how to keep your bike in an apartment?
WaltMarks
Posts: 4
Hi there,
I recently started cycling around and in my local city and it is awesome (allows me to run away from all the daily stress etc.)
The only issue I have encountered is keeping my bike inside my apartment (since I don't want to lock it outside on the street, don't want to risk it). After cycling on rainy days, it makes quite a mess on my floor (rainwater, mud, etc.), sometimes I bring a lot of dust & sand and it is just quite messy in general.
I am putting old towels under it right now, but maybe you know a better way to store it in apartments so it doesn't mess the place up so bad?
Thanks in advance! looking forward to hearing your responses!
I recently started cycling around and in my local city and it is awesome (allows me to run away from all the daily stress etc.)
The only issue I have encountered is keeping my bike inside my apartment (since I don't want to lock it outside on the street, don't want to risk it). After cycling on rainy days, it makes quite a mess on my floor (rainwater, mud, etc.), sometimes I bring a lot of dust & sand and it is just quite messy in general.
I am putting old towels under it right now, but maybe you know a better way to store it in apartments so it doesn't mess the place up so bad?
Thanks in advance! looking forward to hearing your responses!
0
Posts
once it's clean, wipe dry with a cloth or paper towels, there will still be some water to drip but it'll be much less and it'll be cleaner, you could get a bath mat to leave under it (a black one)
there are lots of gadgets available to hand bikes from wall brackets, poles etc., depends how much space you have and whether you are allowed to drill holes or not (some poles are spring loaded, so no drilling), using one of those might help avoid marking walls etc. by leaning the bike, it also may allow storing it at a height that makes it easier to work on for cleaning/servicing
I'd never be able to manoeuvre my bike into my bathroom without dinging up the gloss paint same with the tiny galley kitchen - the living room is the only one big enough keep a bike, and one bike only.
Ideally wipe the bike down outside to get most censored of it and then you can clean the rest with baby wipes or similar.
If the bike is properly filthy - have you got full mudguards ?
Definitely get mudguards. However, commuting in the winter, trying to keep the bike clean may be futile. A lot depends on how you ride - middle of the lane, might not be too bad. If it's a cycle lane 2 ft from the kerb, or adopting the "secondary riding position" on a wider urban road, you're basically riding in the gutter and will constantly have muddy puddle water splashing throughout the your journey.
Realistically, after a day at work then after riding home, when it's dark and raining, are you going to lock the bike to a lamp-post outside the building, go up to your apartment, get the cleaning stuff, then come back down and spend 10-15 minutes wiping it all down before lugging the bike up to your flat.. only to get dirty again before you've got 100 yards the following morning?
Because the chain is going to be constantly coated with muddy water/salt spray, the running gear will wear rapidly too. Again, if you live in a nice house with a secure garage/utility room with unlimited bike storage you might have a cheap hack to take the hit of the winter cycling and keep the exotica for summer training rides. The likes of you and I, however, will just have to make one bike fit all our needs.
Thanks for all the idea. I definitely can't just roll it in my bathroom (it's way too small). The rubber mats sound like a possible idea. I have also found indoor bike covers called 'velosocks?' Anyone ever had one of those? I think their website was velosock.com
Either way I do have full mud guards, it's just that cycling around the canyon area here, a lot of stuff still sticks to the bike and I don't mind the visual as much as the actual sand freaking everywhere when I get home.
Thanks again!
Being on a stand means the bike isn't touching the wall or carpet however. When i wheel it back out again in the morning, all the dried silt/grains fall off the bike and mudguards, but at least that stuff's dry and will hoover up.
http://www.garden-equipment-tools.com/img/Product/white_8l_knapsack_weeds_moss_killer_garden_plant_water_chemical_spray_pressure_sprayer_bottle_vp_psb_8e-e23-_3211.jpg
...many places sell them under many many brand names, they're cheap and easy to carry, i just fill mine with water
you could bring it out to rinse off dirt/dust before taking the bike inside
if you give the bike a clean, then apply a cleaner/polish that leaves a silicone wax coating, you'll find less stuff sticks to the frame, you need to re-apply every few months, but during that time it'll be much easier to clean off the bike
http://www.amazon.com/Velo-Sock-Indoor-Bicycle-Cover/dp/B0127F84LM
If i go out and know/suspect my bike will be dirty I put down in advance of going out an old duvet cover just inside my door and leave my bike on there in case of drips before i wipe it down.
How To Store Your Bike In Your Apartment: 7 Simple Ways
I wouldn't put in on when the bike is wet but it stops you touching the dirty drivetrain when it's just being stored.
I hang by bike by the saddle and Handley in my shed, so it stops me getting greasy when I walk past it (you can see I have hardly any room)
It's very stretchy material, the bike fits in it with wheels still installed, but no idea how well it will cope with frequent use.
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo
Made for leaving your bike outside but I turned it upside down to keep the wheels off the floor and to protect the wall where the handlebars leaned.
It would stay in my long narrow hallway.
I would try if possible to let the bike drip dry outside first - more often than not it’s not raining all day - to keep the mess down.