Cycling through deep water, it's bad right?

[Solocle]

it's when your feet submerge at the bottom of the stroke that concerns should be raised... wet feet in winter isn't much fun. But the bike should be ok getting wet. You shifting problem is just a bit of gunk somewhere on the shifting mech. A clean should sort it.

Yep. My last crash (May last year) was caused exactly that way. I was going slow, but still managed to get a nasty gash on my shin (must have been the pedal that caught it).

Not too deep

Pretty sure I freewheeled where possible to avoid wet feet.

View: https://youtu.be/Gj2sg-luZAw&t=38m


But my first attempt at fording I ended up grinding to a halt in the middle of the ford and had to put a foot down

 

[Tenkaykev]

Confession time.
I purchased a Brompton CHPT3 as soon as it was released. I had an email from Brompton announcing the new bike, It was a few weeks before my 70th Birthday so I decided to treat myself. when I got a phone call from my LBS to say it had finally arrived and was ready for collection I got the bus down to collect it. It had been really wet over the preceding few days and on my way back from the shop I came across a big puddle across the full width of the cycle path. I dismounted, had a furtive look around to make sure there weren't any cyclists approaching, put my new brommie on my shoulder and walked through the puddle before remounting and continuing my journey home.
Nowadays I thrash it up and down the local trailways in all weathers.

 

[Kell]

My big worry about going through anything deep on a Brompton* is dropping the wheel into an unseen pothole.

Avoid if possible, go slowly if it's not.


(*Or any bike for that matter, but worse on a Brompton due to wheel size.)

 

[Oldhippy]

I remember cycling through Oxford to work one winter a few years back, days of rain and as the buses passed a wave of water would wash over me. Full waterproofs with waterproof hiking boots needed and I only oiled the chain weekly. I have only recently stripped the bike down for a repaint and replacement of parts. It is none the worse for wear.