Keeping a dirty bike in an apartment
 

Hi there,

I'm moving into a new apartment in a month and will have to keep my bike inside my unit. The front entrance way into the unit is small and you make an immediate right turn once walking in and then a left to get to the kitchen/living room. I have space to store the bike in the main area of the unit but don't want to track in dirt since I commute in wet conditions and also in the winter. Does anyone have ideas to keep my bike inside without thoroughly washing the bike or floor every time (basically every day)?

I believe I may have space right at the front entrance to store my bike vertically with hooks but I'm concerned about getting dirt on the walls from the tires and also about the strength of hooks in drywall. I'm looking at the following hooks:

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...-0687091p.html
https://www.amazon.com/CLUGTM-Small-...?tag=geapat-20
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Steadyrac...klVwD0LXUWb0s0

Any help/ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Velosock and/or hit it with a garden sprayer before you bring it in.

It is quite difficult to keep a dirty bike inside the home.

It seems like when my bike is dirty, it immediately climbs up on guests or furniture...seriously, I think something like a velosock is a good idea. If you just want to keep the spots on the wall clean where the tires touch, consider some clear film such as Sure Swatch (we got it at Home Depot in paint department)...these are 9x12" low tack, adhesive backed clear film, usually used to try paint colors on walls. I've had a piece (painted blue) on my den wall for over a month and it is holding up fine...you can move them a few times before the adhesive expires. No mess on wall. Lol, if you like this idea, come help paint my den!

I don't understand the logistical layout exactly, but if you are just getting your bike just inside the door way or close to it, just go get yourself an area rug that covers that territory. Something you don't care about destroying, you can take outside and shake off, and something that will hold up to weather. You can go to home depot and get a piece of scrap something, somewhere, or even go to a local thrift store is where I found mine. It's about 6 feet long and 2 feet wide, and made more like a front door matt than it is carpet. I just role my bike in the front door and directly onto that. If you have some length to go, just make it longer. If you have turns to deal with, just do the same. You can even get a temp strip of something to get to the area you have permanently laid down and pick it up when you have guests or don't want it in the way.

Don't cheat though on dry days or patches of carpet that are exposed. Even light dirt on the tires will wear on the carpet fast. As for the walls, you can get as creative or expensive as you want. You can DIY areas you know are prone to contact with all different kinds of ideas and materials. Home depot is your best friend. If you are going around a corner a lot where dry wall is exposed, I would find some kind of plastic strip that is bent in a 90 degree to cover that and protect it. You could even DIY that too with just about anything, even as simple as cardboard and duct tape. You can be as creative or ghetto as you want on it depending on your budget. I would be creative and DIY something fun or cool.

Often you can find fun and usable things in thrift stores to protect areas you are worried about.

I like the idea of the Velosock but am unsure if I'm willing to spend that much on one... What about an old fitted sheet...

Why not? or maybe a waterproof mattress cover or this bike cover upside-down. Plenty of DIY hacks. Get creative!

Buy new towels. Make sure they are brown or dark green or dark blue. Wipe down your bike in the hall with a used towel from the day before, and wipe up the floor (with it) when you are done. Boom.

And store the bike in the bathtub in case there are further drips.


-Tim-

I kept my bikes on large shoe mats from the dollar store to catch dirt and drips when I lived in an apt.

If there's not enough room to store the bike horizontally, I would look at a free-standing vertical rack, and just set the whole thing in a large drip pan, like the type that go under washing machines-- they're usually around 30" x 30". If it can be stored horizontally, just two drip pans, lean the bike against the wall. Or one of those wall-mounted hangers that hangs the bike by the top tube.

While just Googling your storage issue I had a thought. Maybe two of those shallow, plastic bins for storing things under beds. Clamp them together somehow and put one wheel in each bin. You might even be able to do some light cleaning of the bike while it sits in the bins, and then carry them outside to dump them out.

Dan

Here is my personal solution which I've been using for the past 12 years...I carry a small plastic brush with me during winter riding. I flip the bike upside down in front of my apartment lobby and brush off as much snow and dirt as possible from the frame, wheels and tires before bringing it inside the elevator and then home. Inside my apartment I have some large water proof mats on the floor. I lean my bike against the wall and let it drip off and dry on top of the mats. The mats will need cleaning after each winter season. I just sweep all the dried salt and junk and wipe them clean.

I just park mine on some old towels if it's not too bad. If it's frozen and glazed over pretty heavily, I just give it a quick rinse in our spare shower. I made a video about it last year. Got to get creative living in an apartment!

Super wet and yucky here in the winter. Same problem here with no access to a common outside hose situation. I wipe off the biggest debris outside, then bring it up and put it on some old towels. Then, I do a proper wipe-down, including the drivetrain and brakes, etc. Then, I throw it in the shower. Works fine. Gotta keep the chain lubed, though.

Yeah, something like this. For other reasons, I have large plastic pans that were designed to be liners for large dog crates. The largest liner might work, though you might need to place the bike diagonally. But it would take up a lot of space.

Those of us who have really cold temperatures have challenges cleaning off bikes before we take them inside in winter- the filthy ice build up can be extreme. You can't easily "wash it off outside" because you can't operate your outdoor hose at that temperature and a bucket of water isn't enough to melt all the ice. If you don't have an indoor heated place to let the bike thaw, you're going to be bringing much of the filth inside. The velosock isn't going to prevent that. A sturdy plastic pan for collecting the melt-filth may help.

Fortunately, I can do all this in my garage. An apartment without a garage in Minnesota or Ontario would be a big challenge for a winter bike.

There are disposable plastic matress bags that should last a few uses before they need to be replaced. Back when I left my bike out doors I used inexpensive grill covers as a bike cover. Some have drawstings and a cord clamp. If you were to flip it upside down it may work.

Even plastic drop cloth with a some duct tape would work as a carry cover.

Plastic fitted sheets also look like a reasonably-priced option.