Bike outside in covered area?

Sewinman
Sewinman Posts: 2,131
edited January 2014 in Commuting chat
I am being nagged to deal with my bikes in more female friendly way - i.e. not stored in kitchen, bedroom, lounge etc. My garden has a covered area and I could get some form of cover. I still feel that my weekend bike would get damp being outside, and cold too! :)

Do we think a bike suffers being outside in a UK winter, even if it is covered and not 'wet wet'?

Security is another issue, but I could deal with that.

Comments

  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    Problem is when it gets home damp, it won't dry outside. will probably have some rust on the chain the next day. Also, is it a steel bike?
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    Hmmm, it is my best bike. No, carbon/Alu.
  • Have you got space to store it from the roof internally anywhere? Hooks etc. for the weekend bike. Personally I wouldn't ever store my good bikes outside regardless of supposed security measures and dryness. Garages btw I count as indoors - because they are fundamentally and if I had a bike garage it would have some form of venting/drying capability for the jds's reasons.
    Le Cannon [98 Cannondale M400] [FCN: 8]
    The Mad Monkey [2013 Hoy 003] [FCN: 4]
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    Compromise, best bike indoors with the others outside?
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,484
    I'd get a purpose made bike shed (see the recent shed thread) which is dry enough unless you put the bike away absolutely dripping* and deals with the security aspect as well.

    * Mine often goes away damp and is usually dry the next morning. I only get the odd spot of orange on the chain if I haven't kept up to date with cleaning and oiling it. If the bike is really that wet, then keep an old towel handy and give it a wipe down before you put it away.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    Drilling is an issue as it is a rented flat, but I think a compromise can be found, well said! I don't think I would be comfortable thinking about the best bike outside.
  • I have a similar wonder, for a bike shed at work in storing my bike in there 24/7. It has a roof and wooden slatted sizes but obviously not 100% dry. It wouldn't be a 'best' bike, but a lunchtime hack but I don't want to have a bike which falls apart after 3 weeks, even if it is a Halfords BSO.
  • My wife's hybrid that she commutes on lives out side, and the various bikes before that. She does 2000 odd miles a year, chain has yet to go rusty and I'm always forgetting to oil it etc.
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    My wife's hybrid that she commutes on lives out side, and the various bikes before that. She does 2000 odd miles a year, chain has yet to go rusty and I'm always forgetting to oil it etc.

    Maybe I'm doing something wrong then :) my chain sometimes goes rust over the weekend in the conservatory, if I've had a wet cycle home on Friday.
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Compromise: less valuable bikes, clothes, shoes, handbags etc stored outside, more valuable ones stored inside.

    I used to store a road bike outside, under a waterproof cover, festooned with locks and it was fine. Mind you, it didn't have any water soluble carbon components...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • DrLex
    DrLex Posts: 2,142
    Location: ciderspace
  • jds_1981 wrote:
    My wife's hybrid that she commutes on lives out side, and the various bikes before that. She does 2000 odd miles a year, chain has yet to go rusty and I'm always forgetting to oil it etc.

    Maybe I'm doing something wrong then :) my chain sometimes goes rust over the weekend in the conservatory, if I've had a wet cycle home on Friday.

    Me too my bike chain gets a few spots of rust hers though spotless maybe neglect is the way to go!
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Asguard bike shed ?

    I'm lucky to have a garage with a heater and a dehumidifier for the fleet. Was most unhappy when the best bike had to move out of a bedroom when 'children' arrived. :evil:
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    fossyant wrote:
    best bike had to move out of a bedroom when 'children' arrived. :evil:
    Less valuable children in the garden too; it's all about balance and compromise...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • jamesco
    jamesco Posts: 687
    Both my bikes (and my girlfriend's) live uncovered outside and have done for years, no problemo. Unless they're made out of sugar, they won't dissolve.