Distinguished

Just curious what other winter cyclists have tested and kept when storing a bike indoors between winter work days.

So far I've just carried the bike up to my 3rd story apartment, placed it down on a laid out towel immediately next to the front door. Thinking of putting a tarp underneath the towel to prevent moisture from seeping into the wooden floor of the apartment.

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Any simple, inexpensive, and practical ways to avoid creating a mess in your indoor storage space when your bike's tires are filled with snow, salt, & grime?

Leebo

Wash off outside with 2 water bottles filled with warm water. Hang in shower and rinse off. Put some carpeting down over a waterproof layer.

Wanderer

Yep, the carpet remnant over a piece of carpet runner (the vinyl kind) works great. Rinsing off in the tub or shower also helps, but keep stuff lubricated so rust doesn't creep in.

joeyduck

Those plastic boot mats are nice.

I like the carpet remnant idea to keep it from sliding around.

SalsaShark

Park it in the garage....floor drain takes care of the rest

Hezz

It's harder when in an apartment, But it's most important to hose or clean it off with warm water and then bang it down on it's tires a few times to knock off the water before it freezes up too much. Then take it inside and put it where the drips will be easy to clean up. Some guys put it in the bathtub and give it a shower and store it there out of the way, but make sure you get it pretty clean before you do this. there's no way to avoid dripping but if you pre-clean it the drips will be less and not as dirty.

If you have a tile floor somewhere, that is a good place to store it until it dries. After it dries you can put it outside on the porch with a cover on it to keep it out of the way. Or in the cold storage shed if you have one.

79pmooney

I have used 6' clear plastic carpet runners. I've always had them on carpet where they conveniently indent to permanent water catching basins under each wheel which are usually dry by morning. Perhaps you could get that effect with a matching piece of carpet foam under the runner. (I'd bet a carpet place would hand you a good scrap for the job.)

(Tested in the cities of Alameda, CA, Ann Arbor, MI and Seattle, WA. It saw lots of salt in AA. I lived in apartments with no garage and no outside hoses. My commuters got put away wet/salty.)

Ben

Buglady

That's pretty well all I've ever done - maybe bounce the bike a couple of times to knock off the worst of the snow/slush/crud outside, then bring it into the apartment (tiled entryway, so a tarp would be good to protect wood) and leave it on a couple of old towels to drip dry while I divest myself of various layers and/or hit the shower. Then I come back over to the bike and give it a bit of lubrication if that seems needed (couple of times a week).

I have a garage now nd have to remind myself to bring the bike inside at work to give it the cleanup & lube periodically.

erig007

Cardboard moving boxes for me. Those absorb moisture and dry by themselves and are thick enough to not let moisture go through.

bigredkevbot

Take off the wheels and put your bike on one of these guys: 4' x 6' Pig Mat w/Lip and Handles | QC Supply meant for pigs, great for wet camping or cycling gear

intransit1217

Whatever you can't bang off, use a soft utility brush for.

jdswitters

was using hall way rugs from big lots. interior design isn't my strong point so I dont care if the rug matches the carpet.

Now that I have 4 bikes in my dining room I have a bunch of area rugs in there under the bikes.

DrkAngel

Used to use a multi-angled toilet brush to knock off all the heavy stuff.
Got a 1 gallon pump up garden sprayer at local thrift store. A quart of hot water and spread spray pattern makes quick work of the snow and salt. Then I park it on an old carpet remnant.

Just don't leave an ice puddle where others will be walking.

Note: Paste waxing your frame helps ice and snow clean off easier ... good for your cables too,

rumrunn6

+1 was just gonna write this

RoadTire 

I used 2 ft wide tarp, long enough to go from the door to the back of a room where the bike was stored. Wheel the bike in, roll up the excess tarp right up to the bike. All the above floor mats, $1 carpet remnants work well under the bike. I did this in my house from winter riding when I was bringing the bike inside.