General Cycling Discussion - outdoor bike storage

i'm pretty much gonna have to do it. apartment in nyc are small. in my price range anyway. for those unfamiliar with nyc dwelling, those apartments you see on 'friends' and 'will and grace' are not average abodes. not by a lot. but i do have a 400 sq. foot garden, a rare commodity here.

what can i do? building a weatherproof bike storage chamber is pretty much out of the question. i'm thinking along the lines of a really nice bike cover, maybe the kind used for motorcycles. is this the best solution?

don't have a lance armstrong trek. just a 7300 i got 6 months ago to be used as an urban beater. it's been out there, along with my gf's hybrid, and i've noticed after a week of outdoor unprotected storage and a few days of rain that the chain is already starting to rust. am i doomed? do i need to move? does ANYBODY on this forum keep their bike outside? garages don't count.

Is there any way you can get one of those hooks to hang your bike on? Perhaps you can loosen the handlebars and remove the pedals and find a way to hang it so that it doesn't get in the way. I know it can get cumbersome to take all the time to re-tighten the handlebars and put the pedals on, but I wouldn't leave my bike outside under any circumstances. I sometimes lose sleep when I leave my bike outside for the night during those rare occasions when I ride my bike to the train and take the train (which doesn't allow bikes) to visit my nephews overnight. I double lock my bike with the New York Kryptonite u-lock and chain and remove as much of the bike accessories and take them with me, and I usually take the earliest train possible back in the morning. I couldn't possibly imagine leaving my bike outside in New York.

Do you have a basement or boiler room your manager could let you lock your bike in? Or maybe a janitor's closet? Or if you have an elevator that goes to the roof, is it possible to leave the bike up there covered and locked?

I really think if you just cover it and leave it outside there could be a chance that someone may steal the cover.

Ok, ok... I know all kinds of Europeans or Australians or whoever will come online and talk about how they leave their bikes outside... where I am in the US, if you have a nice bike and leave it outside, you may have problems. Better to be safe than sorry.

I live in a small space, so I know how it feels- you are really limited on where you can put your bike. But why not investigate your apartment building and see if there is any spare space or a storage area they are willing to let you store your bike in first before putting it outside. I don't have Lance's bike either, but I still would take the same kinds of precautions as if I did own Lance's bike. That's my baby you're talking about!

Koffee

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Ok, ok... I know all kinds of Europeans or Australians or whoever will come online and talk about how they leave their bikes outside...

I won't - having had one bike stolen already. As Koffee said, get the biggest, meanest, spankiest lock you can get your hands on. As far as covers go, I'll take any advice here, as I may have no choice at work when I start my new job next week. Looks like I've found a use for my old bike after all.

though i live in nyc, and do worry about it getting stolen when i lock it up outside on the street (i commute to work often), i don't worry about it getting stolen out of my backyard. it's private, and the only access is through the my apartment. more worried about the natural elements. i've seen some bike bags online for sale. they run from 50-120 us dollars. anybody have any experience with these? i guess nobody on the forum stores their bike outside?? there are no other crevices in my building that i can use. if i did, i would not be posting.

I always left mine outside before i spent almost 2 grand total on a stumpjumper. No way on earth i'd do that now. When i used to they'd get rusty and once stolen. I have VERY little space, but i managed to put it in a corner standing straight up pointed at the ceiling. Still it takes up a lot of room and looks stupid. But it works.

I store my bike in a bike room we have at our building. I pay some big bucks, but it's private and locked and offers full security. So I don't have to worry about a bike bag. However, I do believe that a good waterproof bike bag would certainly do the trick if you know you can keep it in your backyard safely. I remember someone telling me once they just used a tarp to put over their bike and it worked fine, so maybe that could be a short term solution for you until you found another solution?

Since it's late in the evening and probably most people are asleep, I bet you'll get more responses on this tomorrow, which is probably why you have a lack of responses right now. I just happen to be a night owl, but I'm turning in about now... goodnight all!

Koffee

Koffee

hanging my head in shame... My two wheeled giddy-up lives outside. Near the sea. Salt everwhere. In two weeks though the iron steed, while still living outside, will be looking at the beautiful rockies in MT.
The 15+ YO chromed schwinn sierra comp is to this day as rust free as a new born baby. They sure knew a thing or two about chrome back then :)
Doug

Get yourself a big barbecue grill cover.

Thats what i was thinking.They come in all sizes and weight.Outside is a bad deal but if thats what u have to do.

Cant you get a prefabricated garden shed about 6' X 4', which would be big enough to store 2 bikes, tools and a repair stand.

My steel road/commuter bike lives outdoors in a coastal English town. There are precautions you can take to avoid corrosion.
I wax the outside of the frame and any exposed lengths of cable with car wax, spray WD-40 inside the frame tubes (there are small holes on the chain and seat-stays), keep the seatpost and stem well greased where the metal contacts the bike frame. Iuse a wax-in-solvent lube for the chain, ensuring that I cover the outside of the links as well as the inside.
I put a plastic bag over the leather saddle.
When I relube the wheel and headset bearings, I really pack in the grease, so nothing else can get in.

Rubbermaid makes a storage shed ideal for bikes, model number RHP-3752. On the expensive side, but, might be worth it for you. Might me a cheaper version from other manufacuterers.

You could get a folding bike and store it inside. :D Also, I get the impression that having a beat-up looking bike in NYC is a blessing in disguise since it's the bike theft capital of the US. A weather-beaten bike is less likely to get stolen. I remember seeing a lot of bikes there with frames completely wrapped up in electrical/duct tape. Is this to discourage theft, a fashion statement, or to protect the frame?

"I remember seeing a lot of bikes there with frames completely wrapped up in electrical/duct tape. Is this to discourage theft, a fashion statement, or to protect the frame?"

Actually those are duct tape bikes. The extra electrical tape is an add on option. :D
Doug

I live in a 4 bedroom house along with my two teenage children, have a two car garage too. My new bike is right here in my bedroom. Have 5 bikes out in the garage.

Adding on to what Brennan said-

I just remembered about folding bikes. I was hangin' with the Park Tools guy for Chicago at the Chicago Bike Show, and he was telling me there was a bike company that can convert your bike to a folding bike. He was trying to convince me to go for it, because I was trying to figure out how to sneak my bike on planes without paying extra for my international tours. If you're interested, I can contact him and find out where you can go to have this done. He said that it actually strengthened the frame and saved space in the process.

Let me know if you're interested.

Koffee

OK, for dose of youse who don' live around noo yawk, lemme break it down for ya! Any dope little shed is goona scream "Yo, jack my stuff!" to any thug that sees it. Betta just covah da bike widda tarp. Don' look like nuttin' that way....

If you were really addicted!!!! You would get ride of the sofa, so you could put you bike inside.