Bike cover advice?
 

Hey all, looking for some thoughts/suggestions regarding bike covers. I commute to work in New Orleans, so rain is almost always a daily threat even on blue sky days and the humidity is a seemingly constant 95%.

A post on this site (or somewhere similar) suggested this Nashbar product: Nashbar Bicycle Cover

The description says: "Made from water resistant PVC Nylon for weather protection" which makes me wonder if it's not waterproof (it rains hard enough that any cover will eventually get overwhelmed if not waterproof).

Then there's this selection on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...bicycle+covers

(note: I have a preference towards Amazon because I have a Prime membership, so I'd most likely get something in one or two days)

My question is: are any of these notably better than others? Am I definitely getting a better product (for something so simple) if I spend $20-$25 instead of $10-$15? Am I better off just going to Lowes and picking up a tarp?

Thanks!

Contrary to popular opinion, bicycles are outdoor equipment, intended to be used out in the environment. They don't mind getting a little environment on them.

Except perhaps the saddle, depending. In rainy weather I carry a couple of plastic grocery bags and a couple of rubber bands. Stores completely in a pocket. Some people use plastic showercaps. That's all you really need.

If you don't believe me about the environment, here I am arriving at work one day on my everyday commuter.
http://www.brucew.com/images/portlan...work-sized.jpg

And parked one day while out shopping.
http://www.brucew.com/images/portlan...igh-winter.jpg

Nine winters of environment, and it's none the worse for wear. A little water won't hurt yours.

EDIT: If you're worried about rain washing the lube off your chain, then you're using the wrong lube.

Lube made for the dry, or those where the selling point is that they keep your chain clean and shiny, will wash off if there's rain even in the forecast for next week. Any lube made for persistence in wet-weather use should be fine. I use and recommend Chain-L, made and sold by our very own FBinNY. You can buy it direct here, and it's available on Amazon.

I'm not going to disagree that your bike is holding up wherever you live, but in my experience down here in New Orleans, it doesn't seem to be the case. I would literally have to lube the entirely of the bike, every last millimeter of it, to keep rust off. And then I'd have to wipe that off seemingly everyday because of all the crap in the road. The chain is one thing, but bolts, every surface, my shifter/brake assembly, all of this is subject to constant wet weather and doesn't get a chance to dry. It's not a little bit of water and then dry, sunny air. I don't have an opportunity at work to dry it off after a downpour so that it doesn't find a little exposed bit to oxidize.

I've lived in my current house for a year and a half now, with no inside storage, and I've seen my bikes deteriorate. I know they're outdoor machines, but steel is steel.

Amusing side note: regarding your profile signature, I'm typing this from my job... at the library. I agree completely.

If your bikes are steel and you are worried about rust, have you treated the inside with Frame Saver? It won't solve all of your woes, but perhaps will help your frames out. I have no opinions on bike covers, except maybe spring for a good quality one.

Oh. That's your problem right there. It's supposed to go "steel is real". :)

As for fasteners and such, if there are still any old-school hardware stores the didn't get washed away, they're a good source for stainless steel fasteners. Both my local ServiceStar and Ace carry metric hex cap screw. All my bikes have all stainless fasteners. Still, I use anti-seize on them as well. That should go for your seatpost too.

Before I had a garage and shed, I used a plastic grill cover with drawstrings. ~$20. Lasted a winter or two.

I live in South Florida, where it's also pretty humid and it rains frequently, and I recommend just leaving the bike out uncovered. It will still rust under a cover due to the humidity, so you don't actually accomplish much by using one. Mr Metric is the website I use to order stainless hardware.