JeffAug13

I kinda do not want to leave my Fat Tire bike out in the unheated garage. It cost me a lot of money, and took a while to justify buying it. I like it in the house where I can admire it as I walk by (If I could do this with my motorcycles I would, but I am married...'nuff said)
I am wondering about the corrosion factor, going from 65*F to whatever the ambient is outside this winter at the 45th Parallel., and then back to 65*F when I am done. Repeatedly over the course of our 6 month winters.
I know that a heated garage and road salt on automobiles is a recipe for corrosion, but I don't plan on to much road riding. It will be sidewalks and trails to some single track. I should not see any road salt.
That said what do you all think? Is it better off outside, in the unheated detached garage, or is it wrong to bring it in after each ride? My gut say's leave it outside, my heart wants it close.
Please don't make me write to "Dear Abby" with this

FullGas

metallurgical and security issues aside, for me, bikes are 'family'...

they get to be in the house.

TuckamoreDew

I certainly wouldn't say it's wrong to bring it in after every ride and I don't know about the corrosion effect but I definitely prefer to leave my winter bike in my own unheated detached garage. Depending on the conditions, if you bring the bike in and it doesn't dry out completely you may have problems when the moisture freezes in the components when you take it back outside again.

Bruzer

As a fellow Minnesotan I have had this same question. For me the question was: Should I bring my commuter bike indoors with me when I went to work or leave it outside in the snow?

Not sure I ever got a definitive answer, if it caused additional corrosion. But here is what I found: Bringing a snow covered bike indoors was messy, the snow/ice would melt and make a puddle. I walked mine a fair distance to get to my office and even after brushing it off I still had a wet floor.

So if you plan to bring it in the house after a ride, you better have a towel or a spot where it can melt without getting everything wet/dirty.

Bike Gremlin

Salt works worst for the metal when the salty snow on the bike starts to melt. So I'd leave it outside. Come the end of winter (freezing weather and salty roads) I'd wash all the grit and grime off the bike.

DaveQ24

I bring mine in, for a couple of reasons:

1) I wheel it straight into the shower and give it a good wash if it has been exposed to salt or excessively dirty; if not too bad a sponge bath/towel off. Then lube and anti-corrosion on all the vital parts;

2) a warm bike is just more comfortable to ride, just like a warm car.

pdlamb

You'll need to clean it thoroughly every time you bring it inside to reduce corrosion. If that's what you're worried about, leave it outside (locked up securely, of course!).



I think I either started or contributed to a thread about what was the most uncomfortable clothes to wear (wet/cold shorts, jersey, socks, etc.). But I've never really felt a cold bike. I'll have shorts, perhaps tights, and gloves between me and the bike any time it's cold.

DaveQ24

Realistically, that's literally true in the sense of "you can't feel it on your skin" because of all of the layers. Where I am, Great Lakes region, I sometimes have 4 layers below the waist, thermal base layer, padded liner shorts, thermal sweats, and snow pants, during the most extreme cold. So, I'm definitely not feeling cold metal and fabric on my skin even if I leave the bike outside in sub-Zero air temps.

I do think it rides a little looser at first, until it cools down -- tires aren't as stiff, chain isn't as stiff, saddle isn't as cold, stiff and hard.

And, well ... some of it's probably just psychological ... the "placebo effect" I guess. OK, probably most of it.

epdarks

I'm in MN as well and I could never in a million years dream of leaving my bikes in the garage. Too much theft risk in Minneapolis.


So I bring them in my porch which is attached to my house. To combat the wetness/dripping problem, I use a rubber mat which was previously used as a trunk mat in an SUV. It's just wide enough so both bike tires rest on it, the water runs down and collects on the rubber and evaporates eventually. I keep a couple of cloths out there to give it a quick rub down. When they need a full blown cleaning then I wheel them into the basement.


I've also fashioned a couple of vertical bike racks for storage... love them!

rumrunn6

I don't think bringing the bike in the house will harm the bike. do you have a mudroom of some kind where it can drip dry after a snowy ride?

when I bike commuted thru 1 winter I discovered that leaving my bike outside under a tarp wasn't adequate for several reasons. one of which was leaving it outside only let things freeze up. so each night I carried into my basement where it was usually 50 degrees. my workplace let me keep it in the cool but above freezing loading dock & it drip dried during the day on some cardboard. after each ride in either direction, even with fenders, I remember giving it a shot of water here & there from my water bottle. the water bottle often froze during the ride so I would sometimes go inside for more liquid water. I learned a hard lesson early on, by doing some light washing outside & leaving the bike outside. some water got into my rear derailer housing & I couldn't shift in the morning. (discovered 1/2 mile from home) had to disassemble in the dark, enroute, clean, de ice & reassemble, ugh