Winter Cycling - Where should I keep my bike?

Should I keep my bike indoors or outdoors for the winter?

I plan on commuting the whole winter and I'm new lol.

Will the cold affect the bike if I leave it outdoors?


Thanks for the help!

It mostly depends on how much snow you are riding through, sometimes the freeze/thaw cycles can get water into places that could cause issues like in the freehubs/freewheels. If there is little snow you probably will not notice much difference either way.

Personally we get some snow here but not a ton. I bring my bike indoors both at home and work since theft is a huge problem here and I have never had any issues doing that. At another place my bike lived outdoors through the winter on a covered patio with no issues as well.

More important that anything though is making sure everything is lubed that should be lubed.

Thank you so much for your help!

I always bring the bike indoors. Mostly to to dry out, here in the NW we get a lot of rain.

Not sure how much humidity you are dealing with. Leaving a bike outside, even when covered under a roof, will lead to rust here in the Northwest.

Covered is the most important step, then inside if possible, but if you do bring it inside, makesure to clean off as much of the slush as possible. Currently mine stays under a covered seating/eating area for nicer weather.

I would park it indoors, indoors it's protected from UV as well, less a concern in the winter but extended exposure breaks down plastics and fades paint. Indoors it's less likely to get stolen as well.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy123/TiBikeGuy/Bicycle%20Pics/snowbike.jpg

Is this bad for your bike ? Leaving it frozen solid. With condensation,water can get inside the frames and we know that when water freezes it expands. Will it get to the point when everything is frozen solid that it cannot move at all.

I have been riding now for four winters, this will be my 5th. I leave my bike outside, under cover.

I feel that given the temperature ranges that we have here in the winter, it is better to leave my bike out, so that it isn't exposed to a lot of freeze/thaw cycles.

Should I keep my bike indoors or outdoors for the winter?

I plan on commuting the whole winter and I'm new lol.

Will the cold affect the bike if I leave it outdoors?


Thanks for the help!

The ideal situation is to keep it indoors where you can keep it clean and have a good place to work on it. This is not always possible as not everyone has a basement or an unused corner of the house. One thing that works well is to clean the bike off well with water outside and then knock off as much water as you can and bring it in until it drys out. You can put it in the kitchen or entryway or someplace with tile or vinyl floors. Then it can be stored outside in a covered but unheated place after it dries out for a couple of hours. The bike can take the cold as long as it is dried out first.

I have found that leaving the bike outside works best for me. The hot and cold cycles seem to make it prone to corrosion and having parts freeze up. I experience a lot of salt/sand as well as the usual rain/snow where I ride. 5 year old cars are rotted right through driving on the same roads, it's nasty stuff. I do not wash it, or really try to avoid doing anything to it for the season. Yes, it does rust a bit, but always cleans up nicely at the end of the season. The bike is going on it's third year through the winter and still works like a champ. Be sure to keep all the moving bits lubed (I find "Krown" works great), and it also works well inside the frame too. A small drain hole drilled in the bottom bracket allows any unwanted fluids to drain. Everyone does things a little different. Give it a shot, try some different things, and see what works for you.

I always keep the bikemobile in the Bike Cave

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy123/TiBikeGuy/Bicycle%20Pics/snowbike.jpg

Is this bad for your bike ? Leaving it frozen solid. With condensation,water can get inside the frames and we know that when water freezes it expands. Will it get to the point when everything is frozen solid that it cannot move at all.


After cheap bikes, here is a sheep bike

Keeping your bike inside is not the best. Extreme temperature change will do more harm than good. Especially when you need to use the bike everyday.

Keep in mind that anything you keep on the bike when it's stored outside could freeze.

My first winter commuting I kept a small can of Fix-A-Flat in one of the panniers, with the idea that if I got a flat or a slow leak I could just shoot that stuff in the tire to get home (it was a short commute), and that would be better than freezing my fingers while trying to patch a tire in the snow. Sure enough, I got a flat, and when I hooked the Fix-A-Flat up to the tire nothing came out-the liquid was frozen. Now I just carry a spare tube and a pump.

I usually keep my bikes inside and don't ride in the winter often but this year I have been riding my touring bike a bit. I keep it locked up in a stairwell next to a CCTV. I have done this so it stays below freezing the entire winter but indoors. I was kind of worried of the temperature changes as I think this caused brake cable issues for me once before. Also no one here has complained about the little snow puddle and it's getting cleaned up by staff so that's a +