Can You Leave a Bike Outside in Winter?

During the winter, lots of people have the same problem. They don’t have a safe place to store their bicycle and protect it from rain, snow, and other weather conditions. Or they wonder is it harmful to their bikes.

If you leave your bike outside in the winter, all moisture will come inside the hubs and the bike will start rusting. But if you clean your bike after every ride, using a waterproof bike cover and applying lubricate and anti-corrosion spray, you will prevent rust and corrosion.

The best thing you can do is put your bike into an apartment, garage, or some bike storage. But if you don’t have a lot of living space, or you don’t have other palaces to put your bicycle. It might be quite challenging, but I will give you a few options you can implement and save your bike from rust and corrosion during the winter season.

Can The Cold Weather Really Damage Your Bicycle?

If the temperature is higher than -30°C (-22°F) your bike is good, but the much bigger problem is wet and salt on the road especially if you don’t have a high-end bike. That means the rust on steel and corrosion on your frame.

It can also cause moisture to build up in some parts inside the hubs, and that moisture can also freeze up and cause lots of problems whit shifting and more of other stuff.

When I was a beginner I made the same mistake. Every time I came back home from a winter bike ride I would put my bicycle directly to a warm, cozy place without cleaning it. That course maijor problem, it was so rusty that I had to buy a new bicycle.

How to Protect Your Bike From Rust?

Here is a list of things you should do to prevent your bike from getting rusty.

1. Whipping your bike after the ride
2. Hold bicycle on dry place
3. Lubricate your bike
4. Apply anti-corrosion spray

Whipping your bike after ride

This is probably the most important thing if you want to prevent rust. Because if you clean your bike after every ride, all water and moisture that was on your bike will be gone. That moisture together whit oxygen is the main cause of rust.

So If you wanna prevent this, you need to wipe and clean up your bike regularly after every ride. Especially when you are riding on snowy and salty roads.

Hold bicycle on dry place

Ideally storage solution will be to put your bike in the garage or some well-shaded, climate-stable room. Because your bike is secure and 100% protected from moisture. But if you don’t have a place to put your bike, bike covers are the almost perfect solution, and make sure it is waterproof.

Lubricate your bike

Chain lubes, yes they are intended to be for you chain but it can be used in other areas such as your break and gear area.

The Purpose of chain lube is to keep running everything smoothly and it also helps prevent corrosion. Apply lubricate every time you wash your bicycle.