Keeping bikes outside

badhorsy
badhorsy Posts: 107
edited December 2010 in Road beginners
Hey all,
where do you keep your bike?

I live in a block of flats, with a shared garden. In the shared garden is a covered bike shed, which is where I keep my bikes.

Is it a good idea to keep bikes outside (even if covered)? My road bike (which I ride every day) has started showing some *symptoms* in the morning - namely, it takes a couple of minutes of riding for the pawls to start engaging in the rear hub (until then, when the back wheel coasts, so do the pedals). I'm assuming this is maybe due to the grease in the rear hub getting frozen over night (we're having some mighty cold weather here in London),

Since I bought my road bike, my mountain bike has been sadly relegated, and has been sitting in the bike shed for a few months without attention. Going back to it today, the brake levers seem to have gotten very very stiff.

Does cold just not work well with bikes?

Comments

  • blackpoolkev
    blackpoolkev Posts: 474
    It sounds like your bikes need a bit more love.Keeping them clean,dry and well oiled may encourage them to be less grumpy in the morning.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    As long as the bike is well maintained and completely covered it shouldn't do much harm. The grease won't freeze, but it might get more viscous when cold. That will make it more sticky, so the pawls can't spring up again quickly enough to engage. Of course as soon as you get going it should warm up. Still, you probably want to clean and regrease the freewheel, and maybe consider using a lighter grease - they vary quite a lot. Campagnolo's own brand grease is light and non-sticky for example, which is the main reason campag freewheels make so much noise!

    My main worry about keeping a decent road bike in a bike shed would be the likelihood of it getting nicked... What's wrong with your bedroom? :wink:
  • CHRISNOIR
    CHRISNOIR Posts: 1,400
    I took my bike for a service the other week and the bloke there asked if I kept it outside. When I told him 'In the shed' he replied that there wasn't much difference really. Not sure he was 100% serious but it certainly made me think.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    I can't think why cold itself should cause any lasting or accumulating damage, unless perhaps indirectly through moisture condensation.
  • re-cycles
    re-cycles Posts: 107
    My bike lives outside, uncovered in the garden and I've not had any problems with it. Sure the shiny bits aren't as shiny as they once were, but everything works.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    re-cycles wrote:
    My bike lives outside, uncovered in the garden and I've not had any problems with it. Sure the shiny bits aren't as shiny as they once were, but everything works.

    Leaving it outside exposed to the elements is very different of course. That WILL cause extra corrosion and shorten the lives of many of the components...
  • woodywmb
    woodywmb Posts: 669
    Your duvet should keep the bike at room temperature. Just watch the oil on the bed sheets though.
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1296598/
  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    in the bathroom on a bike stand - fully tiled so great for intermediate servicing in there and plenty of wiping material
    http://veloviewer.com/SigImage.php?a=3370a&r=3&c=5&u=M&g=p&f=abcdefghij&z=a.png
    Wiliers: Cento Uno/Superleggera R and Zero 7. Bianchi Infinito CV and Oltre XR2
  • pdstsp
    pdstsp Posts: 1,264
    ^ Bike or wife? :lol:
  • jacob2910
    jacob2910 Posts: 218
    pdstsp wrote:
    ^ Bike or wife? :lol:
    +1 :lol:
  • JKHinton
    JKHinton Posts: 70
    My bikes are very pampered they are kept in my spare bedroom or the kitchen :D
  • lae
    lae Posts: 555
    Winter bike under the bed.
    Road bike in the wardrobe.
    Clothes all over the floor.
  • badly_dubbed
    badly_dubbed Posts: 1,350
    my allez lives under the stairs

    my Cube and Scandal both reside in my living room :)
    Inbred Rigid 29er Singlespeed
    On-One Lurcher 29er Race Build
    2012 Kharma Race
    2013 Zesty 314
    Strava
  • rc856
    rc856 Posts: 1,144
    My trusty Ribble lives in the garage but my TCR stays in the spare bedroom...or ours if we have guests.
    Couldn't imagine it being cold!! :? :)
  • daveydave43
    daveydave43 Posts: 200
    summer bike is completely stripped down atm, for a thorough clean, so various bits of it hanging up on hooks in my bedroom.
    the winter bike is at the end of my bed.
    Go for the break
    Create a chaingang
    Make sure you don't break your chain
  • boliston
    boliston Posts: 37
    Also live in a flat which has bike storage in the basement car park area but there is no way I'd risk leaving a bike there!

    Both my bikes therefore live in my bedroom
  • etapechamp
    etapechamp Posts: 81
    keep mine in my bedroom under the duvet, for those intimate moments in the middle of the night :lol:
  • paulbox
    paulbox Posts: 1,203
    Mine are in the garage, not a lot of difference to outside in terms of temperature...
    XC: Giant Anthem X
    Fun: Yeti SB66
    Road: Litespeed C1, Cannondale Supersix Evo, Cervelo R5
    Trainer: Bianchi via Nirone
    Hack: GT hardtail with Schwalbe City Jets

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