Hi,

I live on the Jersey shore. My 1964 Dunelt 3 speed, 1978 Motobecane Super Touring I've had since High School, and ex girlfriend's peugoet mixte were immersed in sea water by Sandy. When I can return home (I was lucky. Most of my stuff stayed dry, but there is no power or heat, and access is limited by the National guard. Many thanks for friends with couches) the bikes will need salvage. Time is passing, but there really isn't anything I can do at the moment except plan.

Any advice on the best way to flush out the frame, wheels and freewheels? The three speed hub? Any suggestions for determining when the salt is gone or treatment to neutralize it?

I know I am going to have to re-lub and probably replace every bearing. Any suggestions for cleaning and saving bearing races?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Get them out of there,

maybe this is a good cause for forumites to lend a hand and help others out.

ASAP flush the bikes with fresh water, I mean get the seatpost out and stick a hose down there.

the bearings need to be opened, cleaned and regreased, and I mean anything below the waterline.

hopefully a fellow forumite close to you can get them into their nest and start tearing them down.
the 3 speed hub needs stripping and rebuilding.
loose ball bearings are dirt cheap so it wont cost much to do this.

got home insurance? will it cover the costs of full service?
hope they dont pull the "it was only worth 50 dollars" routine,
hope you dont have statefarm!!

Yeah, rinse the salt off and dry everything ASAP.

I doubt the bearings need to be replaced, but overhauled is probably a good idea. Rust doesn't happen overnight; it will happen, for sure, but you have a little time on your hands. Get the bearing races clean and greased, and they should be fine.

WD40 is a water displacer; that's what WD stands for, anyway. It should get between the water and the steel. So once you have rinsed the frame out, and let all the water drip out, and let it dry in the sun or on a radiator, it might be a good idea to spray some WD40 in there as well. Frame Saver is even better.

What town are you in? I'm in Lawrenceville, between Trenton and Princeton. But I'm afraid I do not have a good workspace to offer.

1/2 of my collection has been submerged twice, from Irene and now Sandy. Flush them with clean water asap and soak in WD40 to dry them out then replace the grease and/oil.

If you get to then soon enough, you'll be fine.

Sandy was incredible! We are 1 mile upstream from the Arthur Kill on the Rahway River and got hit with a 5 foot Tidal Surge.......Have never seen anything like it before.

pfuastus, where are you? did your home survive?

I live in Manasquan. 60% of the town flooded. My apartment building was flooded, but most of my stuff stayed dry. The bikes were in the basement, which according to the people who didn't leave, litterally had the ocean flowing through it. Waves were going in the front of the building, then flowing out doors they opened in the back. The bikes are dry and high now, but I couldn't wash them off 'cause water to the hose wasn't working.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I can go home soon. The borough's building inspectors may decide differently though.

Fortunately, my 1981 Trek 610 updated to brifters was upstairs the whole time.

I would submerge all of them in fresh water, rinse and repeat. Dis-assemble everything, let them dry out and the lube everything. You may or may not want to spray the insides of the frame tubes with something.

If you are interested, I can take care of your freewheels, at no charge (other than your shipping them to me) and for other Hurricane Sandy victims. Check my website for how to reach me.

Complete disassembly and re-assembly after cleaning. Any shortcut you take is where you'll see problems later.

Amen brother!

From an insurance perspective, your bikes will almost certainly not have been the only things damaged. I see no reason not to include them in your homeowners insurance claim. If they are damaged beyond repair the claim will obviously be more than if you just have to replace some bearings and a seat.

Pfaustus, I live next door in Brick, NJ. I have plenty of room, if you need storage for the bikes until you get back on your feet.

Thank-you for the suggestions and offers. Hopefully, I will be home soon and can start to work.

Nice offer Vonruden!

And PastorBob!