Winter prep and storage for heavily chromed bicycle
 

It's getting close to that time of year to put my Pinarello Montello into winter storage. In the past few years all I've done is wipe down everything with a WD-40 soaked rag and hung it in a relatively dry basement. My concern is the mild humidity normally found in a basement along with ozone exposure from the typical appliances in a utilitity/laundry room. Would the bike be better off hanging in the attached unheated garage? BTW, I am located in northern Indiana. Would Pledge furniture Polish be better protection than the WD-40? So far I have not had any issues with the chrome during winter storage but the Vittoria Rally's are getting that dark yellow aged look. They are 6 years old so I guess that's probably normal. What do the rest if our C&Vers do with their fair weather only bikes through the winter months?

I can't post without a pic...
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...r/IMG_5013.jpg

Keep it in the house.

Does chrome "go bad?"

Seems to me, chrome only gets hozzled up when it's scratched or when it's REALLY let go.

Am I wrong in that observation?

Basement? Pshaw! That's what living rooms are for!!

Spray it with Boeshield? ;)

It can start pitting under the right atmospheric conditions. It also depends on the quality of the chrome. Some of the current stuff coming on low end bikes come from the factory already rusted.

Aaron :)

I just think of the lower end 70s bikes with chrome fork tips that still look new, but the rest of the paint that nicked, rusty and ****ty.

With that beautiful Pinarello pictured above- assuming that's good chrome (:)), is the idea to keep condensation from forming on it- so not a lot of heat up cool down in a moisture rich environment?

The reason I ask, I've been formulating my secret plans for my "dream bike." It's gonna be so chromey it's going to sizzle the eyeballs of anyone that dare gaze in its direction. These 'proper chrome care' threads have been of interest to me- especially as I thought a quality chromed bike is going to be a more durable finish than paint.

I think I'll keep storing it in the basement and use the lemony Pledge for protection instead if the stinky WD-40.

Any tips on tubular tire preservation over the winter months while storing in the basement?

Wax is good. Pledge contains no wax.

Bikes should be stored in a heated space. I keep my good ones in the house.

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/9743/dk14.jpg

[QUOTE=Grand Bois;16134789]Wax is good. Pledge contains no wax.

Well that sucks! I just googled "does Pledge contain wax?" And you are correct! When did it change? Does it still protect the paint and chrome? Time to research the other furniture polishes to find on that does contain wax in the same price range.

Pledge won't protect it. Keep using WD-40.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=1...-Preventatives

I would think the humidity would be a lot worse down in the basement. The extreme cold of your winter garage isn't going to be good for your tires, but the air is drier out there, most likely. Probably less likely to get stolen form your basement, however.

I'll keep doing what I was doing. WD-40 has not failed me. Our basement is pretty dry due to being 3/4 finished along with dehumidifier. Our neighborhood is pretty darn safe and not too many people around here even care about an old fashioned steel bike .

I use Johnson's paste wax on my table saw top. High humidity will
rust that if there was never any paste wax on it. Not sure if it would
harm the chrome or not. You can use it on wood furniture also!!!

Changing temperatures in the garage will cause condensation on the metal. Hopefully the basement stays about the same temp. Basements can be very dry, or very damp. Usually the furnace running in the winter will keep that room relatively dry. But can't really know from here. One indication of a dry cellar would be that you don't need to use the dehumidifier in the winter.

I have a "Rolling Rock Beer" Cruiser by Schwinn. I covered it with wd-40 one winter. 1) It has stickers on it (not water transfer decals) about the beer etc. The wd-40 melted the glue on the stickers. The first time I wiped something off I damaged some of the stickers. The others seem OK now. NO wd-40 on it for the last few years.

Our basement stays pretty dry. The dehumidifier is there just in case. In the summer the central AC will sweat quite a bit and will cause dampness. The WD-40 is only wiped on the chrome so no worries of it affecting paint or decals. I just wish there was something to put on the latex sidewalls of the tubular tires. They look as old as the bike after only a few seasons. They are cheap Rally's so I may just spring for new next year even though they seem to have a lot of life in them. They are also very smooth vs. the lumpy reports I have read. Don't want to replace good "old" looking tires with lumpys.

I don't see the big concern you keep it inside not riding for most of 8 months the rest of the year no real concerns, so why would 4 months hung up inside be a big deal.

My '71 Frejus is fully chromed, so I'm kinda interested in this topic too. I agree with WD-40 if that's handy, & I also really like Liquid Wrench chain lube, for a rejuvenator & sealant. You definitely need to clean it up, if there was ever paint on the chrome, but once it's fully cleaned, the chain lube can really spiff it up. :thumb:

Hanging the bike and taking the weight off of the tires will help keep them from getting cracked and worn at the bottom where they touch the ground.

+1 hanging the bike up on nice hooks by the top of the frame takes the stress weight off of parts and wheels and tires reducing the chance of wear fatigue from being in on position for a long time. I have seen brought a couple of bikes that wear nicely hung in a heated house that where fine to ride after 10+ with almost no work.

My Pinarello does hang from the top tube so no worries there. It seems I'm doing everything right so hopefully other readers will gain from my inquiries.

What's wrong with using car wax on the chrome?

Nothing other than it dulles appearance a lot leaving a coat of wax between the chrome and viewer.

That's two really bizarre posts in a row for you.

After the wax hazes over you remove the excess just like when waxing your car; leaves them shiny and protected. I've used car wax on chrome auto bumpers that were parked outside in Western Washington for years with no rusting of the chrome.

I usually use Turtle Wax Chrome Polish on my chrome stuff and it works pretty good, a thin layer of car wax certainly won't hurt it.

Aaron :)

Chrome will, absolutely, go bad! Have you ever seen chrome blush? Though the surface is not marred in any way, the shine is changed due to discoloration under the chrome plating, sometimes starting out as a blotchy beneath the surface appearance. Once this happens, there is nothing that I know of that can be done to rectify the situation, short of rechroming. Sadly, the chrome had blushed on this old Proctor. Unfortunately, the cosmetic concern does not come through well in the photos but in person, the blush was very obvious on this old Proctor-Townsend.

The storage area should be dry and, preferably, out of the sun light, which can cause issues with art, paint and, yes, even the chrome, not to mention melting hoods, tires and anything else of the rubber/plastic family. Avoid large temperature swings, such as those that we can, and do, experience in Canada, sometimes on a daily basis. I ramble - sorry.

Use a pertroleum based product on the chrome plated and coat all bare metal, be it frame, fork or component based. (Do not get a petroleum based product on anything rubber.) Often times, the frame chrome plating will be far better quality that some of the component chrome plating. And don't forget that alloy oxidizes also, but instead of red iron oxide forming, dirty whitish silver aluminum oxide does, and that will, sooner or lated, pit the soft alloy. Put another way, these things need to be protected also. Next, spring and memory...

Derailleurs should be shifted and stored, to place the least pressure on the springs. This means, for most bikes, the chain rests on the small cog and small ring.

Drop tire pressure to just enough to maintain the tire's shape. Hang the bike from both, or just one wheel, but be careful here. Wrap the hook(s) with inner tubing, ensuring that the metal of the hook, even if plastic coated, will have no chance of coming into contact with the metal of the wheel rim. Without that cushion, damage to the rim, particularly alloy ones, will occur over time, even if the bike remains untouched. The Earth's natural vibrations, over time, can actually wear a dip into the soft aluminum of the rim.

Finally, have a look, every now and then, just to ensure that you did the above right. If you are like me, you will look every day, filled with anticipation for the next riding season.

What is your fee to do all my bikes? :)

I think this is probably not beneficial, but it won't hurt anything.