Carbon bike storage in damp basement?

rob79

Hi

I have just got myself a lovely new full carbon road bike and need some advice about where i can store it. Currently my tough mountain bike is stored in a slightly damp basement but it doesn't seem to effect it.

I'm wondering if I store my carbon road bike in there too it will be ok, or the damp will ruin it any way?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated

Cheers

BigJimmyB

Don't so it, the carbon will rust

Seriously, nothing on the roady that I know of that will be affected any differently to your MTB.

Damp, however isn't nice - anything you can do to minimise it?

will3

Be really carefull keeping it in the damp. It will encourage carbon eating bacteria to slowly riddle your frame.

gundersen

I wish you people would be just a little bit serious.

The bloke has concerns about his carbon frame , and this is very normal considering the amount of money invested in the fibers.

So please tell him of the dangers of delamination in carbon frames caused by water seeping in between the layers of carbon AND REFRAIN FROM MAKING JOKES.

rob79

The MTB is fine but them its aluminum so shouldn't rust. The cables etc have no rust on it.

The damp is not bad in basement. Not visible but can smell it. Thinking I should avoid it but then thinking lots of people keep bikes in sheds / boxes outdoors and these must get damp and due all over them. Basement no way near as bad as that

APIII

I keep all my bikes in the cellar, but it's not that damp really. I've got a cheap dehumidifier down there that I use occasionally if things start to smell musty.

markos1963

gundersen wrote:

I wish you people would be just a little bit serious.

The bloke has concerns about his carbon frame , and this is very normal considering the amount of money invested in the fibers.

So please tell him of the dangers of delamination in carbon frames caused by water seeping in between the layers of carbon AND REFRAIN FROM MAKING JOKES.

Really sorry about that. keeping the bike in a damp cellar is ok, its just riding in the rain that will cause the frame to melt into a sloppy mess.

crankycrank

Rob79, CF questions always bring out the razzers I think because there is so much internet hysteria circulating around about it to the point where CF gets blamed for world hunger. The truth is that the CF will be unaffected by moisture but keep the steel pieces coated with grease, WD-40, GT-Whatever that stuff is called you folks in the UK have, etc. to prevent rust for long term storage. If you aren't getting corrosion with your other bike than it's probably not a big worry. By the way some boats are built with CF.

BigJimmyB

rob79 wrote:

The MTB is fine but them its aluminum so shouldn't rust. The cables etc have no rust on it.

The damp is not bad in basement. Not visible but can smell it. Thinking I should avoid it but then thinking lots of people keep bikes in sheds / boxes outdoors and these must get damp and due all over them. Basement no way near as bad as that

I'd invest in a dehumidifier then or ensure plenty of protective 'stuff' - GT85 works for me.

You can also look at getting better ventilation - always a good idea with damp.

I don't think you've really got any issues. My Grumpy back there seems to know about delamination of CF, so rather than waste his post bollocking us, perhaps he can tell you more

Wappygixer

Just pop it in a bike bag with some of those moisture crystals to soak up any dampness.
I keep mine in the loft over winter which is open to cold damp air, not quite the same a seller but similar.
So many parts no motorcycles are made of carbon these days and they are used all year round..
Pack it away ride your winter hack and dream of next years sun.......if it happens!!

pliptrot

Boeing are about to launch a plane made largely of CF. I reckon that will get the worst of thermal and moisture stresses of any CF structure ever devised. Now, if the cycle industry uses similar grades of CF to Boeing's, and they're not jusr ripping us off with cheap cr*p, then all you need worry about is the metal bits. But does anyone think the bucyle industry uses the finest CF? I DON"T. I think the major manufacturers are using cheap materials and in cheap countries and charging based on massive mark-ups, because they can.

gundersen

"pliptrot" are you aware of the fact that CF as you call it is not a finished product. CF is just various types of carbon fibers either laid or woven in or around a form and then saturated in epoxy. The epoxy is mixed with different adatives to give increased heat resistance, uv resistance, salt water resistance and so on. So the CF used on a boing is not the same as CF used on a bike. Each company mixes their own blend after the requirements of the end product.

And yes I was just being silly in my first post.

( and yes I have also made CF pipes)

forward_loop

blimey I was just about to make arrangments to bring my CF bike into the spare room from the leaky garage :oops:

pliptrot

Gundersen,

Er....that was my point.