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Example of “Toxic Sweat”

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Example of “Toxic Sweat”

Old 12-09-21, 10:41 AM
  #26  
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That's some interesting stuff, thanks for the info.
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Old 12-10-21, 09:31 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
The salt is only part of the problem. The humidity and dew point are the other part. Here in dry Colorado it is currently 35°F with a relative humidity of 45% and a dew point of 20°F. Current temperature in Tampa is 70°F with a relative humidity of 89% and a dew point of 69°F. There’s no water to sucked out of the air in Denver while there is lots and lots and lots of water to be sucked out of the air in Tampa. Sodium chloride is hydroscopic which means it can suck water out of the air. Your bar tape in NC wasn’t wet because it failed to dry but because the salt in the bar tape was actively sucking water out of the air.
I think the word is hygroscopic.
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Old 12-10-21, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
This is too good not to steal! BTW, is there an attribution for this memetastic art?
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Old 12-10-21, 10:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Unca_Sam
This is too good not to steal! BTW, is there an attribution for this memetastic art?
I'm not sure! I'd seen the picture a few years ago (might have been someone's avatar here) and it popped into my head after @canklecat's post.
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Old 12-10-21, 11:59 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Your bar tape in NC wasn’t wet because it failed to dry but because the salt in the bar tape was actively sucking water out of the air.
I've noticed the same thing with certain hats. I might work up a big sweat working in the yard and soak the hat real good, and a week later it is still wet. It probably keeps absorbing water from the air until October when the humidity finally goes away.
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Old 12-10-21, 12:24 PM
  #31  
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yikes, that's worse than a toxic girlfriend! if they rode faster, the sweat would fall further back, no? or is that from an indoor trainer? if so, maybe throw a towel over the bars?
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Old 12-10-21, 12:37 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by jp911
Would it make sense to pre-wrap the bars with packing tape or plastic wrap before the bar tape?
High quality electrical tape.
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Old 12-10-21, 02:11 PM
  #33  
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Man, and I always assumed the Tri-Bikes have a lot of corrosion due to the urine. Who knew it was their sweat!
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Old 12-10-21, 02:16 PM
  #34  
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I've only ever seen this happen in Tampa. One dude went down at 30mph+ during a sprint. It wasn't the first time it happened to him either...
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Old 12-10-21, 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Inusuit
I think the word is hygroscopic.
Yep. Corrected.
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Old 12-10-21, 03:31 PM
  #36  
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Titanium bars, stem, bolts, frame, and everything else you can manage might help.
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Old 12-10-21, 04:11 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Yep. Corrected.
I knew that because I made the same mistake multiple times.
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Old 12-10-21, 04:23 PM
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Salt/Sweat also wrecks havoc on headsets. I started to replace mine due to a "creaking" that started up.

Pics in thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...set-stuck.html
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Old 12-10-21, 05:49 PM
  #39  
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Here in Florida, bikes practically have an expiration date. Dealing with a warranty because of corrosion is a nightmare. Some companies don’t even bother the second they see the guest is located in Florida.

A lot of people have tried layering electrical tape underneath the tape itself which doesn’t do much besides leaving a horrible residue. It’s just as bad as people who undercoat their vehicles up North. Once moisture and salt finds a way in(which it will), it’s trapped there and causes a lot more damage than usual.

Preventive maintenance is what I usually hammer onto people but a lot of bike owners typically don’t want to learn(neither do I want to fix their attempt at a bar wrap plus smelling their dried sweat).

Again, Florida is just Florida. If you’re not on your bike with a q-tip dabbing Tri-Flow in every nook and cranny every weekend then expect some corrosion.
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Old 12-10-21, 06:21 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Yelbom15
Here in Florida, bikes practically have an expiration date. Dealing with a warranty because of corrosion is a nightmare. Some companies don’t even bother the second they see the guest is located in Florida.

A lot of people have tried layering electrical tape underneath the tape itself which doesn’t do much besides leaving a horrible residue. It’s just as bad as people who undercoat their vehicles up North. Once moisture and salt finds a way in(which it will), it’s trapped there and causes a lot more damage than usual.

Preventive maintenance is what I usually hammer onto people but a lot of bike owners typically don’t want to learn(neither do I want to fix their attempt at a bar wrap plus smelling their dried sweat).

Again, Florida is just Florida. If you’re not on your bike with a q-tip dabbing Tri-Flow in every nook and cranny every weekend then expect some corrosion.
So true. Luckily my FD hanger snapped off after I moved to Oklahoma and Cannondale actually fixed it under warranty. I don't know if that would have happened if I was still in Tampa.
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Old 12-10-21, 06:56 PM
  #41  
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I had a couple small pencil-tip sized specks of corrosion on my 3T Ergonova last time I changed the tape. Cleaned and coated it with Boeshield T9 and let it dry before wrapping. Due for tape change soon, will see if it helped prevent progression.
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Old 12-11-21, 06:10 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
And this is why you change your bar tape every 2-3 months kids.
Or take it off and wash it to get the salt out. Actually not a bad idea to frequently "hand squeegee" your bar tape with fresh water on a regular basis when you're sweating heavily on rides. Once the salt gets into the tiny holes in the bar coating, not much can stop the rapid corrosion of the aluminum.
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Old 12-11-21, 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by SoSmellyAir
Another reason for carbon fiber handlebar.
Yup. Back in the day of anodized aluminum bars, this was not much of an issue. When the market switched to coated aluminum, the barrier to salt was greatly reduced. Those bars lasted me 40-50K miles. Carbon fiber bars are a solution.
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Old 12-11-21, 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by La Brea Bike
Man, and I always assumed the Tri-Bikes have a lot of corrosion due to the urine. Who knew it was their sweat!
Depends on where on the bike the corrosion is. Now if this thread had a corroded through seat post... Andy
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Old 12-11-21, 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by rosefarts
Titanium bars, stem, bolts, frame, and everything else you can manage might help.

As long as the TI doesn't touch either carbon or Al. At least hack saw slicing a carbon part to get it out of a frame is easier than an Al part. Andy
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Old 12-12-21, 08:03 AM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart
As long as the TI doesn't touch either carbon or Al. At least hack saw slicing a carbon part to get it out of a frame is easier than an Al part. Andy
I have a lot more knowledge about rusting permanent hardware on sea cliff climbing than bicycle corrosion.

The long and the short of it is that titanium simply doesn’t exhibit the corrosion you see with aluminum or even higher quality stainless steel. No stress crack corrosion and no galvanic corrosion. Also why you see titanium as the main metal used in orthopedic implants.

Its more than salt and air. The minerals dissolved in wet limestone, plus sun, salt, and heat are quite effective together.

So what can be done about a “Florida bike”
Ideally I think a 1 piece carbon bar and stem combo. Otherwise, a carbon bar with titanium stem (use plenty of ti prep) should help. I would worry that brake clomps would become a sacrificial anode in that setup.

What about prevention? Headband, wristbands, and a huge fan indoors.
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Old 12-12-21, 06:17 PM
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rosefarts- I find that you are correct, I think what I am remembering is corrosion of the non Ti part, like seat posts, in a Ti frame. In NC we removed more then a few "welded" in place from various bikes of non steel construction. We saw a lot of bikes that spent a lot of time on the coast that were hard to deal with. Andy
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Old 12-13-21, 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart
rosefarts- I find that you are correct, I think what I am remembering is corrosion of the non Ti part, like seat posts, in a Ti frame. In NC we removed more then a few "welded" in place from various bikes of non steel construction.
The problem is that Ti has a tendency to self-weld when you clamp two pieces of Ti together.
Whereas my understanding is that Ti does not have a big problem with galvanic corrosion with other metals.
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Old 12-13-21, 12:46 PM
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Sometimes I have mechanics suggest new tape and don't always explain why other than it looks bad, I go in and explain to the customer it is more to inspect the bars underneath and great rid of the old sweat logged stuff so we can give you a safer ride. Some people still reject but most will go for it when they understand the safety aspect. Sweat is nasty stuff that serves a very important purpose to the body but not so good soaked into your bars via your groady tape. Certainly yes washing bars can help a bit but I would just replace tape at least once a year depending on various factors but I think during the annual tune up is a good time to refresh everything and get it ready for the next riding season or for continued riding because you don't stop.
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Old 12-13-21, 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart
rosefarts- I find that you are correct, I think what I am remembering is corrosion of the non Ti part, like seat posts, in a Ti frame. In NC we removed more then a few "welded" in place from various bikes of non steel construction. We saw a lot of bikes that spent a lot of time on the coast that were hard to deal with. Andy
The “welding” of seatposts and other parts is less about galvanic action between the two metals than it is about corrosion of each metal. Aluminum, for example, can react along crystallite boundaries without being in contact with other metals. All that is needed is the salt. With aluminum and steel, it’s also not galvanic action that is the main cause of the “welding”. Both steel and aluminum react with salt and make an oxide. The oxide of both is of a lower density and larger volume which is what causes the binding of the parts together.

Titanium, as well as aluminum, have what is called a high stacking fault energy which means, essentially, the atomic crystalline structure has lots of faults that can catch when the metal slides on a surface. In threads, either material can break off bits that jam the threads. Add in a bit of corrosion of the aluminum and things go south quickly.
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