I've never had a rusty chain in my life. Not on any of the 6 bikes my wife and I ride regularly or on the 8 bikes that see only seasonal use. Not even on winter bikes that have seen quite a bit of salt.

At least not until we moved to our new house in May and started storing the bikes in a damp basement. Since then, I've had to replace four chains. The latest one was just fine two weeks ago, but today I could barely route it out of the bike because it had seized so badly.

It's a Campy Centaur chain with less than 1k miles. I apply Pro-link every 10-15 hours of ride time.

Any wisdom in basement storage that I should know about? Is it the humidity in the air?

Or could it be the proximity to a damp stone wall? The problem bikes were leaning against it, while the bikes farther away, on hooks, or on racks were unaffected. Could be coincidence, as these are also the bikes that are used most often.

More observations: on the problem bikes, the cheaper alloy bits (ex. bottle cage bolt) show a layer of oxidation and the brass nipples have developed a little patina. Totally disconcerting.

Yes, it's the humidity. As I recall Philly can get as humid as the worst of the Great Lakes cities that I know north of the border. When it's like that storing anything made from steel in the basement is akin to just dropping it into a bucket of water. Even many oils are going to give up when faced with that sort of challenge. Actually it may well be worse than a bucket of water since the air also carries the acid producing ingredients found in most city based smogs. A double whammy that would explain the alloy and plated brass corrosion as well.


Given the triple threat damages that you're encountering I'd say that the bikes need to go upstairs while you folks sleep downstairs where it's cooler. Or put in central air. AC does more than just cool the air. Its greatest contribution is that it DRIES the air and if you can do that both you and the bikes will be a LOT happier.

Or buy a dehumidifier for the basement.

It's a dampness problem, and (consider the source here) your choice of lube isn't helping. Prolink has a high percentage of solvent, and once that's evaporated, so has most of the rust protection.

I keep two bicycles in Cozumel, Mexico. Stored in a garage ventilated with Cozumel's wonderful 100% humidity salt laden air. I use my stuff on the chains, lubing them twice a year, usually before leaving for a few months. These bikes get daily use, rain or shine, including splashing through Cozumel's wonderful drained streets. Zero chain rust ever.

The OP (only) may PM me his address & I'll send him a free sample.

+1 You need a dehumidifier regardless, as the dampness will screw up almost anything you have in that basement.

I'd be less worried about the bikes and more about the house and your health. Sounds like you've got drainage issues that can eventually cause a foundation to crumble. And if it's damp enough to rust a chain, it's damp enough to grow mould. Breathing spores is really not good for you.

If you don't mind the cost put a Record chain on your Campy equipped bike. Record, Dura-Ace, and similar "high end" chains are nickel plated and, as best I can tell, don't rust.
Bottle cage hardware is subjected to sweat and spills. An occasional drop of motor oil can help prevent rust or corrosion.
A drop of motor oil can help prevent corrosion on spoke nipples too.

Hey thanks for the advice all.

FBinNY, thanks for the offer. I'll take you up on that.

I guess the dampness got a little overstated. It's generally dry down there... unless we have a series of heavy rainfall, which we've had this summer. It's not like there are puddles or anything; the "damp" wall doesn't drip water, but feels cool and damp to the touch after a storm since it is stone and is half underground. The basement opens to the backyard and has several high windows.

I guess the reason I posted this is because I'm not 100% convinced it's the humidity. There are six other bikes that haven't been out since being stored there in May that have not shown any rust or oxidation. It's the bikes that have been more or less in circulation that have developed the problem.

Could this be anything else? Thanks for any further input.

A humidifier would be a good investment regardless. How is it on your power bill?

If you ride in an area where salt from the ocean or other chemicals in the soil that are quite alkali are present then the salt or alkali in conjunction with the basement humidity could be adding up to do the damage.