Question(s) for ya'll- I replaced the BB lat night when I switched back to my regular cranks from my PC's for a race on Sunday (the stupidity behind having to replace the BB is documented elsewhere- basically stupidity with the dork wrench). When I removed the old BB water came dripping out. There was about 3-4 tablespoons of water in there. I'm not so concerned about the BB itself, as I don't think the water could have gotten into an Ultegra cartridge BB from where it was, and I'm not concerned about the frame (Trek OCLV) but what I'm concerned about is how did the water get there in the first place? From what I can see, it could have only entered in a few places- either the seat post clamp area, the cable guides on the downtuve, or the headset. I normally take care when washing the bike to not use high pressure with the water hose, but the bike has been exposed to a fair amount of water recently. It was on the roof rack to and from Wildflower in the rain, and during WF itself it got a good soaking. What else do I need to be concerned with? Should I have the headset disassembled and serviced? Why wouldn't there be a small drainhole the frame to allow water to drain out?
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Re: Water in BB shell [jkatsoudas]
[ In reply to ]
Jkat,
tried earlier today at the shop to answer ya. Had a long drawn out explination written. But, bottom line, do not worry about the little bit of H2o in your frame's bb shell. What you may want to do however is check the chain stays, sometimes I get quite a bit of water in there. I love my trek and would only have another bike if I owned a bigger store ;.) Let me know if you have any further questions, I may be able to help.
Shawn
"Nothing in life ever just happens. Calculated progression insures your strength."
Shawn Spencer
Bike Cycles
Wilmington, NC
http://www.bikecycleshop.com
tried earlier today at the shop to answer ya. Had a long drawn out explination written. But, bottom line, do not worry about the little bit of H2o in your frame's bb shell. What you may want to do however is check the chain stays, sometimes I get quite a bit of water in there. I love my trek and would only have another bike if I owned a bigger store ;.) Let me know if you have any further questions, I may be able to help.
Shawn
"Nothing in life ever just happens. Calculated progression insures your strength."
Shawn Spencer
Bike Cycles
Wilmington, NC
http://www.bikecycleshop.com
Re: Water in BB shell [Shawn]
[ In reply to ]
Hi Shawn,
Thanks for the reply. I was in the area of my LBS this afternoon on a ride so I asked them. They also said not to worry, but they pulled the headset to check it, and it also had some water in it. They said that this is fairly common when driving in the rain with the bike on the roof. I don't think there's water in the chainstays because the BB drop means that the stays slope toward the BB, so when I pulled the BB the water should have run out. You got me to thinking, though, and I'll have to check the seatstays. There shouldn't be much in there but I'll have to pull the seatpost and turn the bike upside down to get that out. I don't hear anything sloshing so it's minor if anything. Thanks again for the reply.
-John
Thanks for the reply. I was in the area of my LBS this afternoon on a ride so I asked them. They also said not to worry, but they pulled the headset to check it, and it also had some water in it. They said that this is fairly common when driving in the rain with the bike on the roof. I don't think there's water in the chainstays because the BB drop means that the stays slope toward the BB, so when I pulled the BB the water should have run out. You got me to thinking, though, and I'll have to check the seatstays. There shouldn't be much in there but I'll have to pull the seatpost and turn the bike upside down to get that out. I don't hear anything sloshing so it's minor if anything. Thanks again for the reply.
-John
I had the same problem with my OCLV frame while riding in the rain. Since you can't grease the seattube, the water enters the frame by capillary action in between the seatpost and the seattube. I put some clear silicone sealant (bathtub caulk) at the seatclamp and the slot in the seattube to seal the seatpost/seattube junction. Works like a charm. If you need to move your seatpost, peel off the sealant and put more on when your done. I have ridden in heavy rains and water never entered the frame again. Good luck!