rollotheclown

so here's what happened the bike was on the rack coming back from a ride and it rained hard on it for awhile, a day or two later as my wife was lifting the front wheel to put in a sidewalk bike rack we noticed rusty water coming out of a hole in the frame located on the chain stay. is there, like, a huge concern here? specifically is that seperated from the bottom bracket or is the bottom bracket all wet now and needing to dry out? any concerns for internal rust?

any ideas/previous experience appreciated

thanks
Rollo

Rowan

I wouldn't make a habit of driving with the bike unprotected in the rain.

If the bottom bracket cable guide is located with a screw, you can undo that and let any remaining water out.

If you are in a damp climate, a spray inside a steel frame with frame saver or similar will help preserve the frame.

Alloy frames and other materials are less sensitive to corrosion.

And yes, all the frame tubing meets at the bottom bracket which has holes in it for them, so water will gather there. More so, waer thrown up by the rear tyre will channel down under the seat to the seat post, which if unsealed, will allow it to run down to the BB in the seat tube.

BB cartridge bearings generally are well protected from moisture and won't be affected, unlike old-style cup-and-cone jobs. All frames might run into problems with corrosion (rusting) or electrolytic reaction between dissimilar metals that will seize the threads.

MMACH 5

Take out the seat post and flip the bike upside down. Repeat until you can't hear it sloshing around in the frame.

If the water stays in there for a long period of time, it will get into even "sealed" bearings and wash out the lubricant.

You might want to invest in some fenders also.