southpier

for daily and long term storage, what is the least stressful for the bike? I assume getting weight off the tires is good, but which parts will take long term weightedness without taking a set?

i'm thinking stem & seatpost, but the commercially available racks grab the top tube, or rims. neither of which particularly appeals to me. anyone got a link to a commercial or custom fabricated rack which does the trick?


thanks

AnkleWork

Anti-gravity chamber?
Really, there is no meaningful stress on a bicycle due to storage. For such an under-utilized bike, best to sell or give it to someone who will use it.

maddog34

let the air out of the tires,keep them off the ground.... you can remove the wheels, then hang the wheels up separately.

JanMM

The air will let itself out, given enough time.

Hanging will prevent issues for the tires, if the pressure won't be maintained.

Sal Bandini

My wife's an my old MTB were stored in garage and shed for many years resting on the tires. When I took them out and pumped up the tires they rode fine.

Worst case the bike weighs 30 lbs so by hanging it from frame you are probably putting order of magnitude less stress on the frame than your weight while riding it. Any way you store it will be fine.

TimothyH

UV light from a window will deteriorate rubber components like brake hoods and tire sidewalls.

Bikes with hydraulic brakes should not be hung upside down.

I've hired Mario Cipollini to stand in my garage holding my bikes in his outstretched arms.

alcjphil

Dang, I wondered why Mario wasn't answering my phone calls

CliffordK

Daily storage, just park it somewhere where it won't get bumped.

Long-term storage, hang by the rims/wheels.

southpier

ha ha - good one. what would you tell someone with 20 bikes? sell 19 of them?

southpier

so I get some of you wise-acres are having a little fun, and that's the idea of a hobby anyway.

but ... if you can crush a top tube with a padded work stand clamp, which distributes pressure evenly over 300+ degrees of the tube in a 5" or 6" distance, why wouldn't hanging a frame from a point load of a 1/4" rod eventually cause a stress rise?

rim hanger? I wouldn't even consider that. have I been reading too much Jobst Brandt?

is that Mar-o guy expensive? would I need to provide board or does he have an RV or something?

right now, this thread is causing me stress rise...

alcjphil

That is a very good question.The answer is that the clamping pressure needed to hold a bike in place when you are working on it far exceeds what is exerted on any part of a bike when it is in storage. A bike in storage on only has to be held in position, while a bike being worked on, well it is being worked on. It has to be held in a fixed position while a mechanic is removing/ installing parts. Where the bike is clamped undergoes a lot of stress at times

SquidPuppet

I don't mean to sound confrontational, but that is ridiculous. I have hung my bikes upside down on rubber coated $1.00 hardware store hooks for decades. Heavy bikes, for decades. The wheels remain perfectly true. Think about it. Each wheel is carrying under 15 lbs. When I ride my bike over rough terrain it's closer to a jarring 100 lbs impact per wheel.

In fact, Brandt recommends this method.

https://yarchive.net/bike/storage.html

alcjphil

Think about it. If a 20 pound bike would have its wheels damaged by hanging it by either wheel, what chance would it have to survive while being ridden over bumpy roads by a rider weighing ten times as much? The premise is ridiculous which is why many of the answers are ridiculous as well

southpier

you guys are gonna be sorry when I invent a wall mounted bicycle holder which gently and fully supports a bicycle with its weight evenly distributed on a foam cushioned trough whilst having the tires barely touching the floor with the sole purpose of stopping any residual gravitational rotation of the crankset.

you mockers are really gonna say "i shoulda thunk o' dat"

Reynolds 

Or you could build an electric self rotating support that changed continually the points of contact.

woodcraft

Need a faux ass to keep the saddle in shape too...

Jeff Wills

Foo on the faux. I understand that strippers aren't really paid all that much... we should supplement their income by hiring them.

79pmooney

I have hung bikes for years by their front rims. Alters nothing.

Leaving a bike sitting on its tires will in enough time, take its toll on the tire. Inverting it on the seat will crush the seat foam (if any) or with enough time and permanently distort leather. (Enough miles and the saddle conforms to your butt. You think the same time with a concrete floor is going to be different?)

Ben

79pmooney

Southpier - basic metalurgy - the level of stress a metal sees is important. The time it is applied far less so. Think about it. Steel bridges built long ago have been supporting tons of bridge and pavement for sometimes a century or more and are doing just fine. Now, repeated stresses can cause real problems (see "fatigue") but steady stresses below critical levels matter very little.

Ben

southpier

thanks. I don't know what I don't know, but given the degree of sophistication which some riders go (ever walk in to the LBS and overhear one of 'those' discussions?), I just thought "there has to be a way".

southpier

if I could figgur out how to solar power it, this would probably solve my conundrum.

HillRider

It's not sophistication, it's scientific ignorance and myth masquerading as knowledge. As noted, a little understanding of metallurgy would make these discussions a lot more valid.

You can hang your bike by the rims or toptube indefinitely with no damage.

Tape2012

With a large superconductor and a supply of liquid nitrogen you could magnetically levitate it indefinitely. Just tap it once/month to maintain a slow spin.

Or you could completely disassemble it and store the components in an air conditioned space.

southpier

that was going to be my very next choice but the landlord reminded me I could not attach the nitrogen canister to the workshop wall without voiding the clause in my lease and forfeiting my damage deposit, so that put the ky-bosh on that.

what I did end up doing, and it's a solution which I can live with, is get 2 snappy 12" shelf brackets from the big box store. I mounted them the distance of my top tube's length apart, and screwed a 1" x 2" piece of pine to the top of each bracket perpendicular to the wall. then I bought a yoga mat and cut a strip of cushion and double taped it to the pine so the frame isn't sitting on wood. with my park's front fork holder gadget, the bike rests as gentle as a spring maiden delicately cupping your delicate parts in her porcelain white hands.

the height of the brackets were set so the tires are 1/4" off the concrete floor to stop any rising damp from compromising my bottom bracket housing (owning steel frame bike requires additional responsibility apart from the run of the mill aluminum and crabon bikes).

Tape2012

Ha! That should do it. May want to cover it with something breathable like a blanket or sheet to keep the dust and grime off of it.

Seriously though, when we stored large motors (600hp and above), we would set up a small motor to slowly rotate the motor shaft to keep the bearings from setting in. Totally unnecessary with a bike but not a bad idea to occasionally exercise the bearings to keep the lubrication from separating and settling.