David Singlespeed Unrau

Sweat can destroy your bike and your components pretty quickly – we had a good example of this in the shop today that I though I would share. We see lots of sweat-based corrosion damage to bikes, especially in the spring, after a compulsive winter of spinning on the trainer. Bathing your bike in salt water and then leaving it in the heat destroys cables, shifters, frames and components. Here are the results of one winter of spinning on the trainer:

The white is salt and aluminum oxide dust.  The dark in the centre is a where the handlebar is completely eaten away.  Before the tape was removed, the bike looked completely clean and to be in tip-top shape.  This handlebar was completely destroyed – I could easily rip the end of the handlebar right off.  Good thing this did not fail while riding!  What should you do about this?  Make sure you get your bike tuned up by professionals at least once a year, even if your bike looks like it is in good shape.  Stay off the trainer unless you have to – cross train or get a winter bike.  The funny thing is, winter riding does not normally cause this amount of damage, this quickly, so by staying in on the trainer, especially if you are a heavy sweater, you may be causing more harm than good.  Finally, make sure you protect your bike from sweat with towels, and wash your bike regularly if you are riding indoors!

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