Jump to content

Sea Water Vs Bikes....


blaze_

Recommended Posts

So summer is here and the water at sea is with perfect temperature....Jumping without the bike in is fine, but am wandering if I jumped with the bike what will happen to it?

I saw a lot of clips where people jump in, but never heard what happened then. Is it ok for the freewheel or the hubs and bb bearings? Or maybe the aluminum?

I asked a friend that is in these stuff and said that the sea water will not react good with the aluminum, but if you wash it right away(or just a bit later) with normal water, there will be nothing to worry about. Is that true?

So if any of the experienced in this sphere people have something to say please do. Will be grateful :)

And if visiting will buy beer ;)

Edited by blaze_
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As long as you wash it off with clean water then it should be fine. Salt water is exceptionally good at rotting aluminium if it isnt removed, basically your bike will start to turn into a white furry mess :D

Obviously relube the chain/cables and any other exposed bits :)

Constant dunking in salt water may eventually kill the bearings in your BB and hubs but I wouldnt expect it to be an instant thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't jump into the sea with an expensive bike unless I was planning to strip it completely afterwards to clean it out or sell it to someone I really didn't like immediately afterwards. Get a cheap, nasty bike for jumping into water. Also it's a good plan to stick inflated inner tubes in the spokes of the wheels to help it float if you're planning on getting it back again if you're playing in deep water...

If you still plan to use your good bike then I'd recommend sealing the holes in the frame, packing loads of grease into every bearing and keeping a can of WD-40 handy to spray on the chain after it comes out of the water.

Edited by psycholist
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't jump into the sea with an expensive bike unless I was planning to strip it completely afterwards to clean it out or sell it to someone I really didn't like immediately afterwards. Get a cheap, nasty bike for jumping into water. Also it's a good plan to stick inflated inner tubes in the spokes of the wheels to help it float if you're planning on getting it back again if you're playing in deep water...

If you still plan to use your good bike then I'd recommend sealing the holes in the frame, packing loads of grease into every bearing and keeping a can of WD-40 handy to spray on the chain after it comes out of the water.

Oh yeah, forgot the gas holes in the tubes, cap them off before you go swimming :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bearings shouldbe water proof anyway, otherwise rain would fek em up!

It still does, to an extent, but you don't get completely submerged for any length of time in rain, and you do if you're jumping into the sea. Bearing in mind most stuff on your bike's going to be aluminium it probably won't be too bad, but I'd still go to my lbs and get a super cheap second hand piece of shit bike to do it. You'll worry less about it, and to be honest, if it's got above the trials gear ratio you'll be able to go faster, which as we all know, means you're way cooler/going to have more fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bearings shouldbe water proof anyway, otherwise rain would fek em up!

Waterproof to a limit... Rain just sorta dusts them over, whereas totally submerging them in water is totally different.

Like some have said, you'd probably be fine aslong as you gave it a good clean up afterwards, Saltwater + steel bearings etc...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i ride a lot on rocks near the sea, so my rims get into salty water quite often....doesnt do any damage to them but salty water will kill your chain and bearings, so be sure to wash the salty water off and put new oil on your chain and lube the bearings

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to jump one of my old bikes into the sea. Was a really good laugh until the frame finally corroded from inside and snapped in half.

I'd say not to bother even if you're gonna wash it down and re-lube everything. You could be alright, but would you wanna take the chance of your bike dying for a few jumps into the sea? Just get yourself a second hand kiddies bike. Doesnt matter if it breaks and its also a little bit more fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...