Storing a bike on its tires?



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Ismlv

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I'm pretty new to this biking thing and this being the first winter
with a bike where I have to store it, I have a question:

Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around? Wondering if there's a tendency
for flat spots like on a car.

Not sure if I've got the space to hang the bike so I'm looking for alternatives.

Thanks!
 
ismlv says:

>Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around?

No.

;-)
 
>Originally posted by Ismlv [/i]
>I'm pretty new to this biking thing and this being the first winter
>with a bike where I have to store it, I have a question:

>Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around? >Wondering if there's a tendency
>for flat spots like on a car.

>Not sure if I've got the space to hang the bike so I'm looking for alternatives.

>Thanks!

Your tubes will likely lose air over the winter, but you won't do any harm to anything (other than your fitness level?) by leaning it against the wall for the season.

K.
 
ismlv wrote:
> I'm pretty new to this biking thing and this being the first winter with a bike where I have to
> store it, I have a question:
>
> Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around? Wondering if there's a tendency
> for flat spots like on a car.
>
> Not sure if I've got the space to hang the bike so I'm looking for alternatives.
>
> Thanks!

Just go ride it and don't worry! Even if you don't, winter's not long enough to screw it up. Don't
suppose it'd be a good idea to let the tires freeze to the ground though.

Cheers, Shawn
 
ismlv wrote:

> I'm pretty new to this biking thing and this being the first winter with a bike where I have to
> store it, I have a question:
>
> Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around? Wondering if there's a tendency
> for flat spots like on a car.
>
> Not sure if I've got the space to hang the bike so I'm looking for alternatives.
>
> Thanks!

What is it with the cycling world and how people think bikes need to be babied like the space
shuttle? Can I store my bike upside down? You need to keep it off its tires when stored. Oh, you'll
trash your headset (forks, rims, hubs, yada) if you hang it from the front wheel. Well what the hell
will happen to it if I drop two feet off a rock or bounce down a trail at 35 mph with my 195 lbs on
top of it (nothing much from experience)? Gimme a break! Two myths I remember from my childhood
(road racing at 16): You need to store your bike with the chain in the smallest cog so your
derailleur springs don't wear out and you need to let some air out of your tires when stored so that
the casing doesn't stretch causing a blowout. Campy derailleurs will last through the next ice age,
and tires shouldn't last you till next season if you actually ride! Someone even once told me not to
get on my bike by standing on a pedal, push with my other foot and throw my leg over the bike
because I'll bend the BB axle. WTF? Know any more? Strange. Blame Canada? Nah, probably the French
though ;-)

Cheers, Shawn

PS Not meaning to rag on the OP. Reasonable question, but it got me thinking.
 
ismlv wrote:
> Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around? Wondering if there's a tendency
> for flat spots like on a car.
>
Dont worry about it - the weight of a bike is so low it's a none issue plus the wheels spin a lot
slower on a bike than on a car.

It's actually not uncommon that bike tires are a little out balance when you get them in the shop,
and if one is really trying to save weight bring a scale to the shop is not a bad idea as the weight
between individual tires of same brand and model can change as much as 30-40 g!

Regards

Bruno

OT: Random fact. The wheels on a 747 or similar heavy aircraft will get flat spots over night so the
somewhat bumpy ride on the first take off in the morning is not due to the runway but the tires
being less than perfect.

--
To mail me write to iddqdATworldonline.dk (U know what 2 do)

More of these http://www.westocykler.dk would mean less cars and less polution.
 
> What is it with the cycling world and how people think bikes need to be babied like the space
> shuttle? Can I store my bike upside down?

You may have problems storing a bike which has hydraulic brakes upside down, as most are vented and
will allow hydraulic fluid to leak out - and air to travel up the lines to the calipers.
 
On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 18:37:27 GMT, ireman_1 <[email protected]>
wrote:

>>Originally posted by Ismlv I'm pretty new to this biking thing and this being the first winter
>>with a bike where I have to store it, I have a question:
>
>>Is it bad to store it on its tires if it's not being moved around?
>>>Wondering if there's a tendency for flat spots like on a car.
>
>>Not sure if I've got the space to hang the bike so I'm looking for alternatives.
>
>>Thanks!
>
>Your tubes will likely lose air over the winter, but you won't do any harm to anything (other than
>your fitness level?) by leaning it against the wall for the season.
>
>K.

Thanks for all the info. Would love to ride over the winter but unfortunately, snow and ice prevents
that..... Welcome to winter in NE PA (as I'm sitting here waiting for the storm to start tonite).
 
> Know any more?

I once met a wrench who compulsively filled mech bodies with grease. After a muddy ride, the mech
would be practically furry. But I've never come across a siezed mech on a bike, outside POS
flatpacks left out in the rain for months.

Andy Chequer
 
Shawn Curry <[email protected]> wrote:
>
Someone even once told me not to get on
> my bike by standing on a pedal, push with my other foot and throw my leg over the bike because
> I'll bend the BB axle. WTF?

This very myth just came up in rec.bike.tech a few days ago. Sheldon "the man" Brown had an
interesting response: http://tinyurl.com/yt55s

Of course this all seems trivial when I recall watching my bike flip end over end when I bailed out
the back during a climb on Slickrock. It survived. I can't imagine how I get on the bike will do
more damage than the various abuse I've dished out in general. I ride, I crash. I figure the
theoretical **** is better left to the roadies....or the Canadians.

Tom
 
tcmedara wrote:

> Shawn Curry <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Someone even once told me not to get on
>
>>my bike by standing on a pedal, push with my other foot and throw my leg over the bike because
>>I'll bend the BB axle. WTF?
>
>
> This very myth just came up in rec.bike.tech a few days ago. Sheldon "the man" Brown had an
> interesting response: http://tinyurl.com/yt55s
>
> Of course this all seems trivial when I recall watching my bike flip end over end when I bailed
> out the back during a climb on Slickrock. It survived. I can't imagine how I get on the bike will
> do more damage than the various abuse I've dished out in general. I ride, I crash. I figure the
> theoretical **** is better left to the roadies....or the Canadians.
>
> Tom

I have munched bikes in crashes, but I'm usually the more damaged one. As for Sheldon Brown's
comments, the lateral load on the wheels may be high but I've never heard of someone potato chipping
a wheel getting on while rolling (not that I've done an exhaustive study or anything).

Shawn
 
As for Sheldon Brown's comments, the lateral load on the wheels may be
> high but I've never heard of someone potato chipping a wheel getting on while rolling (not that
> I've done an exhaustive study or anything).
>
> Shawn

Hmm, as I said in another post "Scientist, not english teacher".
 
Shawn Curry <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> tcmedara wrote:
>
> > Shawn Curry <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Someone even once told me not to get on
> >
> >>my bike by standing on a pedal, push with my other foot and throw my leg over the bike because
> >>I'll bend the BB axle. WTF?
> >
> >
> > This very myth just came up in rec.bike.tech a few days ago. Sheldon "the man" Brown had an
> > interesting response: http://tinyurl.com/yt55s
> >
> > Of course this all seems trivial when I recall watching my bike flip end over end when I bailed
> > out the back during a climb on Slickrock. It survived. I can't imagine how I get on the bike
> > will do more damage than the various abuse I've dished out in general. I ride, I crash. I figure
> > the theoretical **** is better left to the roadies....or the Canadians.
> >
> > Tom
>
> I have munched bikes in crashes, but I'm usually the more damaged one. As for Sheldon Brown's
> comments, the lateral load on the wheels may be high but I've never heard of someone potato
> chipping a wheel getting on while rolling (not that I've done an exhaustive study or anything).
>
> Shawn

Getting on while rolling is bad for the wheels. I hope noone tells the cyclecross folks. They'd be
out of a sport.

Brad and Julie Vaughn
 
Shawn Curry wrote:

> > Someone even once told me not to get on
> >
> >>my bike by standing on a pedal, push with my other foot and throw my leg over the bike because
> >>I'll bend the BB axle. WTF?
> >
> >
> > This very myth just came up in rec.bike.tech a few days ago. Sheldon "the man" Brown had an
> > interesting response: http://tinyurl.com/yt55s
> >
> > Of course this all seems trivial when I recall watching my bike flip end over end when I bailed
> > out the back during a climb on Slickrock. It survived. I can't imagine how I get on the bike
> > will do more damage than the various abuse I've dished out in general. I ride, I crash. I figure
> > the theoretical **** is better left to the roadies....or the Canadians.
> >
> > Tom
>
> I have munched bikes in crashes, but I'm usually the more damaged one. As for Sheldon Brown's
> comments, the lateral load on the wheels may be high but I've never heard of someone potato
> chipping a wheel getting on while rolling (not that I've done an exhaustive study or anything).

I've never heard of anybody doing such damage on a _mountain_ bike, but have known of examples
involving road bikes.

Road rear wheels are substantially weaker laterally than MTB wheels.

Sheldon "Previously Writing On Rec.bikes.TECH" Brown Newtonville, Massachusetts +---------------------------------------------------
+
| Time shouldn't just pass; things should happen. | --Harry Turtledove |
+---------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
This is back to the "Storing a bike on its tires". I was reading the manual to my new Vanilla 125
RLC and it said, at least with their forks, althought it sounds like it would apply to most, that
it's best to store a bike upside down so that the oil in the fork legs keeps the foam donut at the
top of the outer leg soaked with oil. I guess they're not taking into consideration various
hydraulic brakes.

Greg
 
On 2004-01-29, Sheldon Brown penned:
>
> I've never heard of anybody doing such damage on a _mountain_ bike, but have known of examples
> involving road bikes.
>
> Road rear wheels are substantially weaker laterally than MTB wheels.
>
> Sheldon "Previously Writing On Rec.bikes.TECH" Brown Newtonville, Massachusetts

Eek! We have a celebrity present! Quick, grab the camera!

--
monique
 
Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote:
>
(snip)
>
> Road rear wheels are substantially weaker laterally than MTB wheels.
>
As are most things "roadie." But those of us here in AM-B already knew that
:)

Nice to see ya here.

Tom (frequent rbt vistor as well)
 
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