Bicycle Mechanics - tires and furnaces

Question:

Will storing bicycles in a furnace room with a gas fired radiator boiler & hot water heater over the winter have any ill effects?

Like say the carbon monoxide degrading the tires?

what made me think of the question is that if I leave rubber bands exposed to city air, they lose elasticity and fall apart pretty quickly. But I actually don't know if it's the carbon monoxide that does it.

It's the ozone generated by the electric motor(s) in your HVAC system that's the rubber-killer. Don't know if the danger is real, though.

I wouldn't worry about storing a bike in a room such as you describe. Carbon monoxide will not attack your tires; besides, the equipment is malfunctioning if significant CO is present. As the previous poster pointed out, ozone attacks rubber. This is generated to a small extent by electric motors (sparking), but is present in polluted cities, mainly from the photochemical action of sunlight on unburnt hydrocarbons (fuel vapors, etc.).

if it hurts the bike then it would most certainly kill you

if you've got carbon monoxide down there, I'd be worrying more about breathing that stuff in yourself...deadly

haha, no, it's not like it's flooded with CO, but any furnace (as far as I know) will leak some CO and other byproducts of gas combustion. Vents are just not 100% effective.

You probably get more exposure to Carbon Monoxide biking to work.

Anyways, I wasn't that curious about acute exposure, but more about long-term constant exposure to low levels of pollutants.

lol...ok, good

no expert, but I doubt the exposure would have any effect at all..the tire pressure for storage thread may be more pertinent for you tho

The low humidity and heat of the room may cause the tires to dryout more than would be good for them.

I wouldn't do it, but I have a garage.

Of greater concern would be to either to make sure your tires remain properly inflated and perhaps rotated occasionly or beter yet hang the bikes or wheels up so that the tires no longer fouch the floor. The rubber will age faster at elevated temperatures, but that is all right. The stiffer rubber will have less rolling friction as long as it is not cracking.

Put a canary next to the bike. If the canary dies, move the bike.

Put a canary next to the bike. If the canary dies, move the bike.

hehehe. the furnace room is also where the cat lives.

my "good bike" (miyata nine 14) that is less likely to see daily action is already hanging--just a matter of creating space.

leob--I also have a garage, but I live in a working class DC neighborhood. I wouldn't store anything in the garage that isn't already locked and not easily portable in and of itself.

Low humidity and hot? Do bicycles die in Arizona?