Salt Damage?

[mgarl10024]

Hi,

This is my first year of commuting, so learning as I go...

A colleague in work keeps talking of the threat of salt from road gritting and that it can be very damaging if it gets into bike parts.

I keep my bike pretty clean, well lubricated, and protect the frame with a quick polish of gt85 every few weeks.

My questions are:
- is the salt threat real? and if so, what should I do about it? i.e. Should I gently run water over the hubs when I get back to wash it off? Or should I just accept that hubs ridden in the Winter need more frequent replacing? What about the frame and other components?
- what other issues appear during Winter that could damage the bike, and which of these can I guard against with maintenance and how? Is riding in sub-zero bad for it somehow? Can Ice form in places overnight if not completely dry?

Thanks,

MG

 

[2Loose]

Last winter I did experience increased wear and tear on components, despite increased cleaning and lubing. I put this down to grit\salt\mud spray from the roads getting into the chain and mechs, rather than salt corrosion itself.

Mudguards help a lot with spray and a good rinse with the hose after each ride helps, although I did have problems with a deraileur cable freezing up overnight, so probably best to follow a rinse with a squirt of the GT85 onto cables afterwards.

Anyone else add to that?

 

[ianrauk]

Yep, the salt that was put on the roads last/this year took great delight in eating up components. It took no time at all to eat into my cassette, chain and middle chain. As to the hubs I took apart and threw in a good amount of extra grease. I give the bike a quick wipe down after every morning and evening commute if raining and during the winter, give a good clean every weekend.

 

[dellzeqq]

my hubs have done seven winters, and they're fine, but your chain, chainrings and sprocket will deteriorate rapidly in winter. The answer, if I may say so, is simplicity itself. Replace them in spring.

 

[gbb]

As stated in a different post...on my Bianchi that had light use (only when it was dry...but still salt on the roads)...it suffered from salt and dirt sitting in the front brake nut recess at the back of the forks, corrosion built up, bubbling the carbon layer away from the alloy steerer. It wasn't deep corrosion...but even so.
Also, any chips in your paintwork on an alloy frame will tend to get furry white corrosion due to the salt.

 

[ColinJ]

One year, I wangled a little pre-Christmas dinner ride. It had snowed overnight but the main roads had been well gritted so they were slushy but clear.

I rode up the 4.5 mile climb of the Keighley Road from Hebden Bridge, u-turned at the summit and headed straight home. 

Being Christmas Day, I didn't have a lot of time for bike cleaning so I put the bike away as it was until Boxing Day.

Boxing Day came and I went to clean the bike. I was amazed to discover big patches of rust on the chain and other parts of the bike. That was the result of just 24 hours exposure to damp salty grit!

I clean my bike after every winter ride now. I have a 5 litre pressurised garden spray which is great for rinsing off grit and other crap.

 

[Paulus]

Initially, after a 'salty' ride rinse the bike down with clean water and allow to dry. then lightly lube the chain and front and rear mechs, and the cables where they go into the ferrules and outer cables.

 

[Globalti]

I just don't ride the bike when the roads are wet and salty, I go for a walk instead. Salt will wreck everything, no matter what precautions you take or how much you wash the bike off after a ride.

 

[mgarl10024]

Hi all,

Thank you very much for your very helpful replies. Sounds a lot more serious than I first thought.

I guess though that a new chain would be needed anyway by Spring (I've done 1250 miles since May), but it would be a shame to lose the cassette, or even worse, the chainset.

80% of my route is cycle tracks, so I'll hope that means that I only get 20% of the salt damage of a fully road route (although I know that it wont in reality work out like that, and that icy conditions may mandate the use of the road moreso).

Could be an interesting Winter, but at least if it all did need replacing (chain: £15, cassette: £25, chainset: £90, total: £130) [guessed prices]) it's still cheaper than the car!

Thanks again,

MG

 

[marinyork]

80% of my route is cycle tracks, so I'll hope that means that I only get 20% of the salt damage of a fully road route (although I know that it wont in reality work out like that, and that icy conditions may mandate the use of the road moreso).

Could be an interesting Winter, but at least if it all did need replacing (chain: £15, cassette: £25, chainset: £90, total: £130) [guessed prices]) it's still cheaper than the car!

The chainset won't need replacing. Mud and muck can clog up the front mech pretty bad, especially if you don't have mudguards. When I go into my LBS in the winter there's always someone in there saying their front mech's clogged up completely. Salt's mostly the problem on the days where there's run off on the roads and it flicks up. I think mostly the problem is people don't use their bikes enough in winter or clean them sometime after the very bad days.

 

[Fiona N]

The chainset won't need replacing. Mud and muck can clog up the front mech pretty bad, especially if you don't have mudguards. When I go into my LBS in the winter there's always someone in there saying their front mech's clogged up completely. Salt's mostly the problem on the days where there's run off on the roads and it flicks up. I think mostly the problem is people don't use their bikes enough in winter or clean them sometime after the very bad days.

Totally agree
I rode a mtb all last winter (as previous winters) nearly every day mainly on road - it's got crud-catcher-type guards which means the front derailleur gets all the spray. I replaced the derailleur in Spring as the pivots had got too corroded to function well but it had worked for about 4 years before that. The chains (I run two in tandem and swop them each time I take one off to do a good clean - it extends the life of the cassette) were still in good enough condition to carry on using.

I wash-off the bike carefully with just cold water at least once a week - usually after any longer rides - to get ride of the salt and use a water displacer (Muck-off bike spray) over everything bar the rims before adding the lube. Winter (wet) lube on the chain when I clean it (at least weekly) seems to prevent any problems.

The only mechanical I had last winter was a frozen rear derailleur cable.

 

[peelywally]

laast year lovals councils were using allsorts as grit ran out , everything from small chippings to some sort of farming fertilizer this year i heard some will be sing liquid grit or de icer so gawd knows what effect that might have on mechs bearings etc 'i imagine it will be a de greaser of sorts ' normal grit can grind yer gears on a longish ride and be corrosive if left on but if cleaned off present no real problem imho .

 

[summerdays]

my hubs have done seven winters, and they're fine, but your chain, chainrings and sprocket will deteriorate rapidly in winter. The answer, if I may say so, is simplicity itself. Replace them in spring.

Agreed - my LBS advices to postpone non urgent work until March preferably. But you need to get in quick before it gets to the point that the summer cyclists suddenly decide their bike needs some work after the winter hibernation.

 

[coddy]

Your concerns have been noted by councils throughout the country. They have now received supplies of salt to keep our roads clear this winter......


....... but have watered the stuff down by adding molasses and sand.



The "Safecoat Salt" is a sugar coated salt/sand mixture apparently sticks to the road surface better and is less corrosive.

 

[buggi]

you could just rinse it off with the hose pipe before putting it away everynight (rinse under the bike and between the forks near the brakes where the salt gets flicked up) which will help with salt corrosion on the frame, but as said the corrosion on the mechs is caused by the salt sticking to it as you ride and there is not much you can do about that i'm afraid.

Don't worry though. what will happen is that by the time the spring comes your bike will look pretty manky. This is a good time to talk to the Domestic User about a new bike.

then you will get your shiny new bike which you will use all summer and then when winter comes, out comes the old bike (your new "winter bike").

it's called Bike maths.

you get one, then another.

and that's how cyclists end up with multiple bikes.