how to keep your bike in an apartment?

WaltMarks

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!

sungod

if it's got mud/dirt on after a wet ride, hose it down while still wet - if you've got a bath with shower or large walk-in shower you can do it in there!

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

RutlandGav

I bought a maintenance stand for the bike and now keep it on that at all times. Keeping the tyres off the floor saves my light coloured carpet, i carry it in to my living room and put it straight on the stand as soon as i get in without the wheels touching the floor at any point. If it's wet, I can put old towels down to catch the drips or let it stand in the hallway for a bit to dry off before bringing it into the flat. Generally the former though.

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.

fenix

I'd maybe think about getting a rubber mat down to put it on inside. Maybe a turbo mat and then it can serve two purposes.

Ideally wipe the bike down outside to get most crap 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 ?

RutlandGav

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19707327#p19707327]Fenix[/url] wrote:

I'd maybe think about getting a rubber mat down to put it on inside. Maybe a turbo mat and then it can serve two purposes.

Ideally wipe the bike down outside to get most crap 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.

WaltMarks

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19707370#p19707370]RutlandGav[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19707327#p19707327]Fenix[/url] wrote:

I'd maybe think about getting a rubber mat down to put it on inside. Maybe a turbo mat and then it can serve two purposes.

Ideally wipe the bike down outside to get most crap 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!

RutlandGav

I'll qualify my recommendation for mudguards - they help keep you clean, but at the end of the day muddy water still adheres to the bike, it just goes on the inside of the guards rather than the seat post/seat. If anything there's even more surface area.

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.

sungod

i got a portable spray unit so i could clean things without going to the back of the building where the hose is, like this...

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

WaltMarks

What about these? Anyone ever had any experience with this product? Looks kinda like what I am looking for...
http://www.amazon.com/Velo-Sock-Indoor-Bicycle-Cover/dp/B0127F84LM

crankycrank

Why not just get a length of rain gutter with some end caps from Home Depot or your local hardware store. The plastic versions are cheap, lightweight, easy to cut, easy to clean, holds water so you can just dump it out when the bike is dry. Carry the bike in, set in rain gutter, done.

fenix

The Guttering sounds like a genius idea ! Take it to Dragons Den !

PhunkyPhil

I keep my bike under the stairs in my hall way and I store it on a clear see though plastic mat I bought from Argos for under a tenner so its less obvious.

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.

BrandonS

I made a floor to ceiling stand out of wood. It holds my bike and my wife's bike up off the floor against the wall. A solution I was contemplating doing for the dirt, especially when doing maintenance on them, is getting those little foam backed carpet tiles they make for play areas or mats. They are shaped like puzzle pieces and basically just press together.

david691

This guide might help you guys...
How To Store Your Bike In Your Apartment: 7 Simple Ways

dannbodge

In answer to one of your posts, I use a velo sock albeit a copy from china.
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)

N0bodyOfTheGoat

WaltMarks said:

What about these? Anyone ever had any experience with this product? Looks kinda like what I am looking for...
http://www.amazon.com/Velo-Sock-Indoor-Bicycle-Cover/dp/B0127F84LM

I was given a "velo sock" for Xmas https://www.amazon.co.uk/erl980-Mountain-Bicycles-Anti-Dust-Colorfull/dp/B07TV6SYTF/ref=sr_1_5 , in theory for when we moved into our own place, for my Cube that has lived indoors for just over three years... But I've yet to use it, I don't take the Cube out in the rain or if the roads are still really wet!

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.

rick_chasey

I got some outdoor bike “pyjamas” which is just a plastic sheet envelope.

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.

brundonbianchi

I put my best bike in a Velosock, and keep it in the bedroom. The station bikes / commuters go in the communal bike shed.

brundonbianchi

First.Aspect

brundonbianchi said:

That velosock is clearly the wrong size for you. 😗

brundonbianchi

First.Aspect said:

brundonbianchi said:

That velosock is clearly the wrong size for you. 😗

Funnily enough, I have used it as a bivvy bag on an Audax. It’s perfect. I’m not telling Velosock that though, they’ll probably put the price up.