Someone Left the Bike Out In the Rain

[PedalUma]

I just worked on a bike that was left out in the rain for a series of Winter storms. The owner told me initially that the wire to the speed sensor rubbed on his tire and shorted. He tried soldering but it still didn't work so the bike would shut down every five minutes. Okay, I fixed it so it would show speed again. But it wouldn't go. WTF? I ran diagnostics. Nothing conclusive. I reset everything to factory default and then reprogramed everything. Nada. Then I tried turning off the torque sensor so it would be a cadence only bike. That worked. So, it is the torque sensor. That is buried in the middle of the motor. It takes six hours of intense highly skilled work and it is really easy to mess up, like to crimp a little wire. Small engine mechanics charge $250 per hour around here but this is a much bigger and higher skilled job. I told him the it is easier to replace the motor and I would provide a new one with free labor at half price. When I removed the original motor it was all rust. It was mostly junk and looked like it sat on the bottom of a saltwater bay. I showed him and was able to get retail for the motor and provided free labor. If you love your bike don't leave it in the rain. IP-65 is very good, but it is not a dive watch.

 

[Underdog]

That seems to be a trend more often, lots of people don't appreciate the nice things they have. Just look at the way some people take care of their cars, interiors are trashed and exteriors are banged and scratched up and never fixed. I try to stay on the other end of the spectrum, I wax my bike and keep it inside my house to protect it. My car is 24 years old and is in pristine condition inside and out and still runs excellent, you have to take care of what you got.

 

[PedalUma]

That seems to be a trend more often, lots of people don't appreciate the nice things they have. Just look at the way some people take care of their cars, interiors are trashed and exteriors are banged and scratched up and never fixed. I try to stay on the other end of the spectrum, I wax my bike and keep it inside my house to protect it. My car is 24 years old and is in pristine condition inside and out and still runs excellent, you have to take care of what you got.

Would you buy a shiny new Bosch skill saw and leave it out on a picnic table all Winter?

Would you drive your brother-in-law's seven-speed manual shift Corvette only in seventh gear, even when launching from a stop, taking a corner, or a climb, and always have it floored to the redline? Plenty of eBike owner's do exactly that to their bikes. Then they leave them out in the rain. And seek someone else to blame. It happens all the time.

 

[Art Deco]

That seems to be a trend more often, lots of people don't appreciate the nice things they have. Just look at the way some people take care of their cars, interiors are trashed and exteriors are banged and scratched up and never fixed. I try to stay on the other end of the spectrum, I wax my bike and keep it inside my house to protect it. My car is 24 years old and is in pristine condition inside and out and still runs excellent, you have to take care of what you got.

Yeah, old school maintenance is so important and yet so ignored .

 

[stompandgo]

Now add salt air. We do a lot of tuneup work on rusty bikes.

 

[gromike]

I take in strays, bikes that is. I no longer bother severely corroded bikes. It seems to be the life cycle of an inexpensive bicycle. It's ridden and loved for awhile, then migrates to under a tarp in the back yard, then the tarp rots away. Eventually the bike is freed from the bushes and ends up on the curb. Nicer bikes tend to spend their half life in the garage. So, when they again return to the light they aren't corroded, some barely ridden. Those are the ones to look for.