Quote: (03-31-2015 11:21 AM)heavy Wrote:
Curious...what are your thoughts on storing the bike outside?
I live in an apartment, no garage, and have a neighbor who stores the bike outside.
I live in the Midwest, so I would just let it sit out April - October.
My concern would be the leather baking in the summer sun, but I suppose I could just cover it.
Note: I'm simply thinking of buying a bike...I don't have one.
The bike will probably survive but make sure you winterize it. I'll be honest I'm lazy, cheap, forgetful and I've gone a few winters without winterizing my bike however I keep it in a garage which stays pretty warm and roll it around a bit so the tires don't get dry rot.
If you do leave it outside make sure you get a good cover and ideally put it up on blocks so the tires don't dry rot or get lopsided.
If your going to invest in a bike though I'd suggest not cheaping out on storing it and keeping it in good condition. So over the course of a few years you spend a few hundred bucks on winter storage, you'll get it back in not having to do repairs and or in resale value.
There are some pretty cheap indoor storage options for bikes. Getting your own storage unit will be pricey but you have access to your bike all the time. If you don't need to look at your bike in the winter thogh many bike shops and repair shops and dealers offer winter storage for anywhere from $35 to $150 for a year. I've actually put ads on cl in the past and charged people $50 a winter to store their bikes alongside mine in my garage as well.
Two winters ago I moved and had to ride my bike over to my parnets house which I was renting frome them for a few years while they are living down south. I rode my bike over in February in the cold and wans't thinking but couldn't get it into my garage as my sister had just recently crashed through our garage door into our living room...yes i know women drivers lol...and my garage was boarded up for a few weeks. my handle bars were also too wide to fit through the door on the side of my garage so left it outside and wrapped it in like furniture plastic and tape. It only sat out there for a few weeks but I had some rust on my springs and a some spot rust all over. Unless your just picking up some throwaway bike for $1500 or less I'd invest in storing it.