I "dressed" my '06 Castro Valley in its fall/winter kit this weekend (full fenders, wider tires, and Shimano LP-R600 headlight). Since I don't usually run it like this, it hadn't occured to me that riding through a three-and-a-half-foot-deep puddle would not be a good idea.

A cold front brought some very heavy localized rain to Michigan yesterday and created a lot of standing water on my commute home. My inner child figured that, since I was already wet from the rain, that it wouldn't hurt to bomb the puddles as well. Before my inner adult could stop my inner child, I was bottle cage deep in water. It was at this time that I noticed my headlight was no longer working.

I left the bike next to my dehumidifier last night, hoping to dry it out, and had some success. I spun the front wheel and managed to get both bulbs to light up brightly but it was only for about three seconds and then it died again. It was very abrupt, not the usual fade that happens when the Dynamo hub slows down.

My plan was to clean all the connections and redo the wires tonight but I do not know if I have done any damage to the hub. Can submerging a Dynohub do irreparable damage? Will I have to perform the odius task of disassembling the hub to inspect and detail clean it? If I leave it alone to dry for a few more days, will it simply return to normal operation? Any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Patrick