When I lived in California, keeping it outside was normal for me. There's obvious advantages to keeping it outside when you have limited housing space. In New England, I wouldn't store it outside if I had any intention of keeping it for a while. We just have too much weather here for it to be practical.

No, he didn't just complain, he actually asked a question, which nobody besides Ghazmh has bothered to try to answer (I'm admittedly unqualified to do so). He asked specifically if storing it outside could be the cause of the disk brake issues he's having when he's living in a dry climate. This seems like a very practical question because if there's an identifiable cause, there also might be a way to mitigate it while still keeping the bike outside.


I'm not a fan of Larry, but I'm also not a fan of discounting legitimate inquiries because of a post history.

I am very fortunate. At my home I keep maybe 4 bikes in the garage . I also have a shop where I store about a dozen. I don't keep any outside , even in Southern California. I think if you found a good way of covering it and locking it maybe would help. Also, I have a wife who puts up with my vintage bike collection. I do have two Rubbermaid storage sheds on the side of my house and each has a couple of bikes that are waiting for me to restore but they were already a bit rough when I got them. I am semi retired now so I have thought about what I'm going to do when I move my shop home . I try not to think about it.

All my bikes are stored inside the house except when I am out riding them. This keeps them out of the heat, cold, rain, wind, and whatever else. On top of that, I keep them locked up with a very thick cable and a heavy duty padlock. I've never been robbed (knock on wood) but always take precautions to deter the would be thief as best I can.

Somebody gets it.

WTF is your childish obsession with dumpster vodka?

It'd be a great name for a band, and it was the all-time lamest thread topic in GC history.

I think maybe you're the one with the obsession ...

Good catch!

You know . . . I must say . . . this obsession with the dumpster and vodka and shirtlessness has gotten really worn out and tiresome. Its not funny anymore, if it ever was. It’s the same old crowd of regulars, bored at work looking for something stimulating or interesting. It’s starting to look mean-spirited, like what teens do when they encounter someone different than them. Why don’t we put this stuff to bed, for good not just for this thread. Closing the thread doesn’t change anyone’s behavior. If you don’t have anything constructive to add, why not just move along.

You see, the OP doesn’t think this crap is funny anymore, guys. Maybe he never did. Time for some infractions.

I have always kept my bikes inside, including the BMX bike I rode as a kid. These days, my flock of bikes take their naps in the comfort of my locked garage, behind the security of my double-dog alarm system. I do this because I was raised right by a guy who was also a bike nut.

In related news...I was at an LBS recently, and while I was waiting for some help, a guy there ahead of me was explaining to the service manager that his bike was having some problems. It was a pretty high-level, pretty new, full-suspension MTB. The cranks and wheels would barely turn, and everything was scaping and grinding when they tried. Apparently, it had been left outside in the weather for 4 months. The owner didn't seem to understand why that was an issue. It made me both sad and angry.

I think it is mean to Larry, there are a handful of mean posters who have nothing better than to attack a kid trying to get his life in order.

Now to the topic at hand.

I hate riding a trainer, I burn up even with a good fan

I'm trying to decide which bike to put on the trainer on the porch, in the snow, in the rain. Is there a way to do it? Whether Larry's post is intended to be a troll, it is a topic that I have been thinking about. Some of us love our bikes

Which one do I put into the cold. How evil am I to do it.

Oops, sorry.....back to the bashing Larry show.

reminds me of the time I was bike commuting year 'round. I was keeping my bike outside for convenience. when it got colder I still kept it outside. as the weather deteriorated, when I got home it required more wiping of road debris incl. slush. I started squirting it w/ water from my bottle & if nec. getting a bit more from in the house, then wiped parts of it w/ paper towels. if it wasn't going to rain or snow over night, it stayed outside

eventually it became much colder & one dark morning about 5am I got about 1 mile down the road & realized my rear derailer wasn't shifting. in the freezing cold, before I could warm up, in the dark, I had to disassemble the rear cable housing at the rear derailer, clean out the frozen water, by hand w/o solvents, etc, re-assemble & then got under way, able to shift again

after that I brought it into the basement, down the bulkhead steps, every night

I don't bike commute in the winter anymore. so after my rides, in the winter, I bring the bikes back inside, despite the hassle

during fair weather months, if the weather will be dry, I do leave a bike outside for a day or two especially if I expect to ride again soon

I got a bike cover that I've used many times & it seems ok for overnights with very modest weather. I've read keeping any moisture trapped within the cover is bad for the bike so I try to keep the cover off as much as possible, especially during high humidity. I'm glad I bought the cover





you can get them on Amazon for not a lot of money. the one I have is
Puroma Bike Cover Outdoor Waterproof Bicycle Covers Rain Sun UV Dust Wind Proof with Lock Hole for Mountain Road Electric Bike

If you MUST leave your bike outside in those conditions, I would pick the one that I cared about least, throw a cover over it after every use, and keep a close eye on maintenance issues of parts that move.

For a while, I had one bike that served both trainer duty and road duty, with a different rear wheel for each. Every road ride, I would pull the bike off the trainer, and swap out the rear wheel. It really wasn't that big a deal.

If it's protected from rain/snow then it's probably fine, but I'd for either the bike with the least to go wrong or that you cared about the least, and I'd make sure it was well lubricated with wet weather lube. Ideally I'd stick some kind of breathable cover on it if required but that's not terminal.

I did largely the same for a few weeks; bike and trainer were technically outside but always dry, and there was no issues.

Am I reading this right? You're going to ride a trainer in the rain and snow? That's so counterintuitive that if it works, it's amazing.
I'm sincerely admiring that you're going to try this, and hope you'll let us know how it works out for you. Even if it doesn't work out, that's a pretty bold attempt.

Well it does sound off but water in my eyes from forward motion is one of my most hated parts of riding in the rain. If I can get wet without dealing with the visibility issues that doesn't sound like the worst thing but I would rather just do it indoors.

Can you fit your trainer in the shower?
Not a serious question.

I have a bike with a crack in the frame. I think I will take the good components off, it has Sram Red 11 speed. I have some older Shimano.

I find this thread ridiculous in some ways. When I was young, I toured for many, many months on end. My bike saw nothing but rain, mud, and some Sun once in a while. It never set foot inside. I mess that old Dawes Super Galaxy. I do not think someone is a real cyclist until they have pushed themselves so hard that when they stop to refuel at a minimart that they pray someone steals their bike.

I wish I had a bath or shower of that size, That is serious though. I would love a bath tub I could actually be comfortable in, nice and deep long and wide or one of those big showers with all the different heads and digital adjustable temperature that the fancy folks have. Also would love to have a big kitchen with a gas stove and a indoor wok burner and maybe a griddle. Ahh to dream.

Possibly a better question would have been "is storing a bike inside at night when the temperature swings and moisture increases in the AM very beneficial if the bike is going to be outside during the day anyways." If the answer is that there isnt much of a difference day and night, then its probably not worth it. If the answer is that the morning dew accelerates wear an order of magnitude, maybe the answer is different. Theft is not an issue

You must be an old man. They often claim that their past hardships are superior to other people's hardships, and that thus they are superior, too.

Anyone who rides a bicycle is a cyclist. That's literally in every dictionary.

Well, where I live, it would possibly be morning frost, so that can't be good. When I lived in your climate, keeping the bikes secured outside was a no brainer, but that was with rim brakes.