Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Bike storage - humidity

1 reading
Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
B

brown_cow

· Registered
Joined
·
53 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi all,

I've just moved into a new house and have a big storage area under my wooden deck. There is a covered part where I've put the bikes, but as it doesn't really dry out it's really humid. Do you think it's bad to store bikes here long term, or can I just deal with the little extra rust that accumulates on the chains and it should be OK?
 
#4 ·
you should swab all the nuts bolts and parts that could corrode with ACF-50
and wipe it down.

acf-50 specifically, look up on the intertubes how it's used on
bike and motorcycles for anti-corrosion wipedowns

-non toxic
-ultra thin film
-doesn't stank
 
  • Helpful
Reactions: 291748
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#5 ·
I keep my bikes in our crawl space, and it's really humid here most of the year. The only things I've ever noticed were certain bolts, like stem bolts, would get rusty after many years on my old bikes, and every once in awhile my saddle and grips can get some surface mold that I just wipe off, if I haven't ridden in a bit. < Seems to be a summer/sweat issue mostly.
 
#6 ·
We have a house by the ocean where we spend about 10-12 weeks/year and I keep two of my bikes here. I keep them in a closed off room in the garage, do a full wash with a drying out in the sun, re-grease/asc all bolts that need it, lube chains and clean brake pads and rotors before we leave. This room is locked and I'm the only one from the key so none of the management staff or anyone can even open the door while we're gone. Despite all of the that, I find that rotors get rust, bolts get rust and it feels like everything makes a noise when I pull them out after being gone a decent period of time. We're here for most of the summer after the kids get out of school, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years weeks and then maybe 1-2 weeks/spring depending on what we have going on. I've honestly considered just taking them completely apart and putting everything in plastic bags in the longer gaps because of all of the problems the humidity causes. OTOH, I can return to AZ after being gone for 2 months and hop on any of my bikes that are in my garage and, other than checking tire pressures, have zero to worry about. They will have no issues at all. Perhaps it isn't as bad if you ride them without any long gaps or with the lack of salty air but it seems to me that I'd try to find the driest place possible to put them.

Just saw @127.0.0.1 suggestion. Thanks! I'll definitely get some of that.
 
#7 ·
If you have steel bikes, for long-term consideration I would also shoot some JP Weigle frame saver in the sweat/vent holes in the stays and down the seattube. Also use the next time you have the BB out.
 
#8 ·
I have never tried this with bikes, but I would store a rifle and various guitars in a humid basement here in the past. The humidity did cause issues and then I bought a dehumidifier with an auto setting and ran it. I just had to check if it was full every other day and empty it out. But it solved my problems.
 
#9 ·
Expect to need to do regular restorative work on those bikes, if you don't want to see them become so gross that you'd think about replacing.

Tip: tarps don't really work. They trap humidity under them, which might actually accelerate deterioration more than if you simply put a roof over it.

Interesting idea with the dehumidifier. Maybe tarp + one of those?

My experience is similar to Az2Au's. I moved from NY to CA, and visited home in NY and was sad to see my nice bikes have deteriorated, since family wanted the storage space and moved it to a shed outside (where the snowblower and mower, and outdoor tools were kept, so cranks were bent too). Bought new to replace.
 
#11 ·
unless you build a reasonably air-tight shed/storage locker (which might actually be a good long term solution) a dehumidifier won't do much except increase your electric bill. I would recommend covering them if you can to prevent dirt/grime from building up and holding moisture. In my experience that's what really accelerates problems.

Agree with what others have said - wash frequently, dry thoroughly before putting them away, wipe metal parts with a corrosion blocker, and expect some surface rust. Pay particular attention to your wheels - occasionally giving the nipples a drip of your favorite corrosion blocker goes a long way towards keeping them serviceable.

ETA: but a dry storage location is even better!
 
#12 ·
brown_cow said:
Hi all,

I've just moved into a new house and have a big storage area under my wooden deck. There is a covered part where I've put the bikes, but as it doesn't really dry out it's really humid. Do you think it's bad to store bikes here long term, or can I just deal with the little extra rust that accumulates on the chains and it should be OK?
Click to expand...
I'd be more concerned about any electronic stuff that's on any of the bikes
 
#14 ·
nwberm said:
I have never tried this with bikes, but I would store a rifle and various guitars in a humid basement here in the past. The humidity did cause issues and then I bought a dehumidifier with an auto setting and ran it. I just had to check if it was full every other day and empty it out. But it solved my problems.
Click to expand...
Varaxis said:
Interesting idea with the dehumidifier.
Click to expand...
He said it's under a deck. It looks to me like it's basically outside with the plastic pieces keeping raindrops from falling directly onto things. A dehumidifier would have no effect if that's the case.

OP, no way you could store less important stuff outside like dining room furniture or something and keep the bikes indoors?
 
#15 ·
noapathy said:
He said it's under a deck. It looks to me like it's basically outside with the plastic pieces keeping raindrops from falling directly onto things. A dehumidifier would have no effect if that's the case.

OP, no way you could store less important stuff outside like dining room furniture or something and keep the bikes indoors?
Click to expand...
Yep, I agree with this. I didn't realize it was outside. The dehumidifier wouldn't help here.
 
#16 ·
With a little more of that hard plastic sheeting, the wife and kids could sleep down there..... bikes in the bedroom.
If it's that wet, your bike will be big mounds of rust after a long wet winter. Even in a garage in very damp weather, bikes will rust if left for extended periods of time. ACF-50 will help a lot, but not be perfect. You can't put it on the brake rotors and those will rust pretty quickly. Good luck.
 
#19 ·
There are multiple issues with humidity over time and I would wager it will kill off some of your parts much faster in the long run. There are a lot of dissimilar metal interfaces on bikes that have galvanic potential and humidity will accelerate the corrosion. Keeping the bike in a dry environment will decrease this. This is why they store airplanes in the desert in AZ, best environment for long-term storage. Especially bad is going to be putting a wet/damp bike into that storage location, rather than starting off with it entirely dry...but over time being in a damp environment is going to be an issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ridinglurker
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
About this Discussion
23 Replies
18 Participants
Last post:
JKA
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion