Where to store a bicycle and how to prepare it for wintering?

Summer is over, and with the arrival of rainy weather and cold weather, it is time to reel fishing rods, or rather, remove your bike. It is unlikely that during the summer it bothered you so much that you, without even thinking about how to store the bike, leave it to winter on the street. But, you know, usually storing a bicycle comes down to pushing it into a garage, a barn, a balcony or an entrance, if you trust your neighbors, until the next season. And few people know that with just a few simple steps before sending your bike for storage in winter, you can significantly extend its life.

Preparatory stage

What you will see with the advent of the new season depends on how you prepare the bike before storage: a bike or a wheelchair fully ready for use, requiring a lot of minor repairs. Do not take your time in the summer and start tidying up your bike right now.

• Nowhere to clean.

Dirt, of course, can not do much harm to a bicycle, unless it is slurry that has got on the chain, but there is not much pleasant in it, especially if you are going to store the bicycle in the apartment. So do not be lazy and clean the bike from all the dirt before putting it on the balcony. Wash the bike and dry it completely before proceeding to the next step.

Tip

In general, cleaning the bike from dirt is also necessary throughout the season, because once it gets into the chain, it can bring you big problems, and sometimes even lead to a replacement of the mechanism.

• Take care of the gears.

Although the bike may not be a watch, but if the mechanism stops working smoothly and smoothly due to improper storage in the winter, you will instantly feel this during your first trip in the summer. Lubricate the chain, cables, hinges, bushings, and bearings, and wipe all metal parts with a lubricated cloth to prevent corrosion. The chain can be removed and put away in a separate package.

Tip

Experienced cyclists set minimum speeds before storage, so as not to keep the transmission cables in a long, strong tension, and also weaken the brake cables and pressure in the shock absorbers and fork.

• Pay attention to the tires.

If you are going to store the bike in the winter in the apartment, on the balcony in a standing position, then it is not out of place to inflate the tires to working pressure in order to avoid their deformation during prolonged storage in a slightly deflated form. If the bike will lie on its side in a partially disassembled form or you are going to hang it on a hook, then this procedure can be carried out immediately before the start of the season.

Ideal storage

Although the preparatory stage in our business is the most important, the question of finding a room arises in the head in the first place, especially if you live in an apartment and there are not so many places in it. The problem of where to put a bicycle in a city or in a village is solved by following a few simple rules.

• The room should be either heated or stably cool.

Neither the tire nor the metal parts of the bike are afraid of average temperatures, but they do not favor sudden changes. That is why it is so important to find a room in which let the temperature be below room temperature, but it will be maintained at this level on an ongoing basis. Either living quarters or balconies and unheated outbuildings are best suited for this. In this case, too warm storage close to the battery is contraindicated for a bicycle, as well as too cold street storage in winter. In a country house, you can put a bicycle in the dressing room, utility rooms or in the attic, but in a small city apartment, the balcony is often the only way out.

If there is no balcony in the apartment, then you can resort to a little trick: dismantle the bike a bit by removing the front wheel, turning the pedals “face” inward and turning the steering wheel so that the bike becomes almost flat. In this form, it can easily fit in a closet, pantry or at least under the bed!

Tip

Speaking of stable temperature, we also mean stable cold rooms, but if you want a bicycle to last a really long time, you will not find a better dry and warm room. Even when stored in a garage at -30˚, you will not notice severe defects in the next season, but constant “cold” storage will certainly make itself felt over time.

• It is undesirable for the bike to get a lot of sunlight.

Of course, being in use all summer, your bike gets quite a lot of sunshine and seems to have never complained about it. But when stored in winter for 6, or even 9 months, the daily exposure to the sun can affect the state of rubber and plastic elements. Therefore, even though it is possible to store a bicycle on the balcony, it is advised to cover it with a cloth or pack it in a cover, which, incidentally, is easy to sew from tarpaulin itself.

• And no precipitation!

If your balcony is not glazed, then wintering a bicycle on it will be akin to wintering on the street. If you do not want to see a rusty frame and chain with the advent of summer, it is better to abandon this idea and try to place the bike in the apartment. The same goes for flowing boardwalks.

Tip

High humidity rooms can also cause rust, so storing your bike there is also not recommended.

Remember how nice it was to find sweets or a trifle in a winter jacket after the summer? So, if you want to experience this feeling again, just prepare the bike for wintering so that in the spring you do not suffer, washing it and changing parts, but just get it and go!