Bikes and Outdoor Storage

 It never fails that if I post a photo of one of my bikes to an online forum, someone will say something like "Oh my god! I can't believe you keep that outside!  It would be stolen here in under ten minutes!" - but I think people who keep their bikes inside do so for multiple reasons.  One may be to prevent theft - but another is probably to protect it from the ravages of the elements.

On the other hand, most Japanese houses don't have garages, or don't have enough room for a car and a bike even if they do.  Furthermore, most people live in apartments or condos - which are even less likely to have a garage.  This means that basically speaking, for most people their bikes will be left outside in front of their house, or in a bicycle specific parking lot of some sort if they are lucky.  

For the most part, I have found that this causes surprisingly few problems, but let's take a look at the problems I do find:

1. Rust - all of my bikes are aluminum, so rust is perhaps only a minor problem - but that doesn't make it non-existent.  I have one bike where the steel part of the front fork was fairly rusted when I bought it.  I think there are two ways to solve this: physical and chemical.  The physical way would involve sanding the rust off, and then using progressively finer and finer sand paper or sanding sponges until it is as smooth as it can be again.  I don't love this method because the scratches left by sanding will encourage more rust build-up.  The second method is using a rust dissolving chemical melt the rust away.  I use Nejizaurus, which is almost magical in its ability to turn stubborn rust into purple liquid.  Do be aware that it smells quite strong, and you will want to wear gloves, as washing your hands will not make the smell go away.  It may sake several sessions, but once you are done with this process, I recommend coating the steel items with oil as quickly as possible, left they rust again.  

For Chains and gears, I simply spray them with an oil and a little riding will remove the rust.

For screws and bolts, I follow a similar approach, but I may use a small amount of Bondic or similar to seal out water as well.  If I can, I try to find stainless steel or aluminum replacements.  (Who would use steel that can rust on something they know will be exposed to water on a regular basis?!)

I have one of the cheaper Knog Oi bells, which also has a rusting spring.  (Again, why would they use something that can rust?!).  The premium model does not have the spring and so does not rush even though it is made from metal of some sort.  

2. Fading - The paint on my bikes has not faded noticeably even after years of sitting outside in the daylight sun, but some other items do fade.  Interestingly, the black anodized aluminum of the Knog PWR lights I have has turned into more of a bronze color where the sun hits it every day.  One option would of course be to take any accessories off every time you go inside, but that can get to be a bit of a pain.  Another option is to put some sort of bag around them.  Some bike parking lots may be located under the apartment, or have a sun/rain guard - but in my case, there is no such convenience.

3. Rain and water - To be honest, rain has been my largest problem.  I have multiple "water proof" products that have died from water.  Firstly, a cheapo light I bought many years ago.  The product claimed to be waterproof, but it has no seals, and the battery contact springs inside rusted.  I have had no issue with Garmin's Varia light (or radar), nor with Cat's Eye lights.  Knog lights have been nothing but trouble, however.  

The PWR series looks really cool, and is super bright.  I loved the fact that the battery could be separated from the light and then connected with a cable.  The battery can also be used to power other USB based accessories.  I used it to power my GPS once on the way home when it was raining lightly.  Water apparently made its way into the battery, which failed.  To be fair, they say that the battery is only waterproof when connected to the light or cable - but you can't do that if you want to plug in a USB device (which is an advertised feature).  Long story short, if you do plan to power something in the rain, use the extension cable and that will protect the battery.  Also, the PWR series is not completely waterproof even if used as advertised, as evidenced by the small amount of corrosion I have found taking mine apart for cleaning occasionally. 

Knog Cobber lights are also advertised as waterproof - but are most definitely not.  They are super bright, and look really cool - but I have had at least three destroyed by water.  One even had water inside it, sloshing around.  

I have had no issues whatsoever with the things you would think would be the most sensitive: bike computers and GPS units.  Both my Sony and Panasonic GPS units work perfectly fine in the rain.  My Garmin Edge, Hammerhead Karoo 2, and Leomo Type S all have performed flawlessly in the rain on numerous occasions.  

A bigger issue I have had has been with my Juiced Horn.  That device is Fairly weatherproof in that normal vertical rain won't get into the unit, except a little into the actual horn part, which will dry out - and might rust a little in the worst case.  The problem is that if you store your bike vertically (as I do), then it will act like a water collector.  Protecting it can be as easy as a bit or saran-wrap, but you either have to keep it protected 100% of the time, or constantly check the weather.  

The Bush Muller eBike horn I purchased can actually take the water, even if stored vertically, but it will sound muffled until it dries out.  

If you have disc brakes, most of the rust can be removed naturally just by using them, but if you are concerned about rust on the remaining portions, just spray them with some WD-40 and then.... oh no, don't do that.  You can use rubbing alcohol and a sanding sponge, or brake cleaner (Who would have thought).  

4. Mushy Rubber - This is my biggest pet peeve with leaving my bike outside.  The handlebars on your bike will melt.  The softer they are (usually the more expensive they are), the faster they will melt!  At one point my Giant hybrid bike had handlebars that were basically made of tar after being baked in the sun for a few years.  They would come off on my hands leaving a big black mess that was difficult to clean off - though I have to admit, they did have a great grip!  The best way I have found to prevent this is simply to enclose them in an opaque bag.  Note that most bikes you will see outside in Japan have very hard hand grips for exactly this reason.  The hard grips are basically impervious to melting.

For those in Japan, I've found that those PET Bottle covers that the tea companies give away for free work well.  

5. Scratches - This might not seem to be specific to storing your bike outside, but if you part in a public parking lot, you will often find new scratches on your bike from the person who parked next to you recklessly forcing his bike in or out without regard to the bikes around him.  To some extent this simply can't be avoided, but there are a few precautions you can take:

a. Use a cover.  This will tend to make people not try to park next to you in the first place, and protect your bike slightly when they do.

b. Buy some automotive touch-up paint.  They sell these in small nail-polish type containers at Autobacs and Donkihote.  This way if you do get a nick, you can fix it up with a little dab of approximately the right color before it has a chance to spread or rust.

c. Seals/Heli Tape - These are basically clear tape that you put on your bike to protect it from scratches before the scratches actually happen.  I wish I had started using this sooner.  There are fancy design stickers that cost $40 or more, and plain clear tape that is much cheaper.  For areas like the chain stays, I actually like to use Grip Tape, which is sold for skateboard use.  Grip tape is cheap, very sticky, and doesn't scuff easily.