Author Topic: Our tandem has sprung a leak  (Read 2132 times)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Our tandem has sprung a leak
« on: 11 April, 2013, 04:31:13 pm »
I have just hoisted the tandem up to working height, using rope ad the garage rafters, and its change of position has caused water to drip out of the bottom brackets. I suspect that it is the result of this ride.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg1421044#msg1421044
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Re: Our tandem has sprung a leak
« Reply #1 on: 11 April, 2013, 04:52:51 pm »
I think I would be inclined to investigate further, given that the water has been sitting in the frame for two months.
You do not want the BB's seizing in the frame.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Our tandem has sprung a leak
« Reply #2 on: 11 April, 2013, 08:01:33 pm »
Rusty water?  How disappointing.  I was expecting milk...

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Our tandem has sprung a leak
« Reply #3 on: 12 April, 2013, 09:54:36 am »
The water didn't appear to be rusty at all.

The botton bracket sealed units are sort-of suspended out of harms way, if you see what I mean, Simon, by the eccentric bottom bracket gubbins. It was pretty clear that, wherever this water has been over the past 8 weeks, it hasn't been in the bottom bracket area. It was only after I altered the frame's position after hoisting it towards the garage roof on a couple of lengths of rope that the water found its way out - through the bottom brackets.

The job I'm doing is replacing the rings and chains - long overdue - and I've removed the cranks as well. Both crank axels spin freely enough. I'm also going over the frame with Hammerite. It was a really crap paint job that Thorn did on this and, given how many Rohloffs Robin Thorn has supplied, I haven't got the stomach for yet another fight with him. Had it not been for the broken Rohloffs I definitely would have done. Paint has been flaking of around the BBs, and a few other places, for quite a while. I was considering getting the whole bike resprayed by Mercian, but the Hammerite (to my idosyncratic colour vision it's almost the same colour as the tandem's original paint) seens to be working fairly well so I'm applying further paint to some exposed metal. I will eventually get Mercian to do it, but I won't get any change from £300 when I do this, so I'm just botching it through at the moment. We are taking it to Holland for my nephew's wedding - which is 4 weeks today - so the bike has to look at its best. ;D
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Re: Our tandem has sprung a leak
« Reply #4 on: 12 April, 2013, 10:10:32 am »
I hear where your'e coming from Peter, best to save your energy and sanity for the battles you can win! Paint is often a difficult fight to have and if you can make temporary repairs for now, it will save the frame from getting pitted.
What colour ribbons will you be using? Photographs we hope.

Re: Our tandem has sprung a leak
« Reply #5 on: 12 April, 2013, 10:12:52 am »
I think I would be inclined to investigate further, given that the water has been sitting in the frame for two months.
You do not want the BB's seizing in the frame.
I'm with loadsabikes on this. the worry isn't the bearings in the BB seizing up, but the BB seizing to the shell.

The sole good thing about plastic BB bits is that in extremis you can heat up the BB with a blowtorch until the plastic melts and just push the whole lot out of the frame.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Our tandem has sprung a leak
« Reply #6 on: 12 April, 2013, 08:38:26 pm »
With Rohloff-equipped Thorns, you have two bites at the cherry, as it were, when it comes to removing the BB bearing.



The bearing sits inside an aluminium holder which is kept in place by the two bolts that bite int the aluminium from underneath. These are not expensive components and are easy to remove.

Incidentally, that's not my bike in the picture. That one looks as though it's been at the bottom of a pond for a while.
The loss of humanity I could live with.