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Storing bikes outside?

Old 07-06-22, 07:30 AM
  #26  
noimagination
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I wouldn't. On a humid morning, the bikes would be soaked. I'd get a cheap resin shed, as others have suggested. Or an actual shed, if you can wait a bit and don't want to waste money (and resources) on a temporary solution.
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Old 07-06-22, 12:59 PM
  #27  
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As long as it is under some sort of roof, dew should not be a problem. Even just a tarp strung up. Just don’t cover them in a tarp.
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Old 07-06-22, 02:03 PM
  #28  
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Out of necessity, I stored my bike under an awning all spring.

It was brand new prior to me storing it there. The awning has a concrete floor and is wide enough that rain doesn’t come in from high winds. This is in the southern burbs of Portland, where we had record setting precipitation this spring.

I frequently put the bike away wet or muddy. I am pretty diligent about keeping the chain lubed though.

Fast forward a lot of wet miles and a few months and the bike still rides like a new bike. There is occasionally a light bit of rust on the rotors and inside the links on the chain. Honestly, it’s been no different than if stored inside the garage. Once I had to wipe some pollen off of it.

I wouldn’t hesitate to build a half shed to store bikes based on this experience.
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Old 07-06-22, 06:29 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
As long as it is under some sort of roof, dew should not be a problem. Even just a tarp strung up. Just don’t cover them in a tarp.
If the temperature drops close to the dew point, dew will form on any surface.

Dew doesn't "fall". It condenses out of the air onto cold surfaces, like the water that collects on the outside of a glass of ice water.

The only thing a tarp would do is act as a heat shield, reducing some of the heat escaping from the bike to the night sky. This might prevent some dew from forming, for a while.
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Old 07-06-22, 08:32 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
If the temperature drops close to the dew point, dew will form on any surface.

Dew doesn't "fall". It condenses out of the air onto cold surfaces, like the water that collects on the outside of a glass of ice water.

The only thing a tarp would do is act as a heat shield, reducing some of the heat escaping from the bike to the night sky. This might prevent some dew from forming, for a while.
Yes, I know how dew forms. But It actually prevents it very effectively. This is why furniture on a covered porch stays dry while dew is forming on stuff out in the open. I can’t say the physics are intuitive to me, but it works.

Last edited by Kapusta; 07-08-22 at 06:31 AM.
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Old 07-08-22, 06:18 AM
  #31  
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how many bikes?

fwiw - I got a cover for my bikes. only big enough for 1. I've used it over several days maybe a week or more. I was always thinking about the moisture trapped inside. I was always taking the cover off on nice days & putting it back on when rain was expected. yes, it's a hassle to do all that but if I'm using the bike often it makes sense. if I'm not it makes more sense to keep them in the basement. I have a workshop too, so when I'm drilling, cutting or sanding etc. I move the bikes away from that area
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Old 07-08-22, 10:54 AM
  #32  
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If outside is your only option, I recommend the bike be up on a platform above ground some way and fully covered.
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Old 07-09-22, 08:38 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
If outside is your only option, I recommend the bike be up on a platform above ground some way and fully covered.
why raised up?
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