Storing bicycle outside in the winter
 

I don't have the room for 5 bicycles so I'm looking at storing ouside on the terrace for the winter. Is there any cover I could purchase? Any tips, ideas? Thanks

i just got a vertical bike rack from brookstone that wedges between the floor and ceiling and can hold 4 bikes in a relatively small indoor space. (i live in a small 1bd in manhattan) You may want to look into something like this. In terms of floor space it takes up about the same amount of space as having one bike leaning up against a wall.

Keeping bikes outside isn't an option as far as I'm concerned.

Nashbar has a cover that worked well for me last winter. The bikes were outdors but under an awning.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes//Produc...2_175310_-1___

Tarp? Hooks from the ceiling joists?

It's a bike. It's not the Hope Diamond.

Your tires and cables may not like the moisture and temps, but you're going to replace them next spring, anyway.

ah man, I don't want to replace anything if I can avoid it. The cover looks good. Should I defate the tires during the long winter months? I wish I could store it somewhere safe but I can't afford it, plus I'm comforted knowing my bicycles are in my home.

A storage shed.
Lots of different brands and models available cheap.
Example: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...u=07165051000P

you can consider taking the wheels off and keeping them inside, may help you save the tires a bit.

This isn't the brookstone model I have but it's something similar, it takes up the same space as what I have which isn't a ton of space. It's not the best looking thing tohave in my living room but my gf had to choose between this orthe bikes randomly leaning and falling all over the place so she is okay with this.

http://www.brookstone.com/quad-bike-...st1FDT|7219457

Can you hang it from the ceiling? You can just go to a hardware store and buy some hooks. Bikes are light, so it works great.

Put it in your bathroom, or perhaps above your bed hanging from the ceiling. Surely your wife/girlfriend won't mind ;)

you know you can partially take apart the ones you aren't using.
rotating the bars sideways saves a lot of width and taking off the front wheel saves a lot of depth.

the most compact configuration is similar to how you would pack it in a bike box.

Don't store it outside unless you mean in a storage shed. Covering it with a tarp isn't going to save it from the elements.

Can somebody with a ladder steal it?

if you do leave it out, be sure to use a breathable cover like Dupont Tyvek. a poly tarp just creates a humidor.

Do you have an attic? Getting it in and out is a b**** but it's better than putting it outside.

Otherwise, I would try to remove the front wheels and rotate the handlebars, as another poster described.

dude, I hate to hear any bike is being left outside in the winter. Not a good idea. some very good suggestions for alternatives above, but if it were one of my bikes, no way.

Hey! I traded the Hope Diamond for my bike!

You're heartless. Would you also leave one of your children out all winter in the cold?

A detail, do not tell anybody u have bikes in the back if you go the little shed thing route, because more than some sucker might want to take your stuff away at some point.

I don't really see the difference between covered in a tarp or put in a crappy shed but whatever. Either way ALL my bikes come in from the garage into the basement for the winter, and the Tarmac stays in the living room.

Plesae elaborate. Why not? I keep bikes in a shed and that's not any different than a cover.

well, THERE'S a helpful comment...
Just out of curiosity, why not? You ride outside, unless you're one of those summer-only guys. People are always bragging about the cold temperatures they ride in, but for some reason many of them believe the bike gets colder if they're not on it or something, so it has to come in at night. There's a school of thought that cold-all-the-time is better, because moving the bike in and out causes condensation inside the tubes, which runs down to the BB and can contribute to rust.
For the OP, all my family's bikes, seven of them now but as many as 13 when we had kids at home, have been stored under a patio cover or in an unheated shed, some for as long as 20 years, with no ill effects.Our winter temps often go below zero and we always have a few 100+ days in summer. A bike is a piece of outdoor equipment, meant to be outside. It doesn't care if it's cold.

If it's a 54 cm frame CF bike you can store it at my house in the daylight basement.

Well thanks for all the suggestions...I'm going to keep them inside.........I just have to move them outside when I have family over for a few days...........my terrace is 7 stories high so someone taking a bicycle would have to be spiderman..........I'm on the waterfront so leaving them outside would have an effect in the long run.........thanks again for all replys.........

.my terrace is 7 stories high so someone taking a bicycle would have to be spiderman.......... <--- u have no idea what some suckers are able to do to get your stuff.