Ever questioned yourself ‘how long can you leave a bike out before its components start to degrade?’ Especially living in Malaysia, where the weather condition changes constantly, it can be rainy and breezy one day and hot and humid most of the day.
Realistically, leaving your bike out for a couple of days isn’t a big deal, even if it’s left in the rain. But after a week, you will start to see visible damage.
Understandably, some of us don’t have much of a choice when it comes to bike storage. If you live in a small apartment with limited space, having a bike rack outside or an open balcony might be good as it’s going to get.
However, leaving your bike outside comes with consequences, thus, here’s what most likely to happen to your bike when you leave outdoors.
After leaving your bike outdoors for a week or so, the main problem that will be visible over time is corrosion and damage to your bike components due to a lack of protection from the elements.
Here are a few common problems that will start to occur when you leave your bike outside;
1.Seals
As your bike gets older, seals become less effective. This allows water and moisture to seep into your bike causing problems to the bearings on your headset and bottom bracket, wheel hubs, or other components like your shifters or rear derailleurs.
2.Chain
This component will be the most visible to damage. Once exposed to sun and rain over time, the bike chain will start to show signs of rust.
3. Cables
If your bike has steel cables, exposing it to rain can cause them to oxidize, which negatively impacts the quality and performance of your shifting and braking.
4. Rubber and Plastics
It is not just steels and metals that are affected, rubber and plastic parts can be broken down over time from the sun and humidity too. For instance, your bicycle seats, brake hoods, and tires can deteriorate. Cable housing is one common part that can be affected both by the sun and rain.
Image via : Bicycling
On a positive note, there are ways and precautions to take for you to preserve the lifespan of your bike.
Here are a few things you can do to prevent it from damaging so quickly;
Image via : Health
1. Grease your cables and bolts: When greasing parts that commonly seize and oxidize will help to some extent.
2.Remove rust: When there’s a sign of rust on your bike, try removing it as soon as possible to keep it from spreading. Layering a coat of WD-40 or other oils helps too.
3. Indoor bike hanger: So if you live in a small apartment, consider investing in an indoor bike hanger. This is possibly the best way to keep your bike from damage.
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