reefmespla

Catchy title right?

So I have a house that I rent for AirBnB, it’s on a saltwater canal. I leave four bikes for the renters to use on the back porch hanging on a wall. The house is elevated so the bikes are covered from rain but wind and in a screened enclosure but wind and salt air are still there.

The house stays pretty occupied so I can only get there once a month or sometimes once every two months to actually clean and lube the bikes. So I guess I have two questions, how can I lube or coat the gears and chain with something that lubricates and provides some level of protection without being a dripping dust magnet mess? Second question what should I treat other steel parts with like bolts, handlebars, nuts, etc. I am in the process of replacing the four rust buckets with newer used aluminum bikes with quality components (trying to use internal 3 speed hubs for lower maintenance) but there are still active spots that can rust.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JaccoW

Use stainless steel bolts on everything you can (M5 and M6 should work for almost all of it). Clean and wax them once every while.

Get a commuter bike that's similar to a Dutch bike. Designed to stay outside most of the year.
Put them under a small porch so at the very least they stand dry.

Chain wax?

aggiegrads

I would be very surprised if the bikes in those conditions only last a season or two. To make matters worse, they are probably regularly exposed to sand.

The only way to keep them looking good will be regular cleaning and maintenance, or find a decent three speed (or single-speed cruiser) that you don't mind replacing every couple of seasons. You will be much better off if you can store them in a shed, storage room, or garage.

base2 

What JaccoW said.

Carnuba wax from the autopart store. Chain wax like Squirt or similar to avoid dust collection. Or realize that most people are recreational riders at best & expect dirty/oily chains & are unlikely to put on an appreciable amount of wear, so a thick oil that'll stay put (Chain-L, bar-oil, etc...)

Grease all bolt threads, hex bolt resesses. Wipe off the excess.

With the kind of use these it sounds like these bikes will see, surface rust for cosmetic reasons would be the biggest concern.

A general bath every once in a while with hot soapy water wouldn't hurt either.

I had an aluminum bike for 3 or 4 years when I lived on a ship on the ocean 3000 miles from dry land & it spent most of it's riding time on an abrasive sandy beach or within 2-3 miles of a beach. It faired just fine with little more than rain water & basic occasional maintenance until I sold it to a guy & he locked it to a pier to be exposed to UV rays & let ocean water spray on it, salt crystals grow, & morning dew to collect & help the corrosion.

Ross200

Boeshield T-9

Geepig

I had one just last Michaelmas, but I didn't know that hot water was an option as well.

bikemike73 

The best bet ....as mentioned above, is to get a shed for the bikes, and lube , clean every month or so

3alarmer 

.
... the conditions you describe are those for which the classic "beach cruiser" was designed.

Single speed, coaster brake hub, fat tyres, minimal maintenance. And they make some of them with aluminum frames now.
It doesn't sound like you're trying to provide distance riders for your guests, just basic local transportation on vacation.

vane171

I remember when I rode my truck to California first time and found my engine caught rusty color all over. Only several miles inland, you are totally rust free (that's why you get those vintage cars in rust mint condition around there) but that salty sea air gets everywhere for a mile or several miles from the coast.

Iride01 

When my kids were pre-teen and even when teen, their bikes were left out in the elements more often than not. They worked fine even when cogs and chain were covered with surface rust. Of course they were growing kids, so the bikes were thrown away and they got new every three or four years.

Maybe you can buy cheap bikes too and do the same. Throw them away to be re-cycled when the rust gets to be more than just surface rust. But if you spray a light lube on the rusty cogs and chain periodically, I'd bet they will last quite a few years.

aggiegrads

Being "out in the elements" is not the same everywhere; especially when those elements are sodium and chlorine. Salt accelerates rust by acting as an electrolyte that allows iron to lose electrons more freely. Ocean air is hell on bikes that aren't regularly maintained to prevent the salt from coming in contact with bare metal. Whether one uses wax, oil, grease, or regular elbow grease to accomplish this probably does not make a lot of difference.

Iride01 

Hence my suggestion to just provide an inexpensive bike that won't cost a lot to maintain or replace.

I once considered taking 2 years off to travel and live on a sailboat. Taking a bike with me would make getting to grocery and other places easier. Knowing how corrosive the salt air was to bikes, I figured I'd rather just buy cheap bikes and replace them rather than spend time keeping them rust free and in perfect running order. There is always something more important on a sailboat that needs attention anyway.

I admire the OP's desire to provide something like a bike for the use of the occupants.

aggiegrads

Agree 1000%

reefmespla

Thanks for all the suggestions. Slowly replacing the old rust buckets with aluminum frame bikes and will keep the gears oiled heavily. We provide bikes, kayaks, and paddle boards for the renters so it’s a pretty fun local.

flatononeside

wash with water and dry off . then give it a coating of wd40, that is what it was made for. wd stands for water displacement.

Inusuit

I'm not sure WD40 will prevent damage from salt air. I would not use it on moving parts. Has a tendency to dry out and become viscous or set up solid.

Calsun

I use the cheap bike covers sold on Amazon for any bike that is going to be outdoors. Fog that is laden with salt will condense on metal outside and in time corrode the metal, even chrome plated steel. Clear lacquer is a good sealant in that it prevents oxygen from getting to the metal. It works well for non-moving parts that you want to protect.

2_i 

I needed to solve 2 problems: of bikes for visitors parked in the open air all year long, without any cover from above, and of my own bike ridden all year, covered by salt saturated slush during winter, and also parked outside during the day. I experimented with different products and I looked up a number of them in publications on corrosion protection for airplanes and available from aircraft part suppliers. Most products protected on their own for up to 2 weeks. In experimentation I developed a mixture of T-9, LPS3 and ACF-50, in comparable proportions. The protection with that mixture lasts several months on parts that rub, including chain. On parts that do not rub, the protection can last for several years. The mixture can be applied on salt saturated slush and it works there against all odds. I have had situations where this was all I could do in winter as I could not take a visitor bike inside my work building for washing. I pour that stuff inside frames, apply to kickstands, bolts, whatever is there and suspect.