[ashpelham]

Had a lot of these hit or miss pop up showers in my part of the world lately. I got "hit" a couple weeks ago on a club ride, and did about 15 miles in some pretty blinding rain. I know that I need to do some drivetrain maintenance, so i went ahead and cleaned that part pretty well. RD, FD, and chain. However, I have been picking up a ticking sound that I believe is originating from the bottom bracket. Its one of those Shimano style ISIS BB's. Standard issue stuff. Does the BB need to be removed for a proper rain ride cleanup and to rid myself of the annoying tick?

 

[neil0502]

I will at a minimum pop the bolt out of the cable guide underneath the BB shell to let water drain, and possibly pull the seatpost to drain the seat tube after a good rain.

I'm not afraid to whip out the old W(ater) D(isplacement)-40 after the rain, cleaning up anything that ISN'T greased ... with WD, then re-lubing.

What you're hearing could be bb. Could be bb threads need cleaned, greased, and torqued. Could be cranks need cleaned, greased, and torqued. Could be pedals, blah, blah. Could be cleats....

Pretty common. Gotta' go through one at a time until the creak/tick goes bye-bye.

 

[Mdeth1313]

after any wet ride I pull the d/a bb out and relube-- otherwise you'll have plenty of interesting sounds to keep you occupied on future rides!

 

[cthomas]

Ditto

The water works its way into every crack and seam, and you could be getting ticking and creaks from anywhere. At a minimum I pull the pedals, cranks, and BB to clean and re-grease. I also check my quick releases and hubs.

Nothing like rain to set you up for an afternoon of bike maintenance!

 

[Kerry Irons]

Different equipment?

At a minimum I pull the pedals, cranks, and BB to clean and re-grease. I also check my quick releases and hubs.

I can't say I get caught in the rain often, but I never have to do this stuff! Admittedly, comparing the DA BB to a Campy sealed unit is not fair, but I find no reason to do the cranks, and my 8 seasons on Campy ProFit pedals have shown that they are essentially water proof - the original grease is still white. If I properly grease and torque my BB, it is usually good for the whole season (9-10K miles). Sometimes I have to pull the cranks in mid-year to clean off just a bit of rust on the axles and re-grease the tapers.

 

[bg.]

I can't say I get caught in the rain often, but I never have to do this stuff! Admittedly, comparing the DA BB to a Campy sealed unit is not fair, but I find no reason to do the cranks, and my 8 seasons on Campy ProFit pedals have shown that they are essentially water proof - the original grease is still white. If I properly grease and torque my BB, it is usually good for the whole season (9-10K miles). Sometimes I have to pull the cranks in mid-year to clean off just a bit of rust on the axles and re-grease the tapers.

Everyone's experience will be a bit different, some frames collect water faster than others, some components are better sealed than others, some bikes flex differently, making creaking more problematic. Who knows.

More often than not, I find myself taking out the BBs on many of my bikes after riding in the rain. Often there's not much to find. But it certainly keeps it creak free and easy for me to eliminate as a problem when I do have a creak. Standing water in a bike can really do damage.

 

[bigbill]

Everyone's experience will be a bit different, some frames collect water faster than others, some components are better sealed than others, some bikes flex differently, making creaking more problematic. Who knows.

More often than not, I find myself taking out the BBs on many of my bikes after riding in the rain. Often there's not much to find. But it certainly keeps it creak free and easy for me to eliminate as a problem when I do have a creak. Standing water in a bike can really do damage.

The problem I have with this is removing and reinstalling an aluminum shell bb more times than necessary. Aluminum threads just weren't made for that. Maybe if you live in a dry climate with infrequent weather. For me, I have to eliminate everything else before I go there. I ride a Phil Wood stainless in a steel commuter. Water has to get past the outboard seals to get to the bearings.