"After riding in the rain I _____"

[Kimmyt]

So on today's commute home I got stuck in the rain. Well, let me rephrase. Stuck in a torrential downpour.

Got home okay (was riding very conservatively due to very limited vision and the conditions and not exactly trusting brakes... thank god i wore my fluorescent yellow jacket this morning!) but now I want to make sure my bike is okay. I wiped all the mud off of her and wipe her chain dry, I will let it airdry in the garage tonight and tomorrow will relube her (my car is in the driveway getting a bath, today Lady gets the garage all to herself for being such a good little steed) but want to make sure I don't miss something important to keep her performing well. I did make sure to wipe very carefully the brake pads and the tires.

And I had a BLAST riding in the rain! Who'd have thought it was that fun! Plus, the trail was all to myself, and I kept getting those 'oh man that girl is CRAZY' looks from the motorists. Hehe.

[DebW]

Good job getting through the rain and caring for your bike afterwards. I have heard of riders in torrential downpours ending up with water inside the frame tubes. If there's a lot of water you would hear it sloshing if you turn the frame. A little water might just make things damp and damage steel tubing over time. Also you should check your bearings for water penetration and grease removal. Sealed bearings could be OK, or they could be compromised by really severe downpours. Serviceable bearings may need to be repacked. If the grease has been washed out of the bearings, they can then be damaged in short order.

[Kimmyt]

OK really dumb question, but what are bearings? (still trying to learn how to do this maintenance thing)

K.

[mimitabby]

i'll give it a try.

a bearing is a thing that evenly distributes the weight of the wheel so the axle doesn't get worn off. On my bike, the bearings are little balls (ball bearings) that can be replaced if they get worn.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:zFB74PlNafAkDM:http://web.mit.edu/mika/www/portfolio/image001.jpg

[DebW]

The bearings are the things that let the wheels and the crank and the fork turn. In their most basic form, they are a set of stainless steel ball bearings of 3/8" or 1/4" in diameter that sit in grease between an axle and a wheel or between a bottom bracket spindle and the bike frame (actually there are two polished bearing surfaces called cones and cups that the bearing contact). The grease around the bearings needs to be replaced periodically (about once per year) to keep the bike operating smoothly. Some high-end parts these days use sealed bearings so they are less susceptible to water penetration, and these bearing cartridges need to be replaced occassionally but should last several years or more.