Thanks for the feedback and pondering. This is very much just a thought exercise to pass some time. That's how it all started, as I was contemplating various things while being ferried (I refuse to simply stare at my phone, as 99% of the other passengers do), and then at a certain point I said to myself, 'I should see what the people on the forum think would happen.'
I don't think I'll ever have to find out the hard way, and certainly hope not, but as people have said my bike would be the least of my concerns.
Originally Posted by
CargoDane
Not enough. Do you have waterproof deep-dish wheels?
As for 15 kilos - it doesn't matter. If it's 7 kilos, it has to displace 7 litres of water to float.
On my one "fancy" bike, yes, I do. But I very rarely ride that one to work.
Originally Posted by
gsa103
In a still pool for a short period of time. There's a lot of volume in those carbon rims and the frame. The problem is that frame and rims aren't water tight, so once water starts getting in, it'll go down. Cars also "float" in a similar fashion.
That's a good point, as I hadn't really thought about duration..
Originally Posted by
dabac
I’ve walked my mtb through some pretty deep waters on occasion. Wheels fully submerged. They stayed resolutely in contact with the bottom. 26x2”
My brother’s Fat Bike didn’t even get the hubs wet.
It's looking like tires size/volume will play a big part. There are also different levels of buoyancy (in my mind, anyway) as some object are will barely stay at the surface while others are actually hard to push down. I was surprised to see how the fat bike in that video fared, and the same with the carbon bike.
Also, having spent a lot of my childhood swimming in a river with various flotation devices and lifelines around for safety, it's sometimes surprising how much buoyancy objects have. Anyone familiar with those square, foam seat cushions knows that one of them will pretty easily keep you afloat, despite not being that large. Likewise, I've been able to keep myself afloat with just a half inflated volleyball.