I left my fuji at my mom's house for about a year. Was in great condition when I dropped it off. Picked it up last night and its all out of whack. Rust all over, because apparently their dog was peeing on my bike regularly for the entire year. Now I was able to remove 95% of the rust, but the wheels are messed up big time.



In the pic you can see crystallized dog urine. I got most of that off with steel wool, but the finish under it is dark gray and rough (like on the right). Can I fix this at all?

The braking surface is etched beyond smooth braking, IMO. New wheel time, I'd say.

I had a cat that sprayed a steel tool box of mine several times decades ago. I still have the tool box, but the rust is there forever.

Time for a new wheelset.

Ride it. If the rims don't wear down to a reasonable braking surface, then start looking for a new wheel

Great. Well I've already spent way too much on this bike so I'll just leave it I guess. Can't stand dogs

First, go spend $12000 on a new Trek Emonda with SRAM Red and all the goodies.

2nd, get some WD40 and a brass brush and clean that corrosion off there.

then sell old bike to pay down new bike.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

Pee on it yourself to reclaim it.

So if a fellow happened to have a bicycle rim that a dog went #2 on, should that person start a new thread, or can it be answered here?

This can just be the official dog waste thread

I had a dog that had the annoying habit of peeing on my wheels, mostly the rear one. But I always rinsed them within 1hr, so no problems.

Urine contains ammonia, which is death on aluminum, steel, brass—most common metals—if left and not rinsed off promptly (~24-48 hours).

Feces is another matter. Slower but still corrosive.

I do NOT recommend riding it. Urine (regardless of species) is sufficiently corrosive over time to compromise the structural integrity of a wheel, especially if the tire loses enough pressure to allow it inside the rim. Compared to the cost of a new wheel, what is the cost of a hospital visit if the wheel fails catastrophically, especially in terms of riding time?

Yes, I'm pessimistic. I have a lot of experience as a materials scientist and a geologist. If the (your device/structure here) fails while you are on it, how much is it worth?

oh come on, that's superficial. Clean it off with a scotchbrite pad, some WD40 and soapy water, will be fine.

I was on a ride once, down in the King's Canyon area, back country trail, like a 3 hour downhill run. Hot day.

Rider in front of me rode thru a pile of animal poop. Bear, horse, who knows what. Splattered all over his bike and all over me.

Was still a good ride. We splashed in the river at the end.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

You can also pee on the dog's feet. See how he likes it.

And the dog knows it.

Walter: "That wheel really tied the bike together, did it not?"

Donnie: "And this dog peed on it."

Here's whatcha need ! Seen yesterday at a drug store. Just the thing. Order a 55 gal. drum from amazon

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA


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I don't think carbon fiber wheels would have that problem, although aluminum nipples may still be susceptible.

Where did I say I left it outside? It was inside the house. I got all the corrosion off but I'll try to do a little bit of sanding to smooth it out

Use it as a brakeless fixie (?)

Follow the circumference of the wheel along the brake track with some 320 grit sandpaper to get things even again. Do this again with 800 grit to smooth things out after things start to look normal again. Clean up the track after with isopropyl alcohol on a rag and ride on!

I'm not sure what black residue is but uric acid can be dissolved with things like caustic soda. But because rims are very thin, as Lightning Pilot said, pitting corrosion could occur and it might turn dangerous.

So the dog peed inside the house? That's some dog.

Yep. It was in a room nobody ever used so I guess they didn't realize he was peeing in there? Idk man

One of my dogs chewed off the wires of my bike computer once, and another ripped my new Italian bike shorts that were hung to dry (I had them mended later).