The influence of the thermal cycling on the flexure strength and superconducting properties of textured Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + δ rods processed by the laser-heated floating zone method was studied. Two different temperature ranges (77-300 and 77-393 K) were used to separate the contributions of chemical reactions with liquid water from those due to the thermo-elastic stresses. The rods showed excellent resistance to thermal cycling in both cases and neither the superconducting nor the mechanical properties were significantly affected. In particular, the variation of the critical current at 77 K was below +/-4% after 50 thermal cycles. The flexure strength of rods increased or decreased by ~10% after a few tens of thermal cycles, and crack deflection along the rod axis was observed in the specimens which showed a reduction in strength. This decrease was transitory, and the flexure strength after 50 thermal cycles was similar to that measured on the as-received rods.