H2O + Bearings = Trouble
Most bikes that I come across for some reason do not have drain holes in the bottom bracket area of the frame. Most frames allow water to collect in the bottom bracket with nowhere to go. This results in the bottom bracket component sitting in water, which isn't good. Below are just a few examples of what I'm talking about... 
As you can see, the results are generally not good. If you catch it early enough, you might not have to replace anything. This will depend on the design of the component and the lenght of time it was submerged.
For some reason, it's more common to find drain holes of some sort in euro frames than domestic. This leaves me scratching my bald head... How difficult would it be to add a drain hole under the bottom bracket (at the lowest point I must add because not all of the drain holes that I do find are at the lowest part of the frame...)? I have been known to fabricate a way to allow drainage without doing anything to the frame that will void the warranty. Anyway, the moral of the story is that if you seem to regularly get caught riding in wet weather and your bike doesn't have drain holes located in the area of the bottom bracket, I would recomend that you have it checked out by your favorite mechanic. If you're lucky, the bearings will be fine the cups will not be corroded in the bottom bracket....
very interesting, i never even thought about the likelihood of this happening..
great post.
Posted by: ron george | October 21, 2007 at 05:15 AM