Winterizing your bike ??

I put my nicer bike away for the season earlier this week- I have a 'chain gang' cleaning device from Park Tool that really got the chain sparkling- it got tons of [censored] off the chain that I couldn't even see beforehand. It also came with a unique brush that works well on the gears- again removing dirt and grit that I couldn't see.

The best part is that I didn't have to mess with taking apart the drivetrain. I think the package was like $30 on Amazon.

As far as the steel beast I'll be using the rest of the way is concerned, I'll hose it off at the end and shake the rust off in the spring.

gman0482 said:

Hey everyone,
I am wondering if I should do anything special to store my bike away for winter months. Hopefully, if and when I get a trainer, I won't have to store it, but in any case, is there anything to be done to keep in in best shape?

Thanks,
-Greg

I wash my bikes and wax them. I make sure that they are dry. I treat all of the rubber surfaces except for the tires and brake pads with a protectant such as Armor All. After that I cover each one with a sheet just loosely draped over it to keep the dust off. The one that I am going to use on a trainer or rollers gets a full tune up. The others get their tune ups over the course of the winter so that they are all ready to ride when warmer weather arrives. I also tune up the bike that I was using on the rollers or trainer before riding it outdoors again. It is usually tuned again last.

[LEFT]I like to remove all bolts, clean and add thread compound. I also remove the crank and bb and regrease those threads as well (and chainring bolts too). The brake bolts and front derailleur clamp are real dirt magnets. While I have the bike pretty much stripped down, I wash the frame with warm soapy water, apply Armour-All (or Bike :Lust) to the frame, bar, post, stem, saddle etc. I only replace the bar tape if I really need to.
I like to remove tires and tubes and inspect the rim tape. The wheels get a similar treatment as the frame.
The drivetrain (including chainrings) gets a good degreasing/cleaning as well. I like to start the new year off with a new chain, and I usually put the one that I ended the previous year with on the winter bike ('cross bike with beefy road tires).

I keep my stuff pretty clean anyway, and it lasts for years. [/LEFT]

kdelong said:

I wash my bikes and wax them. I make sure that they are dry. I treat all of the rubber surfaces except for the tires and brake pads with a protectant such as Armor All. After that I cover each one with a sheet just loosely draped over it to keep the dust off. The one that I am going to use on a trainer or rollers gets a full tune up. The others get their tune ups over the course of the winter so that they are all ready to ride when warmer weather arrives. I also tune up the bike that I was using on the rollers or trainer before riding it outdoors again. It is usually tuned again last.

Your rituals sound very thorough. But when you say "all the rubber surfaces except tires and brake pads" get Armorall, I can only think of the brake lever hoods. Are there some other rubber bits on the bike? Also, what do you mean by "tune up"......checking for chain wear, tightness of stem bolts, wheel trueness, etc?

Believe the most important factor in storage is that the bike be kept in a low humidity environment, ie, dry heated space, so that corrosion is kept to a minimum.

dhk2 said:

Your rituals sound very thorough. But when you say "all the rubber surfaces except tires and brake pads" get Armorall, I can only think of the brake lever hoods. Are there some other rubber bits on the bike? Also, what do you mean by "tune up"......checking for chain wear, tightness of stem bolts, wheel trueness, etc?

Believe the most important factor in storage is that the bike be kept in a low humidity environment, ie, dry heated space, so that corrosion is kept to a minimum.

Thanks for this helpful advice.

dhk2 said:

Your rituals sound very thorough. But when you say "all the rubber surfaces except tires and brake pads" get Armorall, I can only think of the brake lever hoods. Are there some other rubber bits on the bike? Also, what do you mean by "tune up"......checking for chain wear, tightness of stem bolts, wheel trueness, etc?

Believe the most important factor in storage is that the bike be kept in a low humidity environment, ie, dry heated space, so that corrosion is kept to a minimum.

In addition to the brake lever hoods, all but one of my saddles have vinyl somewhere on them and I apply it there too.

My tune ups are a little involved but I enjoy working on bikes. Sometimes I think that the only reason I ride is to enjoy the experience of a well maintained bike. "Tune Up" starts with removing everything from the frame except for sealed bearing bottom brackets on two of my bikes and the sealed headset on one. Everthing gets lubed (I have four bikes with cup and cone wheel bearings that get greased at this time). I clean and lube the cables and housings, disassemble and lube the pedals, lube the pivot points on the derailluers , brakes, and brake levers , and remove, clean, and lube or replace the chain as indicated by link measurement, not a chain wear indicator. I usually true the wheels but I like to rebuild them every eight to ten years with new spokes and nipples. I check and renew rim tape as needed. I also replace handle bar tape as needed. Once everything has been checked and/or lubed, I re-install everything that can be reused and replace anything that is worn beyond use. The bikes are kept in my basement which is dry and heated in the winter.