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winter storage

856 views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Nickt30 
#1 ·
Is it O.K. to keep a bike in a unheated garage during the winter? I live in the Maryland, and though it will never be confused with the Arctic Circle it does get into the 20s and sometimes below at night.
 
#2 ·
It won't hurt it....

but I would suggest a light plastic cover to keep the dust and crud build up to a minimum. Clean it up good get all the mud and crap off, lube the chain, etc., and then cover it up. It'll be fine. Personally I keep mine inside because I go though the bikes, complete tear down and service during the winter months. Except for the winter/commuter bike, that gets it's TLC during the summer. But cold storage won't hurt the bike at all.

Good Dirt
 
#4 ·
I plan to ride through the winter.
Usually, there's a few days in a winter when it really gets cold or there's so much snow so quickly that I cannot commute by bike.

Trails can be great in winter if the temperatures are enough below the freezing point to keep them dry, and snow conditions are not too drastic.
 
#5 ·
I too plan on riding throughout the winter. It can be as warm as in the 50s in January, thus no reason to stop riding completely. I was just curious about when the temps get real cold on whether or not that's an issue with bike storage. The only thing that's keeping me from riding now is it's too dark when I get home from work on the weekdays and it's raining on weekends.
 
#6 ·
Right now I am in wet conditions and the main issue with the bike is keeping the drivetrain and brakes relatively clean.

When temps go below the freezing point, you should not put a wet bike in the freezing temps. Probably the cables are the first thing that gets stuck when that happens.

A little frost does not hurt a bike but keeping it clean, dry and lubricated helps it run better.
 
#7 ·
out of my 6 or so rideable bikes, i keep 4 or 5 in the garage (wisconsin winter) all winter long. it gets negative a ton in there for a while. i keep my main race rig and another fav (or 2) inside during most of the winter just cuz i can. no reasons for it. all the bikes work fine in the spring. i do strip and clean them before the winter, but it's not any major maintainence..
 
#8 ·
Wow. I got my MTN bike specifically so that I could continue to ride during the winter while my carbon road bike sleeps in my 72 degree apartment with weekly massages and light winter trainer rides (to keep the carbon from getting fat).
 
#9 ·
Fellow Marylander... I previously had my bike in my grandfathers shed for about 2 years straight (while I was moving after college) and it was just fine. I didnt lube it or anything... Probably not the best idea but it still worked fine when I got it back.

I would also suggest some lube on the seat post so it doesnt get stuck.
 
#10 ·
The bike I'm riding now is about 13 years old. Sad to say a good portion of that was spent in a garage without, until I really got into biking this past year. It gets pretty chilly here too, as under 20 degrees at night is not uncommon. After sitting around, I pulled it out and aired up the tires and it was good to go.
 
#11 ·
If you're gonna store it, get the wheels up off the ground; they tend to go flat during storage, and will freeze into that shape, and when they thaw, they won't ride right. Up off the ground, they'll just go soft and hang there.
 
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