Salt-proofing bike for winter

[implicitmatrix]

I'm planning on commuting with my ebike through the winter, and I'm wondering what people around here do to prevent it from getting completely destroyed by salty slush. My bike's already decently waterproof (I've ridden through a good number of torrential rains without problem), so my worry is mainly corrosion. From reading through threads here, the number one thing seems to be keeping it clean, but how often do you clean it? Daily?

Here's the bike without any specific winterization measures:


The frame is in aluminium, the from dropouts are in steel though.

This is where the cable for the torque sensing BB comes out:

Should I add grease or silicone to this? or should I just let it as is, so it can drain?

I also saw some talk of greasing/waxing brake and shifter cables. Is this worth it?

How much of a problem is galvanic corrosion on the spokes? I saw someone on here who covered the nipples in silicone sealant, but that seems a little overkill to me.

 

[amberwolf]

I'm planning on commuting with my ebike through the winter, and I'm wondering what people around here do to prevent it from getting completely destroyed by salty slush. My bike's already decently waterproof (I've ridden through a good number of torrential rains without problem), so my worry is mainly corrosion. From reading through threads here, the number one thing seems to be keeping it clean, but how often do you clean it? Daily?

If corrosive things get on things you don't want corroded, the best way to keep them from corroding is to clean them *immediately*, so as soon as you are done with a ride, remove the corrosive stuff from it.

The longer it's on there the more corrosion that will happen. Once corrosion starts it may even undercut surface protections of other parts nearby and begin corroding them, too.

Should I add grease or silicone to this? or should I just let it as is, so it can drain?

I also saw some talk of greasing/waxing brake and shifter cables. Is this worth it?

How much of a problem is galvanic corrosion on the spokes? I saw someone on here who covered the nipples in silicone sealant, but that seems a little overkill to me.

Silicone is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water, then it swells, and when it dries out it shrinks again and can pull away from the surfaces, especially if there wasn't perfect adhesion to start with. Then water (carrying contaminants) can penetrate at those points and become trapped. So it can actually make the problem worse.

Oil or grease would probably be a better solution, since you can easily clean it off with a solvent (where silcone would have to be peeled and scraped off, mechanically damaging the surfaces it did adhere to).

There are some Winterizing threads around here with more information, but my best recommendation is checking on touring-bicycle forums and websites, and places like SheldonBrown's cycling maintenance site, to see what these people have done that they know works.

You will always run across conflicting information about any topic, so you'll have to decide in those cases which path to follow--I usualy go with the one that has the most physical evidence to show me that it worked and/or that others did not work.

 

[99t4]

Agree with AW above about washing off the corrosive salt solution immediately after every ride. Kind of a nuisance but since your priority is minimizing the corrosive effects you could hopefully build an efficient wash station with a good hose and nozzle to make it easier to use and less bunglesome.

I would look into this product, Waxoyl, to treat the inside of the frame tubes, and the outer as well. Stay away from the braking surfaces.

Also step up your maintenance schedule for the chain and wheel bearings, BB bearings.

 

[fill]

consider a handheld pressure sprayer to douse your bike with salt free water to rinse off the worst of the salt contamination when you arrive at work a greasy towel to dry off the worst when done may take 5-10minutes but might be worth it. if you can store the bottle and towel ok at work?

 

[nicobie]

Try to rinse it off everyday even if only with a hose. Anything else would be nice but you must rinse every day to make your stuff last a decent amount of time.

 

[implicitmatrix]

Thanks for the advice! I'll almost certainly get one of those hand sprayers for at home, since I don't have access to a garden hose.

I looked at some other forums, and I think I'll try marine grease in my wheel bearings, I haven't ever repacked those in the time I've had my bike, so it's probably a good idea to take a gander down there anyway.

I might also give this wax based anti-rust product a try.

 

[99t4]

Looks like you're on the right track.