My 5 year old rode his bike into a swimming pool yesterday. I was secretly impressed but now wondering what I need to do to the bike.

It’s a chlorinated pool, not salt and the bike was in for 2-3 minutes.

It’s not a BSO but will have fairly poor sealing on the headset and it has cone hubs. Not sure if I’ll be able to get at pedal bearings. It’s an alloy frame.

Will these need repacking with grease? Should I go to all that bother or just a good spray with some lube?

I’ve taken the seatpost out. The frame has drainage holes so seems fairly dry inside. Anything else I should do?

Thanks

I drove my 125cc scooter into a flood that swallowed it up. Pulled out out, kicked it over and rode away.

I wouldn’t worry about it

Nothing at all! The swimming pool, however 😯

Reminds me of the time I lost my brother’s bike after riding it chest deep into Derwent Water. Took about an hour to find it…

What should you do?

Get him to re-ride it, film it and make £250 share it here.

An hour in the tumble dryer. 😉

No, I know this, you put it in a bowl of rice for a couple of days.

I learned a lot about bicycle bearings after riding an XT equipped bike down the river welland.

Regrease every bearing you can get into. (mine was back in the cup and cone for everything times).

[video]<iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/99471635&#8243; width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p>Lake Jumping (short) from Vic on Vimeo.</p>[/video]

So, somewhere between a full strip, bag of rice and tumble dryer.

Good spray with lube it is…

@coolhand my ocd-ness means I have to repost your video link 😉

[video]http://vimeo.com/99471635[/video]

A bit of water in the bearings isn’t going to kill them, it’s hardly likely to have washed out all the grease.
I’d just tip the bike up to get any lingering water out of the frame and leave it at that.

Spray lube will strip the grease out quicker than water I would imagine.
Wait till something grinds- then just regrease that bit.

Don’t need to do anything if he didn’t ride it in the water or straight after.

jkomo – really? That’s the only regular TLC my bike gets beyond a professional fork service and bi-annual full strip. The difference is I have nicely sealed CK bearings, but how is spray lube bad?

Funky – he rode it home from our friends house. Maybe 1km, 20 mins after its submersion. He didn’t ride it in the water but, making me proud, did go down with it. He only let go when he was out of breath a minute later.

I’ve a crazy week ahead but perhaps repacking the bearings will be a nice hour’s fettling next weekend.

Bearings are cheap, just leave it. Then replace the ones that seized up solid in a week. The ones that are fine in a week can stay put.

Rode my langster in to the canal whilst well lubricated myself. Rode it home, took the seatpost out, and turned it upside down. No bearings have been looked at apart from the cup and cone hubs. That was about 8 years ago.
Edit: good job junior!

he is Keith Moon reincarnated…buy him a drum kit for xmas. And then aftershave for his 18th,..which he will most likely drink.

MCPH- if the spray finds its way into the bearings i.e.- from the chain and around the cassette- it will ruin the bearings- according to Harry Rowlands the wheel building chappie.
Makes sense really.
If I use anything strong on the chain I run it on a chain carrier thing instead of a back wheel.
I’m no expert though.

if youve got a dehumidifier put it into a room with bike, or leave bike outside in the sun and water will either drip out or evaporate.

He didn’t ride it in the water but, making me proud, did go down with it. He only let go when he was out of breath a minute later.

That made me laugh, good one! 😀

Depending on the bike I’d be re-greasing hubs, headset and bb I think and getting the seat post out/bike upside down or bb out to allow the frame to dry out too.

Then again I actaully like doing jobs like that.