Storing a bike for winter

[steveindenmark]

For those who store their road bikes for winter.

Once it is all cleaned and fettled. Do you store it with the tyres flat or pumped up?

My bike will be elevated off the floor and so the wheels will not be on the ground.

Steve

 

[ianrauk]

then there is no need to deflate.

 

[jdtate101]

Not deflated, but slightly reduced pressure, about 60-70psi.

 

[Skipper]

Who stores a bike for winter? The colder wetter weather is when the wimps resort to the sofa with a warm mug of cocoa and the TV remote. I say, 'man-up' a bit .... get your thermals out, accept that your pace is going to drop off a bit, and hit the tarmac (not literally of course). Only snow or thick ground frost stops me from turning the pedals. Try to get out there, and embrace the colder weather. There's some great sunrises or sunsets or frosty misty morning to be seen in winter.

 

[rb58]

I take my 'best' summer bike off the road (mostly) for winter. It gets a full strip down service and deep clean on the way to storage too. Doesn't mean I'm not riding - I have other bikes for that.

 

[steveindenmark]

Skipper...you are the man

I have 8 bikes and the road bike is the only one that goes away for the winter. But maybe if you had asked instead of jumping in with both feet, you would have found that out.

My girlfriend rides the 5 miles to work every day of the year and it gets down to about -25 here. I have even known her push it to work and back through the snow.

I think that makes her a bigger man than you mate

Steve

 

[Dave Davenport]

After a good clean I wrap my (best) bike up in bubble wrap for the winter. Thinking about it, maybe I should wrap myself up too, insulation and protection on icy days!

 

[Norm]

Who stores a bike for winter?

Someone who lives in Denmark?

Have you been to Denmark, Skipper, because...

Only snow or thick ground frost stops me from turning the pedals.

... snow sits on the ground there for several months every year. Which might make 'man-up' seem a tad ironic from someone who lives in Hemel.

 

[Skipper]

I bow down to you all ..... you are obviously much better cylclists than me .... far more keen. I beg for you passion and pardon.

 

[jdtate101]

The carbon roadie goes away for winter, and out comes the Alu cyclocross bike. Not that I couldn't use the roadie, but when it's slippy I'd rather not scratch the hell out of it if I fall off (or should that be WHEN I fall off)

 

[Accy cyclist]

A genuine(not leading or sarcastic) question to the ones who mollycoddle their road/carbon/best bikes or whatever. Did you not use them during the wet summer we've just had , and on nice sunny winter days , after the rain has washed away the road salt aren't you tempted to get your summer bikes out of their bubble wrap?

 

[Kestevan]

Having just bought a nice shiny new carbon bike, I'm only riding it on fine/dry days and I'll be mothballing it as soon as the first gritter of the year appears.

I commute through the winter, and I know the damage winter crud and salty roads can do to a bike. The older alloy bike with cheaper components, mudguards and heavier tyres will be used on a daily basis. I can't be bothered to strip and clean a bike every day, and unless you do, the winter weather will quickly take its toll.

 

[fossyant]

I still use the road bikes if the weather is OK. Actually, the best bikes tyres are always flat - I use Latex tubes and they go flat over a week if not pumped up.

 

[Wester]

Who stores a bike for winter? The colder wetter weather is when the wimps resort to the sofa with a warm mug of cocoa and the TV remote. I say, 'man-up' a bit .... get your thermals out, accept that your pace is going to drop off a bit, and hit the tarmac (not literally of course). Only snow or thick ground frost stops me from turning the pedals. Try to get out there, and embrace the colder weather. There's some great sunrises or sunsets or frosty misty morning to be seen in winter.[/quote

And so say all of us

 

[Arch]

Having just bought a nice shiny new carbon bike, I'm only riding it on fine/dry days and I'll be mothballing it as soon as the first gritter of the year appears.

I never knew carbon fibre could rust...

I have a winter bike - wider Big Apple tyres, hub gears, hub brakes. Perversely, and due to nothing but chance, my summer bike is Alu, but the winter one is steel . I usually swap them about now, in fact. The plan is that the off season bike gets serviced over the season, but that doesn't always happen...