Im considering investing in an expensive (for me) bicycle...but I live in a mobile home in Florida....I have an outdoor storage area (shed ) but that does not control the humidity..Im concerned about rust on a steel frame...any suggestions...?

Thread moved from Introductions to General Cycling Discussion.

I live on the other coast, about 1 1/2 miles from the Pacific and do a lot of my riding even closer to the coast and corrosion is an issue.

You shouldn't have much of a problem with rust on a painted steel frame, but any unpainted steel can be an issue. For example, some parts on my pedals are steel and corrode. I use corrosion cleaner (Rust-Oleum, for example) on them frequently. Generally, keep the steel parts clean and dry and treat any rust that does occur and your bike with last a long time.

Could you put a dehumidifier in the shed or consider an aluminum framed bike?

I lived in Charleston SC many years ago on one of the barrier islands. The ocean breeze WILL rust any exposed steel. Even a painted steel bike is susceptible. If you have the wherewithal to remove the headset, crank and seat post you might consider spraying the inside of the bike frame with a sealant. Some bikes shops down there may have it. I know the online shops do.

I had a nice Raleigh when I lived down there and after a couple of years even being inside it started to rust. I pulled the headset, crank and seat post and the inside had light rust but no pitting. I found the key for me was to lightly spray the bike down after every ride, dry it off and take it inside. After I started doing that the bike didn't seem to rust much more than it already had.

The salt air is just something you'll have to deal with. I'd highly recommend going to a good bike shop in your town and ask them what they recommend.

Get to know your neighbors in Florida and talk with some of the locals at the bike shops there. They'll be able to tell you more real world stuff.

However I wouldn't worry much about it. Just keep the bike clean and lube the stuff that needs lube. Your steel bike might get some surface rust inside the tubes and any bare spots where paint is chipped off or scratched. However it won't cause any issue unless you don't give it any attention for many years.

All my old steel bikes I had for 30 and 40 years had rust inside the tubes almost from the start. It never progressed beyond just surface rust. Perhaps to some extent the surface rust actually acts to protect it.

I live in the rust belt with tons of salt on the roads during winter time. The best thing to do is to spray the inside of your steel frame with rust preventative oil spray. You can buy cans of rust proofing oil at any auto parts store or hardware store. Keep all the cables and components well lubed.

Go aluminum or carbon?

Store your bike inside the house.

ride it often and keep it clean and dry. if you're near the coast it can be a real battle. bikes on the porch of our beach house that weren't being used rusted baldy in a few years. years ago when other bikes were regularly used and cleaned rust was still a problem, but not nearly as severe.

inland is not as bad. I live 30 miles from the coast and the problem is greatly reduced. But it still exists, Especially under cables and around cable guides. and around bottom bracket lugs. rust begets rust so if a bike is left sitting in humid storage the rust can expand more quickly. if you ride frequently and keep it clean and dry you're less likely to have problems.

depends on the paint job as well. some bikes are more prone to developing rust due to the nature of the paint. and not necessarily cheap bikes. some nicer vintage rides are known to be rust magnets. if you're talking about new steel I think paint will generally be much better and rust should be much less of a concern.

Have intact paint or apply fingernail polish on every bare spot. Frame save the insides of the tubes. Apply grease to all threads. I use marine trailer hub grease. Florida humidity isn't going to touch that stuff. Grease the seatpost. The quill of a quill stem. Any time you run across bare (non-stainless) steel, take your finger and rub marine grease on it. Sally Beauty has a decent selection of nail polish colors. Tammies Hobbies has good brushes and packages of 4 tiny glass jars perfect for mixing and saving. (I got very close to an early '80s Japanese metal flake with two polishes. Not a forever solution but easily renewable, easy to do and cheap. You can get clear also.

If you do these steps reasonably conscientiously, your bike will do fine.

This is excellent advice.

I live in Florida and keep my (carbon frame) bike in my garage, which would be similar to keeping it in a shed, and don't have any rust or corrosion issues. The frame won't rust, of course, but neither do the metal parts on the bike. I'm inland from the coast, but as others have said, salt air will quickly rust and corrode metal parts. You said you are considering getting an expensive (for you) bike. If you're worried about rust, consider a carbon frame.

When I lived in Seattle (high humidity) I kept a 60w light bulb on all the time in my single car garage/shop. Just that little bit of heat stopped all the rust from occurring on my tools, scrap iron and bicycles. Highly recommend it.

I had a closet heater in Bermuda, or my clothes would mold.

My skin was great though.

I'd be more concerned about theft and damage from a hurricane if you store the bike in a shed. Most sheds aren't much of a match for a decent sized hurricane and the wind whips up salt laden air and sends it inland so even putting a bike in a shed can't keep it entirely free from salt exposure. I hung a bike in a barn in southern Wisconsin, completely away from any rain, but after a couple of years when I returned to see it, there was some rust on chromed parts like the pieces that held the brake to the fork and frame. I didn't find any rust on the painted parts of the frame.

The key here is a climate controlled environment vs. not. Heat and AC in your living space reduce humidity whereas a shed, garage, etc., will have humidity that fluctuates wildly and is also not as tight from the elements as a house.

Aluminum will corrode just like steel, and of course all bikes have steel parts.

Aluminum clearly will corrode:

Yeah really, aluminum boats and canoes disintegrate and turn to dust...and so do aeroplanes, bicycles, cars and thousands of other aluminum products which we use daily ....

Aluminum corrodes much much differently than steel ... and usually once the surface corrodes, the corrosion forms a barrier protecting the rest. Of course, caustic fluids (like the acid in sweat) can cut through ....

If you aren't near the ocean the humidity shouldn't be an issue. If you are the salt will be an issue.