Bearing surfaces inside your hubs, headset, and bottom bracket operate under load with water, road grit, and trail debris constantly trying to work their way in. The grease protecting those bearings needs to stay put, resist washout, and not add unnecessary drag as it shears under rotation. Park Tool's HPG-1 High Performance Grease is a proprietary high-viscosity blend formulated specifically for these demanding bearing applications, and it also covers suspension pivots, fork lowers, and cable interfaces.

What separates the HPG-1 from Park Tool's own PolyLube 1000 (PPL-1) all-purpose grease comes down to bearing-specific characteristics: lower shearing force and higher heat tolerance. Lower shearing force means the grease resists less as bearing surfaces rotate through it, which matters in precision-ground and ceramic bearing systems where you're trying to minimize friction. The higher heat tolerance extends the working temperature range to -20°F to 540°F (-29°C to 282°C), which is far beyond what bicycle bearings typically see but signals a formulation that holds its structure under stress rather than breaking down and thinning out. The grease is also carbon-fiber safe, so you can use it on press-fit bottom bracket interfaces and headset bearings seated in carbon head tubes without worrying about material degradation.

The HPG-1 is highly water resistant, which is the single most relevant property for bearings that live in exposed locations on the bike. Hub bearings on a rain ride, headset bearings that collect water running down the steerer, bottom bracket shells that sit at the lowest point of the frame collecting spray from the front wheel — all of these benefit from a grease that doesn't emulsify and wash away at the first sign of moisture. The 4oz tube threads directly onto Park Tool's GG-1 Grease Gun if you want precise application into cartridge bearing seals or tight spaces around cup-and-cone systems.... Read More