Got caught in the rain today?

[redneck47441]

I got home and wiped my bike down and sprayed WD-40 on all moving parts anything else I'm forgetting?

 

[alienator]

I got home and wiped my bike down and sprayed WD-40 on all moving parts anything else I'm forgetting?

How heavy was the rain?

 

[redneck47441]

Not terrible, a bit harder than a spinkle?

 

[alienator]

Not terrible, a bit harder than a spinkle?

You should be fine lubing your chain, but in the future you shouldn't rely on WD-40 as a lubricant. It has some lubricating action but not very much.

 

[redneck47441]

Okay what do you use? Thanks for the help!

 

[alienator]

Okay what do you use? Thanks for the help!

For lube, it's hard to beat Phil Wood's Tenacious Oil. Other's like Tri-Flow dry lube. Likewise, Pedro's makes a dry lube. Really, I'd try whatever lube the LBS has. For chains, I use ProLink, but again you can try what's at the LBS. Chain lube discussions can end up becoming religious arguments.

 

[jhuskey]

WD40 is more a solvent than a lubricant.

 

[64Paramount]

Okay what do you use? Thanks for the help!

For lube, it's hard to beat Phil Wood's Tenacious Oil. Other's like Tri-Flow dry lube. Likewise, Pedro's makes a dry lube. Really, I'd try whatever lube the LBS has. For chains, I use ProLink, but again you can try what's at the LBS. Chain lube discussions can end up becoming religious arguments.

Redneck, a little rain won't do much to remove the lubricant on your bike, since most lubricants aren't water soluble. If you get caught in a little rain, just wiping down the bike should be fine. It's just like giving it a bath.

You said you sprayed the "moving parts" with WD-40 and that will remove the lubricants, since as Jhuskey mentioned, WD-40 is mostly solvent and you can actually use it to clean the grease off of parts. So, your bike may need to be lubricated right now.

So follow Alien's advice and stop by your local bike shop. A little bottle of lubricant will last you a long time.

 

[dhk2]

Was also out in the rain most of Saturday on the club's annual century ride. After the ride, the bike really needed a good washing. I didn't spray any WD-40 on anything, but I did pull the dust caps off the hubs to check for water intrusion as I've had problems with water getting into the "sealed" cartridge bearings.

It's been raining here for over a week. Suppose the roads must have been well-cleaned, as the chain wasn't all that dirty or gritty. Just a fresh application of Prolink seemed to do the trick.

 

[Feltski]

Whenever you get caught in the rain, its not a bad idea to pull the seatpost off and turn the bike upside down, just to make sure if any rain got in the frame it can dry out before it rusts anything. WD40 is good for making sure nothing rusts, but give it a spritz of lube before you ride again. I recommend anything with teflon in it. Regardless of what any LBS may claim, teflon has the lowest friction coef of any substance on the planet. I recently had the pleasure of talking with the chemist with the patent for the only legal, non carcinogenic, method of making teflon. its some pretty neat stuf!

 

[dhk2]

Agree your advice on the seatpost would be important for someone with an old-style open seatpost and a steel frame. But a lot of the newer seatposts (eg, Thomson) are closed at the top, so water really can't get in. Further, many frames have drain holes in the bottom of the BB shell so that any water that does get in has a place to go.

 

[alienator]

Agree your advice on the seatpost would be important for someone with an old-style open seatpost and a steel frame. But a lot of the newer seatposts (eg, Thomson) are closed at the top, so water really can't get in. Further, many frames have drain holes in the bottom of the BB shell so that any water that does get in has a place to go.

My Look has a drain hole in the BB so that the carbon fiber won't rust.

 

[roadhouse]

My Look has a drain hole in the BB so that the carbon fiber won't rust.

that's pretty cool. i never knew that. but carbon fiber can rust? i didn't know that either, i thought it was a plastic based mold, non metallic weave. ?

 

[cwdzoot]

If roads are dirty and sandy specially if you live near the beach spraying the web bike down with clean water is sometimes and good idea, get's all the grit out before it dry's on the bike.

Bounce the bike on the ground to get it dry or if you have a stand hoist it up and spin the drive train real fast to get it dry.

Lubricate once the bike is dry.

 

[Feltski]

that's pretty cool. i never knew that. but carbon fiber can rust? i didn't know that either, i thought it was a plastic based mold, non metallic weave. ?

ha i think that was a joke