Homecoming Sadness
138
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1129 days
NotAsFast posted 19 weeks ago.
Sounds like a good excuse to upgrade to 10 Speed.......
At the least replace the chain, rust equates to weakness, and a snapped chain will only hinder your forward motion. If you can't get the rust off the cassette replace it as well, as it will wear out the new chain as it will act like sandpaper on the links.
I would have your whole bike inspected, serviced and cleaned before riding as water and air is the worst corrosive short of acid.
I cover my bikes after I have wiped the off after riding. If it rains I also take the seat off and turn it upside down to drain the water from the tubes. You will be amazed how much water comes out.
61
Member
589 days
jperubog posted 19 weeks ago.
Are you certain it was a pipe that broke, or could it just be condensation from the basement, I don't know where you live, but a basement is usually a pretty humid place and condensation can definitely form on your bike. I wouldn't store your bikes in the basement, unless that is your only choice. As for the rust, I would think you should be able to clean the chain and cassette without a problem. Metal parts are going to rust if not properly coated, but 37 days is not a long time, should just need a little cleaning. I guess it really depends on how much money you want to spend, I like to do things myself to save some money and time, but if you have the money to spend and the time to wait for the bike shop, then just let them clean it up for you. if you do it yourself, you should get some pentrating oil, brake cleaner solvent, and a small wire brush. hope it works out for you.
p.s. if you have no choice but to store your bikes in the basement for an extended period of time, make sure you grease an lube anything metalic, anything that is not coated will most surely rust.
727
Member
524 days
theShiba posted 19 weeks ago.
As for the drivetrain, soak everything in a Simple Green bath for a couple of days. Just take the cassette apart, and let it sit for a couple of days. I let my old chainrings sit for a couple of days, and it took off the chrome coating... So, I'm guessing that rust won't be a problem.
If that doesn't work, there are several methods of removing rust chemically using various combination of Vineger, Salt, Hydrogen Peroxide, Hydrochloric Acid, etc... I'll let you do your own research on these and see what is better... I have had some mixed results removing rust with Vinegar and Salt, but on Copper, not bike parts. The main problem is that Acetic Acid is pretty weak, and doesn't have a very profound effect. So, if you could get some stronger Acid, (Muriatic, or Hydrochloric) you might have better luck. Keep in mind that any of these chemical removals are going to weaken the metal to *some* degree. The rust has ALREADY weakened the metal, and you are going to have to decide what level of degradation of metal you are comfortable riding on. If it's just the cassette... well, it's certainly not going to kill you if you break a cog, but it would be unfortunate in a race. If it's a spoke, or a hub, however... now you are talking about something that could really F-you up if it gives out in an inopportune time. BTW, when IS an opportune time for blowing up your wheel?
Whatever you decide to do, make sure to dip/spray the parts with WD-40 to displace any water that might be left on from the cleaning process. If you don't have WD-40, you can always use gasoline, but... gasoline doesn't come in a spray can. As mentioned before, after you do this cleaning, make sure you get a good layer of your favorite lube (mechanical) to stop rust forming in the future.
330
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254 days
diva_mom posted 19 weeks ago.
and thanks for serving!
Don't be so easy on yourself 'cause this one might be all that you have left
4910
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1714 days
beads1985 posted 19 weeks ago.
As a former Jarhead I respect the fact you are in the military.
You are part of a great brotherhood.
I would bring your bike in to your local bike shop to have them assess the damage.
It might not be as bad as you think.
As far as staying in shape. Push ups, crunches, and lunges require no equipment and you can do them in a pinch.
Nothing to it, but to do it
68
Member
451 days
SpeedDemon07 posted 18 weeks ago.
My basement is a finished basement with a humidifier, so that was not the problem. What happened was somehow a drain pipe came out of the pipe it drains too. Pretty simple, yet very odd. Anyhow, I have both the bikes, road and TT, in the shop now. Before I took them in I cleaned them a little, and looked over them both. The damage was not too bad, and the mechanics said the same. My road bike was worse than the TT bike, so it is being stripped down to the frame, cleaned and checked for any water damage, new chain, and anything else that may need replacing. It will stay a 9 speed however, the damage was not that bad. The TT bike is going to get a complete cleaning and drivetrain breakdown/reworking. I'll have my TT bike back on Tuesday and Road bike back on Monday.
Thanks for your support! There is no better feeling than getting respect from your own country for what you do. I tried to do pushups as often as I could. Lunges would have been good to keep my legs in shape, but I figured the ruck marching would work just as well. But great advice to keep in mind next time! Thanks
556
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472 days
TryScott posted 18 weeks ago.
SpeedDemon07 wrote:
The next step is to get my body ready to race again. The military does not allow you to training while doing their training. Staying in shape and race ready is a never ending circle! Gotta love it!
If only you could get into a military group that trains for stuff like THIS
68
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451 days
SpeedDemon07 posted 18 weeks ago.
I'm actually aiming for the Army Tri Team, and hopefully the WCAA, which is the army world class athlete program, who do nothing but train. That would be a nice job!
451
Member
729 days
azstinger11 posted 18 weeks ago.
Yeah tell me about it, would love to do the same thing in the Air Force though I know currently I'm in no where near good enough shape.
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Base 1 (Week 2, 16.5hrs)
Check out my blog!
68
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451 days
SpeedDemon07 posted 17 weeks ago.
I know a guy, KC, who is on the Air Force Tri Team. Good guy, hell of a triathlete! Go for it, why not! Train hard and see what happens, otherwise you'll hate yourself for not trying. I don't like having regrets, so I just do things and if it doesn't happen, at least I tried.
I am in the military and just returned from some military training in which I was gone for about 37 days. I returned to find out both my road bike and TT bike have been, somehow, sprayed with water, I think continuously. Maybe it is from a pipe in my basement or something, but I still cannot figure out why there was water on my bikes. Anyhow, both my bikes have some rust that has built up on them, mostly on the chains. The cassette on my TT bike has some rust build up as well. I also had some water inside my cosmic carbon, mavic wheels. I started to break down everything and attempt to clean everything.
My question is whether I will be able to get all the rust off or am I wasting my time? Should I just replace everything that has some rust on it? I need (I am assuming) to take both bikes in to a shop to get them ready to ride again, since they have been sitting for over a month. Should I just save my time and let the shop try to clean it up? I'm just assuming I need to replace all the parts that have some rust on them, but that is why I am posting this thread, because I just do not know for sure.
The next step is to get my body ready to race again. The military does not allow you to training while doing their training. Staying in shape and race ready is a never ending circle! Gotta love it!