Inexpesive Mineral Oil for brakes

Instead of paying the ridiculous price for Shimano or other bike brand mineral oil go with the car option instead @ $15 for a litre. TRW LHM Plus is a high quality, non-synthetic oil. You can order it form German Auto Parts and they will deliver or drop ship it for free to a bunch of locations in Metro Van, including the UPS store in the Park & Tilford mall in NVan.

https://germanparts.ca/parts/j4995-jlm9886-trw-trw-lhm-plus-mineral-oil1l/

It was back in the day but I've seen drug store mineral oil fack up lever return on Shimano

But did you use lordco tape to wrap the bike first ?

Thanks synchro I had no idea some cars used mineral.

Last time I bought a liter of Shimano I think it was around $35. Not that much of a premium. 

The little bottles are incredibly expensive per ml though.

Posted by: Poz

But did you use lordco tape to wrap the bike first ?

Thanks synchro I had no idea some cars used mineral.

Heads up that the drugstore stuff might be thicker than you, 

I sense you don't actualy have anything to add

Posted by: XXX_er

Posted by: Poz

But did you use lordco tape to wrap the bike first ?

Thanks synchro I had no idea some cars used mineral.

Heads up that the drugstore stuff might be thicker than you, 

I sense you don't actualy have anything to add

I don’t, you are correct. Just saw Syncro and you in the top of a thread and it was easy picking. 

I have a 1l of the shimano stuff that seems to last forever. But knowing of other options is good. Plus I had no idea done German cats used mineral oil for brakes. TIL

LHM is definitely more viscous than shimano mineral oil at room/garage temp.  This can make bleeding more challenging.  Just buy a big bottle of Shimano and it will last you years, if you use Shimano/TRP/Tektro/etc brakes.

Part of the reason I started looking at alternatives was price, cheapest I saw on a litre of Shimano was $45 USD plus shipping, and lack of availability locally.

FYI - I had found a 500ml bottle at John Henry about a month ago for around $40.

I remember from a Shimano tech seminar years ago, that it's pink dyed Shell Pella A mineral oil. Maybe that will also help find an equivalent? A quick Google tells me it's also used as a cutting fluid.

Because the small bottles are the expensive part, the next most logical thing to do is commit to a 55 gallon drum.

So not worth the risk of poor performance. Years ago I tried some other bike brand mineral oil in my Shimanos. Might have been Finish Line. Total crap! Felt fine in average conditions, but was HORRIBLE in the cold. Brakes and tires are the two things not worth mucking with to save a few pennies. I now always buy OEM brake fluid, even for my current DOT brakes (Codes). There's better places to be frugal, like literally any other part.

Posted by: Poz

Posted by: XXX_er

Posted by: Poz

But did you use lordco tape to wrap the bike first ?

Thanks synchro I had no idea some cars used mineral.

Heads up that the drugstore stuff might be thicker than you, 

I sense you don't actualy have anything to add

I don’t, you are correct. Just saw Syncro and you in the top of a thread and it was easy picking. 

I have a 1l of the shimano stuff that seems to last forever. But knowing of other options is good. Plus I had no idea done German cats used mineral oil for brakes. TIL

a 4 " piece of 3M

was/is actualy the correct nomenclature, but as opposed to acting like a cunt did anyone ever wonder why someone would chose to rather pedanticaly mention specifically a 4" piece of 3M ?

because 3M also comes in 6" wide which might not work so well on a bike as the 4" wide, I noticed the last 2 digits of product code were 06 vs 04 which makes sense, so I  posted the correct information in full in case someone actulay  uses it

Posted by: DanLees1978

LHM is definitely more viscous than shimano mineral oil at room/garage temp.  This can make bleeding more challenging.  Just buy a big bottle of Shimano and it will last you years, if you use Shimano/TRP/Tektro/etc brakes.

Based on what? Data sheets indicate the density is the same and Shimano doesn't list a viscosity for the mineral oil

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: DanLees1978

LHM is definitely more viscous than shimano mineral oil at room/garage temp. This can make bleeding more challenging. Just buy a big bottle of Shimano and it will last you years, if you use Shimano/TRP/Tektro/etc brakes.

Based on what? Data sheets indicate the density is the same and Shimano doesn't list a viscosity for the mineral oil

If Shimano oil is indeed Shell Pella Oil (colored pink) as mentioned above, it has a viscosity of 4.3 (@40C). The LHM plus has a viscosity of 18 (@40C). Densities are very similar.

https://shop.sclubricants.com/pub/media/sds/houghton/Houghton-Pella-A.pdf

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/assets/pis_pdfs/LHM%20PLUS.pdf

I would agree with the above posters, that saving 20 bucks on a litre of brake fluid (that will likely last you for years) is not where I personally would choose to cut costs.

If you really want to save some money on brake fluid for you Shimano's, why not just use baby oil?  'Scientifically' proven by Sethsbikehacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63VIuPiX3CA