silicone based. DOT 5 and DOT 5.1 have nothing in common. Do not mix them up or you're in trouble