Mountain bike in water

[con101193]

Is it safe (for the bike.. i.e will not damage bike) to drive in water that could cover the whole gear system. say it did happen and the whole bike got soaked including the suspension will it cause any damage and what should you do after driving on water.

and is it alright to drive on sand (gears getting sandy) ?

 

[Norm]

Fresh water is ok, but don't leave the thing too wet. A quick squirt with water-repellent spray would be all that's required if it's still dripping when you get home. Salt water is not so good, and should be sprayed off as soon as possible.

Sand is a killer of chains, though, and gears, bearings, cables. It's bad enough in the underwear, imagine that pain at the speed that a rear wheel rotates.

IMO.

 

[Globalti]

You shouldn't ride you bike in water as deep as the hubs unless it's unavoidable. Water will get in and will rust unless you strip everything out and dry it.

If you want to know what damage sand does to the bike come for a ride in wet conditions up here in the Pennines, we have gritstone which is very abrasive when it's worn down to sand; you can get through a wheel rim in a few hundred miles and a transmission in the same time.

 

[JtB]

You shouldn't ride you bike in water as deep as the hubs unless it's unavoidable. Water will get in and will rust unless you strip everything out and dry it.

What about the bottom bracket?