Bicycle Mechanics - Pulled a bike out of a creek.

I pulled a nice little Schwinn ladies road bike out of a creek tonight. It doesn't look like it was in the water too long and I took it almost completely apart tonight. The only things I couldn't remove were the cranks and bottom bracket because I don't have the tools. I sprayed 1/4 a can of WD-40 down the seat tube until it was dripping out of the bottom bracket to displace the water and keep it from freezing up till I can take it apart and rebuild it. Is there anything else I should do to? How should I orient the frame to let it dry?

Did you stop and consider that the bike was probably stolen and the REAL owner might want it back?

Did you stop and consider that the bike was probably stolen and the REAL owner might want it back?

Before you posted, did you stop to consider that leaving it in the creek does nobody any good?

Yes I did consider that. I plan on calling the cops at my earliest convenience. In the mean time I thought it was a good idea to strip it down and dry it out. If somebody wants it back I'll rebuild the bottom bracket, rear hub and head set, put it all back together and send them on their way. Of course they'll need a new front wheel and new cables/housings too.

I sprayed the derailers, shifters, brake pivots and chainring bolts with WD40 too. I forgot to oil the spoke nipples, I suppose that would be a good idea. Anything else?

Before you posted, did you stop to consider that leaving it in the creek does nobody any good?

So, apparently, you feel that doing nothing is better than doing the "RIGHT" thing.

So, apparently, you feel that doing nothing is better than doing the "RIGHT" thing.

Wait, what? Which thing did we decide was the right thing again?

Leaving it in the creek to rust away was not the right "thing". Eventually some city worker would have to fish it out (which was not that easy) and dispose of the rusted carcass.

Selling it or keeping it without trying to figure out who it belonged to would not be the "right thing."

Maybe just calling the police would be the "right thing." It certainly would have been easier for me.

I decided to retrieve it and take it home to try to prevent further damage. I'll call the cops and let them know I have it and if someone reports/has reported it missing, I'll turn it over with a smile. I figure that was the "right thing."

I should have just ignored your post but I can never resist the urge to feed a troll.

If you would look, you would see I was replying to eatadonut.

Why wait to notify the police? The longer you wait, the easier it is for them to "forget" in case somebody actually reported it stolen. IF you were contacted by the owner, you could still offer to do whatever "clean-up" you are doing now.

If you would look, you would see I was replying to eatadonut.



I know, I just don't get why you were trying to say. If you read his comment, he was saying that leaving it there was not a good idea. Exactly what do you thing the "right thing" to do is. I'm guessing most people would not go home, change clothes and slosh 20 feet down a muddy creek bed to retrieve a muddy old road bike with a destroyed front wheel. I'm guessing that even fewer people would do all that, clean up the bike, call it in to the police and turn it over if the rightful owner wants it back.

So, apparently, you feel that doing nothing is better than doing the "RIGHT" thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/merckx56/hugger.jpg

I may not speak for everyone, but my feeling is that you need to SHUT UP!

I love it - anything can start a heated argument here....

The WD-40 wasn't such a good idea. Sure, it'll displace the water but it'll also promote rust. You'll need to get something else in there as well.

And good onya for doing the right thing.

Richard

I love it - anything can start a heated argument here....

Wait just a doggone second!!!!!!!:D

WD40 is actually one of the BEST rust preventatives.........

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/GunTech/NewsletterArchive.aspx?p=0&t=1&i=503

The WD-40 wasn't such a good idea. Sure, it'll displace the water but it'll also promote rust. You'll need to get something else in there as well.

Yes, there are much better rust preventatives to put inside a frame than WD-40. But WD-40 certainly won't promote rust. For what the OP was trying to do for the time being (get the water out, stop any rusting in the immediate sense), there was nothing wrong with using WD-40.

I wold try to find the owner if it was reported stolen. Flushing the frame with WD-40 was the right idea, as the WD stands for Water Displacement, the 40 was the 40th formula the inventors had tried. If you do keep it and restore it, get some Weingel's Frame Saver to prevent the rust from taking over. (I think I butchered the spelling on the manufacturer's name.) Those one piece cranks use 1/2" spindle pedals, and the tires are probably the old Schwinn 26" (590 ERTO). Enjoy and don't let the arseholes get you down. Removing it from the creek was the best thing to do whether you find the owner, restore it, or drop it at a scrap recycler.

What are the odds the owner will be found? Slim, I would guess.

I would like to find some way to criticize the OP that's extremely self-righteous... Hmmmm.

Oh I know! Hey, did you ever think that maybe the original owner would- wait a sec...

Darn! Beat to the punch!

No good deed goes unpunished. Found a set of keys. Had a US Post box key so I took it to the Post Office to get them back to the owner. Got such a load of crap from the Postal employees over wanting to return the keys to the owner. Like it was a real big job to look up the number on the keys and contact the box holder.

Those one piece cranks use 1/2" spindle pedals, and the tires are probably the old Schwinn 26" (590 ERTO).

No, it's acutally a pretty nice bike. Three piece cranks, Chromoly frame, 27" alloy wheels etc... I put an add on craigslist and send posted messages in a couple of local bike related mailing lists and message boards. I haven't had a chance to call the po-lice yet.

So, at what point are you free to take a bike?

So, at what point are you free to take a bike?

whenever you can justify it to your own conscience. legally, never. in practice, as soon as the person isn't going to A) be able to find out you took it or B) care.

I'll take anything in a dumpster the day before trash day.

Did you stop and consider that the bike was probably stolen and the REAL owner might want it back?

That bike was thrown away in the creek for a reason, probably stolen.
Getting caught with it could be bad.
I'd have probably pulled it out, but then reported it to the police and let them deal with it.

Wow!
Where do you guys live that you would expect cops to pull a bike out of a creek?? There is Zero chance here-New Orleans-that the cops would even take a report to the effect that you "saw a bike in the creek(drainage canal)", much less wade in to pull it out. Someday, if it makes it to a pump strainer, a maintenance worker will fish it out( or have the semi automated skimmer do it).
Seeing a bike in a creek isn't a HUGE PRIORITY for cops anywhere that has significant crime.I'm guessing that that creek isn't essential for drainage/flooding(Salt Lake/Utah have a flooding problem??-heck does it even rain there?) so I kinda doubt that some city worker will swing into action and pull that sucker out before it turns to scrap.
There is a world of difference between being able to prove ownership(which requires a trail of receipts-notarized maybe??- from the original sale), and illegally possessing it.
On to the bike-Schwinn has been selling some pretty decent-in the $150-$180 range actual selling price-bikes lately.Hi Ten steel with goodish Shimano components-18-21 speed. They usually have Sram twist shifters and decent V-brakes.They are good bikes in every respect.Many have a ft suspension to take the edge off our streets.
Kemmer-it-post-arrived last week-thanks.It will soon be doing duty on a Gary Fisher Aluminum framed bike I'm selling. I 1st have to put it on my $300,000 computer driven lathe to turn it down to 26.2 from 26.4.Actually my 4.5" harbor freight grinder held in an old sears vice will substitute for the lathe because it is down for "maintenance" ha,ha!! THANKS. I have found that I can sell a Zillion $30 bikes for every $100 bike. I'm buying POS bikes/frames by thr fives and turning them into $30 bikes.I usually by 5 for $40 and get 2-3 $30 bikes+ parts out of the five.I'll be lucky to get $90 for the aluminum Gary Fisher.
Thanks,
Charlie

No, it's acutally a pretty nice bike. Three piece cranks, Chromoly frame, 27" alloy wheels etc... I put an add on craigslist and send posted messages in a couple of local bike related mailing lists and message boards. I haven't had a chance to call the po-lice yet.
My bad.

Before you posted, did you stop to consider that leaving it in the creek does nobody any good?
Before you posted, did you stop to consider that keeping it and leaving it are not the only options?

As for the rest of you, I'm not sure I've ever seen such poor ethical thinking in one place. Bill was right to point out that the bike was probably stolen and kemmer is doing the right thing in trying to return it. If you have a problem with that then shut the hell up. :mad:

So, at what point are you free to take a bike?

I usually call the police and put an add on craigslist. If after 2 or 3 months I can't find the owner, I do with it what I please with it(that normally means I sell it). Most bikes I find aren't worth much and the owner probably doesn't put much effort into finding them. If I found a really nice bike I would probably wait a bit longer, but there's only so much you can do to locate a bike owner that doesn't even report the bike missing.


Wow!
Where do you guys live that you would expect cops to pull a bike out of a creek?? There is Zero chance here-New Orleans-that the cops would even take a report to the effect that you "saw a bike in the creek(drainage canal)", much less wade in to pull it out.

Cops around here won't do **** either. I reported a bike I saw laying in a field once. I was passing by a month later and the bike was still there, the police didn't even bother picking it up out of a field. Now I just bring them home, call to see if it was stolen and try to find the owner.

The WD-40 wasn't such a good idea. Sure, it'll displace the water but it'll also promote rust. You'll need to get something else in there as well.

And good onya for doing the right thing.

Richard

Exactly how does WD-40 promote rust? Last I checked it is not water based.

So, at what point are you free to take a bike?

Its legal to take a bike that is reasonable to believe is abandoned. However, before it becomes legally yours, you need to turn it in to the police as found property. They'll keep it for 90 days and wait for the owner to claim it. If no claim is made, the property is released to you and it is then legally yours.

I've found a few and have had friends/family give me bikes that were abandoned...

I've never called the cops. They have better things to do (well, not really) and don't give a #%%$ about bikes (know from first-hand experience).

Wow. I can't believe this post. Probably a lot of folks who have had bikes stolen.

You find a bike. The bike is in a CREEK, for f***'s sake! The bike is yours.

Before you posted, did you stop to consider that keeping it and leaving it are not the only options?

As for the rest of you, I'm not sure I've ever seen such poor ethical thinking in one place. Bill was right to point out that the bike was probably stolen and kemmer is doing the right thing in trying to return it. If you have a problem with that then shut the hell up.


Exactly