cold storage of bikes...any risks?
 

i want to hang my bikes on hooks outside my condo on a balcony. i'm in denver, and the condo faces west. i'm wondering if leaving them hanging outside in direct sunlight and cold temperatures is going to be a problem. wondering if shifting temperatures might expand and contract parts, if the sun might be bad for the rubber tires...

i ride almost every day so it's not like they're going to be out there neglected and untouched, but maybe the weather isn't a good thing? (they WOULDN'T be exposed to rain or snow. just sun and cold.)

thanks in advance...

I’m not speaking out of personal experience, but out of common cense. If I were you, I would probably cover them with a cloth or something, for protection from sun, since paint may fade over time. Nothing will expand nor contract enough for you even to notice or to damage the parts. Your tires will also be fine, since there's a bunch of folks who ride in snow and I didn’t hear them complain.. :) If you ride in rain/snow, you might want to change the lube on your chain to accommodate these conditions. That’s about it, I think

Doesnt sound too bright an idea to me. If the bikes were damp when you hung them up, and the temperature dropped below freezing, I'd think that could cause damage as the water freezes to ice, and I don't imagine direct sunlight on one side of a tire would be that good for the tire. But there again if it's warm and you cover damp bikes with a taup you'll encourage the conditions for them to rust. It may not matter in Denver (dry climate), but I'd think equipment in damp air would also be at risk from rusting if left outside, even if it's not directly in the rain. Having said all that, I'm not a scientist or an engineer, and somebody else might have better ideas.

around TN...I would never store anything. My rifle have to have some form of oil on the barrel when stored b/c of how humid it gets in TN.

Your talking about Hanging a bike, I have a question. Is there any problems hanging a bike upside down by the rims. I store my bike in the kitchen right now but would like to hang it insted of it just letting it get in the way. The real question woul be. Does it hurt the rims to hanging it by the rims for over a month or even two?

I've found when I lock my bike outside that in the morning when I get going my brakes (v-brakes) like to squeal like hell. I took the bike inside and it seems having both the rims and brake pads warm fixed it. It's just going to be a compromise. It won't destroy it; it's a bike. Bikes don't have very many moving parts so it's not a big deal. You just may have to do more maintenance than if you kept it inside.

My experience here in Toronto (Canada) is that storing a bike on an apartment balcony is a great way to rust and/or corrode every bl**dy part of it. Never again is what I swore, the time before...

Ruined 2 1/2 bikes that way...