Glenn6870 

Going to Virginia Beach for the weekend in the coming weeks, and I'm planning on bringing the bike, but from what I've been told, the condo is small, and really no room to leave the bike inside.

If you have a choice of leaving it outside with a cover on it ( bike cover that protects from the elements ) or leave it in the car, what would you do? Temperatures should be in the 80's, maybe 90 if there is a heat wave.

Are there any negatives to leaving it in the car? I would ride in the morning, and then put the bike in the car late morning until the following morning, for two days. The only thing I'm thinking of is if it's 90 degrees out, the inside of a car gets up to about 140. Can you think of anything that would get damaged in that heat? And with hydraulic brakes i know you are not supposed to hang the bike upside down, but what about laying down on it's side for almost 24 hours?

The other option is to get a waterproof cover and leave it on the porch outside. It would be protected from rain and the elements, just not wild about leaving the bike outside with the salt water air.

Any thoughts?

terrymorse 

The only failure I have heard of from leaving a bike in a car on a hot day was a tubular tire bursting from overpressure.

But that was ages ago, when the prevailing racer dude wisdom was to inflate tires up to their maximum.

I don't think you'll have a problem in two days.

Troul 

drop the tire pressure below 40 PSI during storage in the car.

rumrunn6

here's a vote for covered outside. it's only 2 days. ride your bike, leave it outside & use your car to explore

Iride01 

One bike? Hard to believe you won't find room for it in even the smallest of accommodations.

I'd put it in the car if I had no other choice. I might remember to let some air out of the tires. Or I might just leave them pumped up so I can see if they pop from the heat. Likely will only need a new tube if they aren't tubeless. And you might need to work on your tire remounting skills anyway so to stay current.

msu2001la

A bike inside a car that is parked outside, especially overnight, is really easy to steal. The main downside here is that you'll wake up to the sound of broken glass and a missing bike.

If the porch is secure, I'd go with that. I get the concern about salty humid air, and storing a bike outside for a long duration in these conditions might be problematic, but it should be fine for a few days.

Fredo76

crack the windows

(I mean roll them down an inch...)

XxHaimBondxX

Leave sign saying bike has plenty of water and car is AC controlled.

I wouldn't leave it in the car or outside, people steal s#$t.

seypat

Ask the property management if there is someplace on the property you can store it.
Get a lock.
Outside on the balcony/porch locked up if you're ground level. No need to put a cover on it unless rain is expected. What about the salty air/conditions while you're riding it?

Realistically, you should be able to find somewhere that you can put the bike along a wall even if you have to move it a couple of times a day. Remember, the only time space will be tight is when you're in the room. If you're sitting on the beach, out to eat, etc, then it doesn't matter where in the room the bike is.

There's enough trails and off streets close to Pacific/Atlantic that you should be able to get some decent mileage by doing 2-3 loops. Look up first Landing State Park. The road going out to it is mostly shaded and blocked from the wind. Might be muggy this time of year. If you're military/ex military, you might be able to roll out 60 and make a loop through Fort Story. You have options.

seypat

When I was there in March, I encountered this guy. It was his birthday and he wanted pizza. It came from Benny's. That photo is not an exaggeration. I think it was a 3' x 3'. Might have been a 2' x 2'. It was getting dark. He said it cost $40.
Lager Heads is a decent burger/beer joint. Usually has a wait.

https://www.bennysva.com/locations/bennys-on-the-ocean/

big john

I left my bike in the back of my S-10 Blazer on a hot day. The saddle was against the wheel well/hump. When I went to get the bike the saddle had bent to about a 45 degree angle from the heat softening the plastic base.

Polaris OBark

If it was me, I would put the bike in the bedroom, and I would sleep in the car.

Herzlos

Put the bike in the car overnight, and in the apartment during the day whilst you're out?

You should be able to fit the bike in somewhere. Maybe even worth getting a vertical stand.

Or get a folding bike, or rent a bike.

tempocyclist

It's a bike, surely you can find some way of keeping it in the condo. How small can the place be?

msu2001la

I'll say it again - leaving a nice bike inside a locked car overnight is a very bad idea. If you do this, definitely bring a blanket or something to cover it up so it's at least not super obvious.

seypat

IF the OP is coming down on Rt. 64, the travelers need to take a bathroom stop somewhere before you get close to the bridge tunnel. There's a rest stop between Richmond and Williamsburg. There's construction on the main bridge and at other spots in that area. Expect delays and listen to your GPS for alternative routes.

MaxKatt

——-

Been storing multiple road and Mtb bikes racked in the back of my Xterra, and now my 4Runner, for road trips me and girlfriend have done over 15 years. Never aired down or even thought about issues. Zero problems. We cable them together and put black king sized sheet over them for additional security. Pretty safe locked in car as is, but no need to tempt anyone.

aaronM46

Best reply!

It's a bike. It heats up more when you ride it. The brake fluid is mineral oil and doesn't expand at those temps. The air in the tires will go up MAYBE 5 psi if the car temp rises to 130. Let it bake if you are ok with someone stealing it.

Edit: Dckholes will reply that I am inexperienced but we are talking about physics and fluid mechanics which I do know. The oil fluids that we use do not expand at those temps or anywhere near them. Air does expand tires at high temps but not at the temps found in a car unless you might live in an extremely high temp area that could cause damage to your car. I do suppose if you inflated your tires well beyond their rated capacity we could make a case for this.

As for the brakes, pfft. Mineral oil boils at over 500* F. People on their bikes with oil heat issues are experiencing it because the oil is not flowing in and out of the calipers. I suspect this is never happening. Pads and rotors overheating is probably the issue and never fluid overheating. I have raced offroad trucks and on-road cars. We use bypass shocks that constantly transfer the fluid. On a bike, the fluid in the caliper is somewhat static. There is no way for it to flow back in to be cooled but there isn't a reason for it. Maybe in some extreme situation?

OH, and on my race vehicles, I DO use a different BRAKE fluid. I use high temp racing fluid because it does indeed boil and foam which will cause the brakes to fade and cause a loss of braking. Pentosin is highly efficient at shedding heat, has a high boiling temp, and is cheap compared to other brands. I don't know if it could be used in bike hydraulics or not.

And, as for car brakes. DO NOT put slotted or drilled rotors on your car unless you are significantly increasing the rotor size. There is NO reason to. In fact, drilled rotors are mostly junk and prone to cracks (PORSCHE). We only ran solid-faced rotors on my race team. More surface contact area. The cooling is done within the rotor's veins and the pads. We raced endurance races and changed pads and rotors at 8 hours on solid-faced rotors. We did run Ford SVP rotors once and they were junk at 6 hours which required a pit. Normally at 7-8 hours, I could feel the rotors and pads going away to bad brake fade. Push them a bit more to get to the end of the 8 hour race.

OH and I ran Autozone rotors and Autozone racing pads. CHEAP! I ran Hawk pads and Cryo rotors until their sponsorship was more than the cheap stuff. The cheap stuff held up better. Hrm.

BobbyG

-Slide the bike wheels first under a bed with the handle bars sticking out.

-Park the bike in the shower or tub.

-Google "Free-standing vertical bike stand"

rumrunn6

you can also leave it home & rent a bike, or not bike at all. just sayin'

KerryIrons

Yup. We kept two bikes in our tiny dorm room back in the day. We just stepped around them.

Jughed

My bike sits in the back of my 4 door pickup truck just about 365 days per year. Heat, cold - it's in there all the time.

My truck is black and gets very hot - the bike just sits there happy as a clam.


However, it's not carbon fiber. CF will melt and assplode under those conditions.

Calsun

I would not leave a bike outside in a car as it is more likely to get stolen and the thief could break a car window to get inside. You would end up with a damaged car and lose a bike.

I would bring the bike inside and remove the front wheel so it takes less space in the room. It could go inside the shower for the night and then be taken out and put in the car in the morning.

mstateglfr 

How small is the condo that a bike can't be stashed against a wall of a bedroom? Toss it in the tub when not showering.

andydallas

As someone that spent way too many nights traveling for work I assure you I have seen more cars broken into in motel parking lots than I could even remember. In a hotel where its valet it fine, if its in a regular parking lot, chance of it being broken into are a lot more than you think.

I also fly rc airplanes and if I am traveling with a plane it is removed from my SUV and put into the room,,,anything the thieves think is of value is a candidate for theft