Riding : How wet is too wet ?

[Paul Mac]

There are 2 ingress points on the Specilized bikes,.. the left side and, the right side.
In saying that, any sealed component that is hot, and then dunked in cold water will cause a vacuum and suck water in past the seals unless there is a breather fitted and that breather is above water level. This is a fault with all these ebike motors ?‍
The drive side of the Brose motor tends to hold onto moisture in the small gap between the inner and outer shaft. Another design fault. ?‍ Other manufactures have a larger gap between the shafts that doesn’t allow moisture to linger, but rather, drain from this area a lot quicker. It’s also a great area for dirt and grit to gather and wear away at the lip of the seal with each rotation.

You are going to run into problems with moisture in the motor at some point. It will start with a little roughness in the bearings that will turn into a little play, before it all explodes. Specialised have a good warranty in place, with 2 years on the motor. Because the motor is an un serviceable item for the first 15000km, it covers the bearings and motors are replaced rather than repaired. So before your warranty is up, check it over and if crook, get a replacement and this will start the whole 2 year warranty cover for the motor all over again ? so in reality, it’s worth trashing the motor within 2 years, as you get a new one and you don’t have to worry about belt replacement at the 15000km mark. Feck, we pay a premium for the Specialized product, so we may as well cash in ?‍.
So @Zimmerframe, as you can see, in this situation, any wet, is too wet, if you want to avoid damage to the motor. But,. Your bike will get wet, unless you are in a dry climate and never wash it. There are precautions you can take to limit the exposure, taking the design faults into consideration, but it will happen. So you may as well get the thing wet, within reason, and cash in on the warranty, rather than baby it and have it fail after the warranty. So embrace and enjoy the wet rides, which will make the dry rides even better.
And to anyone who did not buy a Specialized, yeah, your screwed ?‍ Unless you too have great warranty backup, but you’ll never know really, unless you test it ?

I've yet to get a definitive answer re the warranty.
No dealership seems to know, whether it is a rolling 2 year warranty on the motor, I.e the 2 years start again after a motor is replaced or you just get your initial 2 years when you buy the bike and when the 2 years is up, that's it?

 

[R120]

There are 2 ingress points on the Specilized bikes,.. the left side and, the right side.
In saying that, any sealed component that is hot, and then dunked in cold water will cause a vacuum and suck water in past the seals unless there is a breather fitted and that breather is above water level. This is a fault with all these ebike motors ?‍
The drive side of the Brose motor tends to hold onto moisture in the small gap between the inner and outer shaft. Another design fault. ?‍ Other manufactures have a larger gap between the shafts that doesn’t allow moisture to linger, but rather, drain from this area a lot quicker. It’s also a great area for dirt and grit to gather and wear away at the lip of the seal with each rotation.

You are going to run into problems with moisture in the motor at some point. It will start with a little roughness in the bearings that will turn into a little play, before it all explodes. Specialised have a good warranty in place, with 2 years on the motor. Because the motor is an un serviceable item for the first 15000km, it covers the bearings and motors are replaced rather than repaired. So before your warranty is up, check it over and if crook, get a replacement and this will start the whole 2 year warranty cover for the motor all over again ? so in reality, it’s worth trashing the motor within 2 years, as you get a new one and you don’t have to worry about belt replacement at the 15000km mark. Feck, we pay a premium for the Specialized product, so we may as well cash in ?‍.
So @Zimmerframe, as you can see, in this situation, any wet, is too wet, if you want to avoid damage to the motor. But,. Your bike will get wet, unless you are in a dry climate and never wash it. There are precautions you can take to limit the exposure, taking the design faults into consideration, but it will happen. So you may as well get the thing wet, within reason, and cash in on the warranty, rather than baby it and have it fail after the warranty. So embrace and enjoy the wet rides, which will make the dry rides even better.
And to anyone who did not buy a Specialized, yeah, your screwed ?‍ Unless you too have great warranty backup, but you’ll never know really, unless you test it ?

Err no - The Shimano motor has a rolling 2 year warranty, i.e if your motor goes pop in the first 2 years, the replacement will also have a fresh 2 year warranty, so in short your not screwed unless your motor goes outside of the warranty period.

 

[Zimmerframe]

So to surmise the motor reliability scenario .

If you're unlucky, you're lucky ..

If you're lucky, you're unlucky.

Did I get that right ?

 

[outerlimits]

Err no - The Shimano motor has a rolling 2 year warranty, i.e if your motor goes pop in the first 2 years, the replacement will also have a fresh 2 year warranty, so in short your not screwed unless your motor goes outside of the warranty period.

Has your motor gone pop ? Have you tested the warranty process ? You only present a theory if you can not answer yes to those two questions. Science will tell you that you have to test and prove your theory for it to be valid.
If you have done this, then can you claim your accolade.
If you examined the text I wrote you will find I made this statement “yeah, your screwed ?‍ Unless you too have great warranty backup, but you’ll never know really, unless you test it ?”
So to disagree with “Err no” shows your ignorance to the written word.

 

[outerlimits]

So to surmise the motor reliability scenario .

If you're unlucky, you're lucky ..

If you're lucky, you're unlucky.

Did I get that right ?

It’s a scientific fact ?

 

[outerlimits]

Wow what a contrast in riding conditions to what I do! we are in the midst of the worst drought in Australian history and I get back from my ride and do nothing but constantly hose dust off my bike and try to keep up with lube on the drivetrain.

1. If you ride fast enough, the dust does not have a chance to stick to your bike. I can bang on about cohesion theory but it will be lost on some of our readers that have trouble with the written word.
2. Wax based lubes are the best at repelling dust. ( again, cohesion theory )Ride Mechanic Bike milk and Bike mix are 2 that come to mind and are Australian made. Which is good for our economy, and our dairy farmers, some would believe if they took that labelling literally.
3. By washing the dust off your bike you are adding to the problem, by wasting water a precious resource. Simply blowing the dust off with a garden blower with a wind speed of around 320kmh (Cohesion theory, again) would be a better alternative in such dry times. A dry paint brush would do if a leaf blower is not available.
?

 

[R120]

Has your motor gone pop ? Have you tested the warranty process ? You only present a theory if you can not answer yes to those two questions. Science will tell you that you have to test and prove your theory for it to be valid.
If you have done this, then can you claim your accolade.
If you examined the text I wrote you will find I made this statement “yeah, your screwed ?‍ Unless you too have great warranty backup, but you’ll never know really, unless you test it ?”
So to disagree with “Err no” shows your ignorance to the written word.

Yes, my Shimano motor went pop after 18 months, I warrantied it , and yes I got a new motor with a 2 year warranty on it.

You will find the medal icon just to the left of the hot one, feel free to give it to this post in your own time

 

[outerlimits]

Yes, my Shimano motor went pop after 18 months, I warrantied it , and yes I got a new motor with a 2 year warranty on it.

You will find the medal icon just to the left of the hot one, feel free to give it to this post in your own time

Look, I could of given your post a medal, but does it deserve it ? Scientifically No ?

 

[dochabanero]

Wow what a contrast in riding conditions to what I do! we are in the midst of the worst drought in Australian history and I get back from my ride and do nothing but constantly hose dust off my bike and try to keep up with lube on the drivetrain.

I don’t envy your weather conditions or anything that comes with it, (fires, drought, etc). Here in the middle of Sweden we have pretty much the same weather as Zimmerframe described: Constant rain more or less for over a month when we usually get, (got) snow. Guessing this is something to get used to now. Riding in rain, mud and puddles through the winter months.

 

[Beekeeper]

Normally around the Surrey Hills the mud is a type of sandy loam which washes off the bike fairly easily.
Today we attempted to ride to Wimbledon Common and were soon bogged down by an alien type of material called ‘clay’ which stuck to our drivetrain like a barnacle on a boat. The small front chain ring was strangled to death by this fiendish material so we gave up and hobbled home. Even the power washer needed 2 batteries before I saw metal again ?

Still searching for the front chainring. I know it’s in there somewhere

 

[Zimmerframe]

Normally around the Surrey Hills the mud is a type of sandy loam which washes off the bike fairly easily.
Today we attempted to ride to Wimbledon Common and were soon bogged down by an alien type of material called ‘clay’ which stuck to our drivetrain like a barnacle on a boat. The small front chain ring was strangled to death by this fiendish material so we gave up and hobbled home. Even the power washer needed 2 batteries before I saw metal again ?

Still searching for the front chainring. I know it’s in there somewhere

View attachment 23744

That's not mud...that's womble sh1t !

 

[stiv674]

That's not mud...that's womble sh1t !

Makes a change from the usual cow/horse/dog shit I suppose

 

[outerlimits]

Looks like a good consistency to waffle stomp with. @Zimmerframe can you do a scientific experiment for me with the mud around your parts pls.

 

[Devondownhill]

Normally around the Surrey Hills the mud is a type of sandy loam which washes off the bike fairly easily.
Today we attempted to ride to Wimbledon Common and were soon bogged down by an alien type of material called ‘clay’ which stuck to our drivetrain like a barnacle on a boat. The small front chain ring was strangled to death by this fiendish material so we gave up and hobbled home. Even the power washer needed 2 batteries before I saw metal again ?

Still searching for the front chainring. I know it’s in there somewhere

View attachment 23744

(It's on the other side)

 

[Mikerb]

I have been riding all winter so far with no issues. I just use a soft brush and rag to clean the bike after a ride...clean enough to store indoors and I think as soon as the temperature drops below 10 degrees and there are few if any days without rain, storing indoors are normal room temperatures makes sure the bike dries out properly. I may take the bike out next day or a few days later and give it a more thorough clean but even then I only use a damp cloth. On a ride it is filthy after 5 mins so what is the point??!! In terms of cleaning I am mostly just concerned with chain/cassette/derailleur unclogging and cleaning off fork stancions and shock shaft...plus pivot bearings. On a ride I make sure I hit any deep standing water fast.....that way most of the water is thrown sideways by the tyres!! ( I have fully sealed my TCU and its connectors).