Rode Through A Flood Area...by Accident
 

I have a 2015 Fuji Tread 1.5 Disc Bike. Just bought it a few days ago used on craigslist and it's a nice bike for a beginner like myself.

I was finishing my 25+ mile bike ride yesterday and decided to take the pave trail on the way back home and I noticed it was flooded towards the end. I thought no biggie it was only flooded an inch or so and if I peddled slowly it shouldn't matter. Well inches turned into a foot or two pretty quickly and as soon as I realized what happened I picked the bike up and walked 10 steps or so. Chain was submerged under water for about 5-10 seconds. The water isn't exactly clean, there's a nearby river and I would assume the pave trail has sand and debris mixed with the water.

As soon as I got up the stairs, I was shaking the bike to remove any water and rode it for about another 10 minutes. I left it in my condo's heated garage (probably somewhere around 70 degrees or so) and today I tried to shake any excess water but there was none. I read on another thread about removing the seat and flipping the bike over. Well I did that and a little water came out. If I had to guess around 1/4 of a cup maybe less.

I left it upside down on my bike rack in the sun for a good 30 minutes or so and left it outside for in the normal position for another 30 minutes or so hoping to dry off any water.

Question is am I screwed? I have read other threads about removing the bottom bracket to remove any excess water but I am a novice and was wondering if this would be too a bit above my skill level? Is it ok to wash the bike with water and soap or should I ride the bike as is and not add any addition water to the bike and hope it drys off?

In the meantime I will buy a chain cleaner and possibly lube the chains.

Sure, clean the bike with soap and water. A damp rag may be enough. Give the chain a good dousing with WD 40 then re-lube with chain oil.

Not much different from riding in the rain, & that happens plenty.

We had a super-wet winter & I rode thru a number of flooded areas like that,

but one time slashed a tire on a submerged rock.

Lube the chain & ride on.

It is an aluminum frame, so the only real concern is the BB. Sometimes hollow channel rims can get water
inside and getting that out can be really difficult. Probably should pull the seat post and look down the
tube with a good light to see any obvious water drops and lube before replacing post. Ideally pulling the BB
out and cleaning the area is a good idea if feasible for you. www.park.com has a howto area for maintenance
and of course youtube is full of videos on howto on bikes.

Your bike is fine.

BITD I rode my top end bike through floods that were over the top of the front wheel, ie. about 30" or so deep. On another occasion, I retrieved it from the bottom of a lake, in about 10 feet of water.

In both cases, I drained the bike, let it dry while riding it, and did absolutely nothing else. That bike went past 50,000 miles with no bearing failures, except for headsets (but not because of rust).

IMO the most important thing to do with a wet bike is to ride it, because water collects at the edges of parts that meet with narrow gaps, ie. the edges of each ball. Keeping it moving prevents rust from forming in those places. (kind of "a rolling stone gathers no moss").