Zero_Enigma

Like if you bulk buy some items on sale. It never hurts to have spare tires and tubes even if you rarely get flats. How long do they last if you kept them in storage? Should they be in the basement to have humidity to keep the rubber from cracking if you have the items for years and years?

I was thinking of storing some of the tubes in a .50cal ammo can for the air/water tight seals.

ax0n

Cool, dry, dark place. Not cool humid place. Too humid and you'll end up with mildew. Light, moisture and heat are the mortal enemies of rubber.

ax0n

I should mention that they will last several years if you store them properly.

Zero_Enigma

Well the basement fits that "cool, dark" profile but you have the humidity issue unless you chaulk up all the cracks/seals and run a de-humidifier 24/7 which I don't have or a cost I wish to incure.

So I'm guessing storing the tubes in a .50cal ammo can in the basement will work? What about the tires? THey are the folding type so I don't know how to seal them in a bag that large for storage.

ax0n

I don't know what the humidity is in your basement. Some basements are just flat out muggy in the summer, and that's bad. My parents' basement would be okay for storing tires and tubes.

Nermal

Ozone is another enemy, but the ammo cans will protect your tubes from that, too.

Zero_Enigma

Wel what RH percent are talking about? Is there a range for storing this? I'm going to put my HR meter in the middle of the basement right now and give it a few hours to readjust to the area for a more accurate reading. I live near the top of a hill on a slope so the ground is not as wet as some houses on the bottom of the hills on the flats.

squeakywheel

I bought a used 20 year old bike from a bike store. It had clearly hung in a garage for most of that time. The gumwalls were dried and cracked. The tread looked like new. I mentioned to the salesman I would probably replace the tires and tubes right away. He said yes on the tires, but the tubes are usually fine. If there's no visible damage to the tubes due to sunlight or mildew, I'd use them.

Choccy

On the Schwalbe site is says you can store tyres for up to 5 years and also the same for tubes.

Percist

Has anyone tried treating stored bike tires/tubes with rubber preservatives? Shouldn't armor-all or petroleum jelly work to seal them from moisture? Of course you'd want to remove it from the treads before riding. . .

I ask because we don't use our tandem much but I don't want to have to replace the tires every year after only 300 miles especially since we have to store it in an outdoor unsealed shed.

Nermal

NO to the armor-all, and similar products. It will make the tires slick, and since you tilt on turns, don't even use it on the sidewalls.

Phantoj

Store them in the basement next to the ozone-generating furnace blower motor...

ItsJustMe

I saw a Discovery Channel special on Lance Armstrong, and the team's tire guy was showing off his secret; he buys tires and then stores them in a basement for several years. He claims that the tires aren't at their best until they've aged a few years. He showed a basement with several hundred tires stacked up in it.

So I'd say in a cool, dark place they should keep quite a while.

Zero_Enigma

My basement is 49-50% RH. I have heard that rice is the natural moisture absorber since Christ was a cowboy. My thinking is to store the tubes in a surplus army .50cal ammo box with one of those moisture absorber packet things in it or if the rice is just as good I'll go with that and save the money.

ax0n

50% is dry enough by almost anyone's definition. Anything less than 40 or so is basically arid. You shouldn't have any problem storing them in the cellar.

Zero_Enigma

Sweet. Thanks for the help people. Knock on wood I don't get many flats I can't patch up. *knock knock* Who knows it may be a time capsule I open up later and give the tubes out as gifts. We be rubbering like it's 2007.

Mos6502

My 1963 Columbia has it's original tires, with not a crack in site. I have no idea how it was stored though, other than it was obviously not outside in the sun.

mozgj

I have two '80s utility bikes with original Soviet tires/tubes of questionable quality, which are stored in the attic of our summer house (the attic heats to +40C during summer and freezes to -25C during winter, the humidity probably varies greatly too). Currently, there are some small cracks on the sides of tires and the tubes won't keep the pressure longer than for maybe a week, but they're still perfectly usable for commuting.

Az B

Not to mention broken glass, nails, and pit bulls.

Do not store tires near electric motors.

I'm not sure why you'd try to save old inner tubes. New ones are $2.50 and they're not hard to change. Why take the risk?

Az

I-Like-To-Bike

I haven't changed out the Schwalbe tubes in my daily commuter bike in over 7 years. Still work fine.