Winter Bike Storage

[EasyPeez]

Now I have a dedicated commuting bike my steel framed road bike is seeing very little action (i.e none in the last couple of months) over the winter. It's stored in an unheated brick shed with one of these chucked over it -

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...rage-solutions/halfords-essentials-bike-cover

It was cleaned and lubed before storage, and tyres left pumped up.

According to various online sources, if I leave my bike like this for an extended period I can expect one or more of the following problems when I come to ride it again -

- Tyre sidewalls perished and/or tyres flat spotted
- Rusted frame from condensation forming inside tubing
- Grease in all the bearings will have dried up
- Cables will be rusted and siezed

Should I be worried about any/all of the above? And if so are there things I can do to mitigate these problems,? Could the bike cover be more of a hindrance than a help, in terms of trapping in any moisture?

I'm in the north of England so temperatures are pretty parky now and likely to remain so for the forseeable. The shed (it's more like a very small garage really) is brick with tiled roof and concrete floor. There are no leaks and I have some gardening books in there which haven't disintegrated over the years, but there is some evidence of damp around the roof area from time to time. The tumble drier is in there and gets used every couple of days for an hour or two; it has a flue piping the warm, damp air outside but I daresay this isn't 100% effective.

Cheers.

 

[Drago]

Wax the paint, and spray duck oil on any unpainted metal surface. Tyres will age whatever you do with them - reduce the pressure by about a third, but that's all you can do.

Your bike should be serviced as required anyway, so bearing grease will be refreshed as and when.

 

[jay clock]

You need a new bike

 

[DCLane]

It'll be fine: mine live like that.

I've even got a couple outdoors with a tarpaulin over them.

 

[Tin Pot]

Immerse in concrete and insert into microwave.

In my experience the best thing is to keep riding it, wiping down and living as usual.

I’ve got three bikes now and a sprained ankle, so I can’t take my own advice.

 

[Pale Rider]

Tyres can flat spot if the bike's left for a long time, which is one of the reasons you hear of people 'hanging up' a bike for winter.

Unlikely to happen in the time span you are talking about, but I would still rotate the wheels a bit every few weeks.

I think most of the other problems you've read about relate to longer periods of storage.

Having said that, I reckon bikes keep better with regular use, so doing a few miles every few weeks is a good idea.

That should prevent cables and brakes sticking if they were going to.

 

[iluvmybike]

It will depend on quality of components as to how much is 'corrodes' - I'd take the plastic sheet off as you don't need to keep any weather off it - at least it can 'breathe' so to speak. Make sure all mechs are clean & nicely lubed. Might be worthe while flicking through gears every now and then so derailleur not left in one position all the time. Take it out on nice dry winter days when there's no salt/wet on roads and it'll be happy. if u were going to leave it for 5 yrs like that I'd worry but not just over winter - but heed advice re turning wheels round every couple of weeks

 

[Gravity Aided]

Removing the saddle might be a good idea, as mice or other vermin may nibble at it, or make nests from it, depending on materials. Otherwise, as above.

 

[andrew_s]

Tyre flat spotting is a myth. Yes, that bottom of the tyre may go flat, but it will round out as soon as you pump the tyre back up.

If a bike's been used on salted roads (which it doesn't sound like this one has), it should be washed before storage, but otherwise I'd just waft a bit of WD40 over the parts of the bike that don't mind a bit of oil (i.e. not rims, brake blocks, saddle, bar tape).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Get an electric blanket for it.

 

[EasyPeez]

I'd take the plastic sheet off as you don't need to keep any weather off it

My thinking was any warm, damp air (although most should be expelled via the flue) emanating from the tumble drier and then condensing in the cold shed would settle on the sheet rather than the bike. Wrongheaded?

as mice or other vermin may nibble at it

Everyone in the village knows to leave my bike well alone, irrespective of their genus and species.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Cables will be rusted and siezed
Should I be worried . . . are there things I can do to mitigate these problems,?

STIs/Ergos should be left in the small(est) chain ring position / smallest sprocket to minimise stress on the spring in the shifter mechanism. Gear and brake cable anchor bolts should be released so the cables overwinter under no tension.

 

[confusedcyclist]

My thinking was any warm, damp air (although most should be expelled via the flue) emanating from the tumble drier and then condensing in the cold shed would settle on the sheet rather than the bike. Wrongheaded?

Definitely wrongheaded, cast your mind back to physics lessons, unless the cover is air tight, it won't prevent vapour settling on the bike as it is diffused around in the air.

I agree with @iluvmybike, don't put a cover over it. Whilst a cover will keep it from getting dusty which is nice, it will mean that water is actually encouraged to condense on the inside of bag and will remain settled there since there will be less air circulation (you have restricted drafts that would otherwise carry away the condensation).

condensation occurs when you have warm air meeting a cooler surface, which in your case is the inside of the bag. However if your venting is sufficient, you may not have a major humidity issue, in which case, ignore all above, carry on using it as a dust cover

If your shed gets damp/humid when the machine runs, don't use the cover. If you want to test the theory out, a hygrometer and thermometer would be useful. Look at the dew point for your room temperature when the dryer is running. This time of year, if you get humidity over 50% in the shed, you'll get rusting on sheltered components.