Bicycle Advise.

So, as some of you may know, there was some inclement weather in some eastern U.S. areas this past weekend. One victim of the resulting high waters was my wife's bicycle. Turns out the area where it was being stored wasn't as safe in this particular storm as it had been in all (known) prior events. The water wasn't particularly high, but the bike fell and most of the works (wheel bearings, crank bearings, pedals, derailleurs etc.) were immersed in muddy, sandy, nasty water. Yesterday, I took it out and cleaned it up some, but to the experts: How far should this thing be torn down given the circumstances (or should I even worry about it). It's not a high-end Tour-De-France race bike, but it's a decent Giant probably about 5 years old and she really likes it. Thoughts?

How long was it immersed for? On a winter's ride, I might get my mountain bike completely and utterly covered in thick mud.

So I tend to think it'll be fine. Clean off everything you can see. Give the chain a thorough cleaning, so there's no grit cycling through your drivetrain, (and then re-lube it.) If the brakes feel spongy, you may have mud/water gumming up your inner cables, in which case I'd replace them, (inner and outer - brake and gear).

Remove/clean/repack the headset, bottom-bracket & wheel bearings. Plus what Luke said about the brakes. I'd also remove the seatpost & grips to make sure everything is clean & dry inside. If there's water trapped in the frame, while you have it apart take a hair-dryer to the vent holes inside the bottom bracket shell & head tube.

All of the above. You can flush some clean water through the frame while its stripped, then hang upside down to dry for a day or two. Use a hairdryer to accelerate the process.

If you are going to strip the frame down to clean it you might as well treat the frame with Frame Saver to prevent any further rust from the inside. She will probably need a new saddle.

DONT USE A PRESSURE WASHER OR GARDEN HOSE!! If you spray a hose directly at the bearings you WILL push the greasse out of the bearings.

THis would be what a bike shop would call a major tune-up. If you had a shop do it, they would proabably charge you about $150.00 with a $5.00 dirty bike fee.

If you do it yourself it may only cost about $30.00 for the cables and some bearings.

If any of the bearings are cartridge bearings, you may not even have to clean them out. I would suspect that the headset and bottom bracket are cartridge bearings. I wouldn't worry about them.

I wouldn't worry too much about the rear der. either. They regularly get hammered with mud and crap. In fact the companies that make them do so in a way that they are SUPPOSED to clear mud out of themselves.

Have fun!

I can't say exactly how long it was in the water, but I would guess at least 4 hours. It wasn't laying down completely, so the saddle never got wet. The cables seem fine and I did a quick ride and it still shifts well. The brakes worked fine, too. Is there a recommended grease for the wheel bearings? Thanks, all!

Like Mojo said, ...FRAME SAVER...its good stuff (for steel bikes anyway). Its likely that the headset ISNT sealed, if its an off the shelf Giant, so you may want to overhaul that if it was submerged. But the bot bracket is probably sealed, so youre fine. Its a good idea to periodically repack your hubs anyway, and is really not too long of a process at all. It may require cone wrenches tho, these are just very narrow wrenches (as in 4mm wide) for 14,15,16,17 mm sized cone flats.

As far as wheel grease, I like plain old white lithium grease. Its pretty cheap, and lasts a good long time. In a pinch, you can use regular heavy grease, as in car hub grease. Its much heavier though, and will gunk up faster with dust and whatever faster than the lithium stuff will.

I usually use bicycle-specific grease (Phil Wood's stuff), on hubs and the like, but it's totally not necessary. When I can't find the tube, I use plain ol' automotive general purpose grease.

I have, I suppose, the opposite philosophy to 4cylndrfury on grease: I'm relying on the heavier grease to act as something of a seal and barrier.

That's what I've used and had suggested to me by other bike mechanics (I was one for a little while), but I didn't get the info from a smoldering shrubbery or anything uber-definitive like that.

ransom wrote: I usually use bicycle-specific grease (Phil Wood's stuff), on hubs and the like, but it's totally not necessary. When I can't find the tube, I use plain ol' automotive general purpose grease. I have, I suppose, the opposite philosophy to 4cylndrfury on grease: I'm relying on the heavier grease to act as something of a seal and barrier. That's what I've used and had suggested to me by other bike mechanics (I was one for a little while), but I didn't get the info from a smoldering shrubbery or anything uber-definitive like that.

In fairness, regular heavy grease does work just fine. The idea though is that the hubs dust seal/shield should keep the grease safe, allowing the grease to do the only job its meant to, limit friction. Lithium grease does not dry out like other greases can, so it could last longer. If youre like me, you probably overhaul your hubs maybe every 2 seasons, so youre really not giving it enough time to decompose anyway. I guess I just have always preferred the Lithium stuff...well cuz I have always used it lol. Kinda like not liking tomatoes because you just dont like them, whether or not you actually ever tried them...