Heated basements and garages

[RonH]

I went for my usual ride yesterday even though the roads were wet from the rain the night before. The temperature was about 36F (2C). Got the bike wet and covered with dirt and road grime.
When I got home I remembered why I don't like riding on wet roads. I had to hose down the bike, then wipe it down, and clean and relube the chain. I don't have a basement or garage. :cry: I had to do all this on the COLD patio. My neighbors thought I was crazy. :rolleyes:

I wish I had a heated basement or garage. All I have is a carport and patio for my bike work areas. :(



We had the same wet roads today from a very light snow last night. It was gone by noon. I decided to ride the trainer and watch a movie so the bike would be clean and ready for tomorrow. Supposed to be sunny with temperatures around 40F (4C). :)

[Ebbtide]

I wish I had 36 degrees, sitting at 6 right now.

[Michel Gagnon]

That's what fenders are for.

[landrover]

Fenders!

We don't need no stinkin' fenders!

Before we got underground parking (wait list was 3 years) at our condo building..i convinced my wife i could clean my bike in the living room without a mess....I used a huge, liquid-absorbing drop clop from home depot.
Now, i just go downstairs and use the hose.

[ngateguy]

With fenders you will still have to clean your bike of rode grime and then you have to clean the fenders. In the winter I lay out a tarp in my work area of the apartment let the bike dry then wipe away the grime with a dry rag before using some spray cleaner to clean the frame. WHen I am done I take the tarp out side and hose it down only takes a second. That way I am warm during the process. Also if you haven't already done so wax your bike with a good car wax makes it that much easier to clean.

[Steele-Bike]

As a winter commuter I have come to accept having a filthy bike. I also don't have a basement or garage, so in the dead of winter I don't have much chance to wash the bike other than wiping it down and cleaing the drivetrain every so often. I store the bike in the laundry room, so most nights I just prop it against the washer and let it drip dry.

[RonH]

That's what fenders are for.
On my Litespeed??? :eek:

[Jay H]

Get one of those portable "gazebo" things you can find sometimes at party stores. They also make "temporary portable garages" that is meant for shelter for cars outside. You could perhaps use that and a portable space heater (properly ventilated) and make a heated enclosure outside! Talk about envious neighbors!

Jay

[PdxMark]

I'm with Steele-bike. I might wipe & lube my chain after extreme circumstances, like a few hours or hard rain or snow packed on the chainstay & around the chain, but grim on the frame doesn't hurt anything at all - other than the owner's vanity. I clean the frame once every few months whether it needs it or not.

[RonH]

I'm with Steele-bike. I might wipe & lube my chain after extreme circumstances, like a few hours or hard rain or snow packed on the chainstay & around the chain, but grim on the frame doesn't hurt anything at all - other than the owner's vanity. I clean the frame once every few months whether it needs it or not.
True, it doesn't really hurt anything but I have to clean the bikes before I can bring them in the house. This is where I keep them.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rhorne/Bike%20corner.jpg

[flyefisher]

Have a separate bike for winter riding. When roads are wet I just use my MTB. In winter I'm not concerned with going fast, just building my base...

[Lone Ranger]

Just wash it in the shower and let it drip dry there. There is an interesting thought - you and your bike taking a shower together. :D

[iceratt]

Just wash it in the shower and let it drip dry there. There is an interesting thought - you and your bike taking a shower together. :D

I used to sleep with mine, but not not so much since I got married. She never said, but maybe my wife just didn't like how dirty the thing was! Bess( the bike) and I will try showering.

[cycletourist]

When I was a kid, my Dad's shop had a concrete floor with water pipe laid inside the concrete. The pipes were hooked to the water pump on an old Chrysler slant-6. A radiant heat shop floor is VERY nice in the winter. I wish I had one now for working on bikes.

[Lone Ranger]

I used to sleep with mine, but not not so much since I got married. She never said, but maybe my wife just didn't like how dirty the thing was! Bess( the bike) and I will try showering.

If you want to customize your shower, pet stores carry a shower head on a hose that hooks in between the showerhead and the wall. Push a button on the hose/showerhead, and water comes out; otherwise, the shower works normally. They work great.

Who knows, perhaps you might want to try a bubble bath with Bess. :D

[iceratt]

It's sort of funny, that soon after I wrote about inviting my bike in from the garage, I got a flat one one bike, then a broken cable on the other. In years past, I have left the broken bike in the garage and ridden the functioning one, until spring, when I could comfortably do repairs. I done run out of bikes, and I'm all upset that I drove to work when it's not even below zero F!

I am not even going to change a tube outside when its well below freezing, so I dragged both of them into the house. I will fix them and give them each a loving cleaning, but not in the shower. I think the sand and greasy gunk would stain the porcelain, and maybe clog the drain.

Still Bess and Rights of Man are excited, as they haven't been in the house for years, even though its just the basement.

[Zin]

My commuter bike now has to stay outside chained to the deck posts. Just no room to keep it inside. We don't have a garage or basement. One of these days I'll actually get off my fat @#$ and start commuting again now that the roads are safe to do so agn.