What should I do aftr ride in the rain?

[FreshNewbie]

Ok, so after my first century in the rain I am paranoid that my baby bike needs to be taken to a "doctor" aka LBS or can I do it on my own?
I would imagine that everything needs to be lubed? I am completely lost, never rode in rain before. My poor bike.... :(

[caligurl]

wipe the mud off her! that's all i do! lol!

[DebW]

Your drivetrain is of most immediate concern. Clean the chain thoroughly to remove grit, let it dry, and relube. Lots of ways to do this, both on or off the bike. Clean the cassette. Clean and lube the derailleur pivot points and jockey wheels. Wipe grit off the chainrings. Wipe the brakes clean and lube the pivot points. This article will be helpful: http://www.teamestrogen.com/articles/asa_happy.asp

Bearings are another concern. A century in the rain might merit a complete repack, though most people can go a year between repacks if they don't ride in the rain much. First check to see if your hubs, bottom bracket, and headset have sealed bearings or servicable bearings. You might get this info on the manufacturer's site or you can tell by looking. Sealed bearing should be fine for several years, but feel them every once in awhile to see if they are still smooth and fairly friction-free. If you have servicable bearings and want to do the job yourself, you'll need cone wrenches for the hubs, and a crank puller, lock ring tool, and pin spanner for most bottom brackets, plus good quality grease. Take your bike to the LBS to make sure you get the right tools. You'd want someone to show you how to do this the first time, or read the ParkTool website carefully. A good bearing adjustment is based on feel, plus some trial-and-error.

[7rider]

How much rain?
Are we talking an occasional drizzle or a good steady downpour?
I rode 50 miles of a century last October in a tropical storm that dumped 7" of rain and blew wind 30 mph. Many a bike were toasted after that. I had to remove my seat and seatpost and turn the bike upside down to drain the water out from the bottom bracket area. I had to remove the tires from the wheels and drain the wheels (!) - I have slightly aero wheels and water got in thru the hole drilled for the tube stem. Everything needed a good cleaning, re-greasing, and checkup. My bottom bracket was "toast" according to my LBS - but I cannot say with certainty that it was because of the ride in the rain. It had been giving me problems prior to that. Maybe the rain was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.
So, if it was a lot of rain, be sure to give the bike a good shake and see if you can hear any water in the frame. If so, get it out! Otherwise, clean, lube and check per other suggestions here.

[GirlWonder]

Silly question...but what if your bike just gets wet. Meaning, you are not riding her...but she is in the rain anyway?

I ask because I am picking up my bike from the LBS tonight (new bike check up and computer install) and it's supposed to rain all day. Other than wiping her off carefully when I get her home is there anything else I need to do?

I hope not..because quite frankly I don't know how to do much else.

[DebW]

Silly question...but what if your bike just gets wet. Meaning, you are not riding her...but she is in the rain anyway?

I ask because I am picking up my bike from the LBS tonight (new bike check up and computer install) and it's supposed to rain all day. Other than wiping her off carefully when I get her home is there anything else I need to do?


Wiping her off should be adequate. But if the bike was outside your car doing 65 mph on the highway in a downpour, she would need more TLC.

[GirlWonder]

Thanks Deb- Luckily, no highways between my house and the LBS...probably about 40 mph for short stretches with most of it being about 25 mph.