timmyquest

Obviously water cant be "good" for a bike, but i have never owned an aluminum/carbon bike until two weeks ago. So whenever i had a new bike (steel) i tried to keep it as dry as i could.

Do you guys ever ride in the rain? Or do i have little to worry about just so long as i give it a little "post ride care".

my58vw

I ride in the rain all the time. The things to watch out for include water in the headset and in the wheels. You definitly want to dry it off ASAP and many will take the tires off the rims to care for them that way...

TheKillerPenguin

I try not to, simply because then afterwards you have to clean the drivetrain and check the wheels, and I'm lazy. As long as you give it some post ride lovin' it should be fine.

531Aussie

it's an absolute luxury having a wet alu bike and not having to worry about cleaning a rusting steel bike. All those times I had to clean all the gunk off the chrome forks -- what a pain (I know "proper" chroming shouldn't rust, but mine did).......especially around the fork crown and the brake cailpers.


It really depends A LOT on how wet it is and how fast you've ridden.

If you've just been rolling through a bit of drizzle, with not much road spray, then your bike probably only needs a wipe down, and maybe the chain cleaned. However, if you've been riding quickly through shallow "lakes" on the road, then you could have quite a bit of water in the frame. This means it's obviously best the water out.

Even if the bike is alu, it's not nice having heaps of water around the bottom bracket.

orthoclase

How do you "check the wheels" and check the headset? What should I be looking for (besides water)? Grime and crap on the rims?

TheKillerPenguin

Grime and crap IN the rims, between the tube and the rim tape. I was too lazy to check em the one time I did ride in the rain with my road bike (I use my mtn bike as my rain/beater bike) since it was after a race. I gave the drivetrain a very detailed cleaning though, and relubed after.

orthoclase

I would never have thought of checking inside the rims - it would seem that the bead would keep stuff out. But perhaps water always finds a way in (like my basement).

Comatose51

How safe is it to ride in the rain? It started to rain today during my first lap. After I got done with the lap, I just called it quits. I'll go riding tomorrow to make up for it. I'm worried about the thin tires, smooth tire surface, and wet brakes.

kefin

Riding in the rain does dirty up your bike a lot (all the grime and gunk from the road get sprayed on your bike and they accumulate on the frame and your chain). I've gotten water inside my rims a few times -- and if you don't drain it and wipe off the moisture it could rust your nipples! Also, if you're using a bottom bracket that's not sealed (i.e., a Campy bb), water can get inside and damage the bearings or the bb shell. It happened to my bike and I got an annoying clickety-click sound every time I put pressure on the cranks. I had to have my LBS repack all the bearings in my bottom bracket.

-Kevin

burtonbiker

I was told by my LBS the crank is sealed tight enough that I could ride under water with it and probably be OK. The few times I've ridden in rain I've just dried it off, hung it up - didn't take long and my bike liked all the rubbing and heavy petting.

531Aussie

oooh, careful! I said this a couple of weeks ago and was pulled up because brass nipples apparently can't rust

But.....even though the spokes are stainless, can't the threads seize up in the nipples if heaps of water gets in there? Also, I have had eyelets get rusty inside the rims.

kefin

Yes, that's what I meant! The eyelets get rusty (I apologize to the nipples)!

-Kevin