Bike storage on the balcony

A bicycle is a unique transport that enjoys well-deserved popularity among millions of people. For urban residents, this is both a convenient way to travel and an opportunity to deal with physical inactivity. Cycling is a great substitute for expensive fitness and exhausting workouts in gyms. A whole network of cycle paths stretching around the city helps to make riding safe and turn it into a real pleasure. There is only one question left: what to do with the bike when not in use? Buying a garage for the sake of this someone is unlikely. And what if you organize bicycle storage on the balcony? The idea is not as bad as it might seem at first. Let's try to figure out how to successfully implement it.

The main dangers of long-term storage

Of course, the loggia, especially without glazing, is not the best place for the winter "parking" of the bike. Here the vehicle will be tested for strength:

• ultraviolet;
• dust;
• moisture;
• low temperatures.

Their impact can adversely affect the condition of the bike. For example, paint may peel off or tires may crack, the frame may rust, or rubber components may dry out. Stocks of vegetables with drying clothes will also turn out to be not the best neighbors. So how can you store a bicycle on the balcony so that by spring it does not become just a pile of scrap metal?

Conservation Options

The bike can be left for a period of inactivity in the assembled and disassembled state. The bike on the balcony can either be hung or left to stand on the floor.

Storage in assembled form

“Floor, wall and ceiling structures will help organize comfortable bike storage on the balcony”

Just leaning against the wall is not an option. Do not forget that the loggia is a functional space that is regularly used by the household. If the bike with enviable constancy will fall on their feet at the slightest touch, this will not cause delight at all. To fix the vehicle, you will need special fasteners. Floor, wall and ceiling structures will help to organize comfortable storage of a bicycle on the balcony.

Floor Mounts

The most convenient way to fix. To put or take the bike will not have to make much effort, so floor racks are advised to be used year-round for storing women's and children's bike models. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting that the option is suitable only for families where there are no more than two pieces of equipment.

wall mounts

Those who actively move around the loggia and use its floor for other purposes will be very helpful. This type of arrangement is convenient in that you yourself decide how to hang the bike on the balcony. Several bikes can be placed:

• "floors";
• parallel;
• in a checkerboard pattern.

It will be possible to place them above and below. The most popular copies should be in the permanent access zone. The method will appeal to people who have several different types of bicycles.On similar mounts, overall spare parts for vehicles, such as rims, tires, forks, can also be stored.

It is interesting to solve the issue of storing a bicycle on the balcony using shelves. Most often they are made of wood. The structure is attached at such a height that the bicycle wheels do not touch the floor. Flowers in a pot will look great on the original holder shelf. The option is not suitable for hanging female models of bikes.

Ceiling mounts

Such an option, how to hang a bicycle from the ceiling on a balcony, is absolutely relevant only for long-term storage of equipment. Taking the bike out of there every day and returning it back is too expensive. Ceiling storage systems are perfectly combined with floor storage systems. They have two construction types:

• with pulley system;
• with hooks.

In the first case, the bike rises and falls without the help of a ladder. In the second, in order to hang the bike on hooks, you will have to stand on a stool or ladder. Ceiling storage is relevant on the balcony for a bicycle weighing no more than 22 kg.

Wintering bike disassembled

You will have to disassemble the equipment if the loggia is limited in area or is already littered with what will someday come in handy. The bike can be folded into a cover or a special case.

Case storage

To put the bike in a case, the front wheel and all protruding elements are removed from it. Bolts fixing: saddle, steering wheel, pedals and other parts - it is recommended to put them in a separate bag or wrap them back, but not all the way.

How to store a bicycle on the balcony so as not to damage other protruding parts that cannot be disassembled? Experts advise protecting the ends of the fork with thick cardboard. You can wrap the connecting rods and other elements with bubble wrap. It is advisable to do this in several layers.

Container storage

The method is radical in everything. In order to fold the bike into a waterproof, compact, rigid container, it will need to be completely disassembled. It will not be possible to realize the idea without a set of tools. Manually it is impossible to remove the fork, chain, disassemble the bushings. But then it will be possible to decide how to organize the storage of a bicycle on the balcony: hang it on the wall or hide it in a niche or closet. A bike folded into a container will even fit under the bed, so if there is very little space on the loggia, feel free to take it to the apartment.

Given the complexity of the process of assembling / disassembling a vehicle, it is resorted to conservation in a case only when it is not expected to be used for a long time.

How to prepare a bicycle for storage on a balcony?

“Storing a bicycle on a balcony without prior hygiene is fraught with serious consequences”

All preparatory work to prepare equipment for "winter hibernation" takes no more than a couple of hours.

You should start by cleaning the bike from the dirt collected during active operation. Road dust likes to clog inside the working units, settle on the brakes, mix with grease. The result is compositions akin to cement, so storing a bicycle on a balcony without prior hygiene prevention is fraught with serious consequences. Dirt will firmly eat into the metal and moving parts, which means that in the spring you will have to carry the bike to the service and spend a lot of money to bring it to working condition. To prevent this, the bike is thoroughly washed, wiped with a dry cloth and thoroughly dried in the open air. After that, you can proceed to the removal of components and proceed to cleaning hard-to-reach areas.

The next step in preparing for conservation, regardless of how it is decided to store the bike on the balcony: hang it or put it on the floor, should be the weakening of all spring mechanisms. This applies to the brake system and gear shifters. V-Brake-brakes open, and the chain is transferred to small sprockets. For a bike with 21 speeds, gears 1-7 serve as reference points. For 24-speed - 1-8. Sometimes cyclists simply remove the chain.

"Lower" the wheels

What to do with the cameras will also depend on how you plan to store the bike on the balcony. Provided that the equipment will stand for many months on wheels, the tires do not go down, but on the contrary, they inflate as much as possible. The maximum allowable numbers can be viewed on the side surface of the tire. With this method of preservation, one must not forget to periodically rotate the wheels and control the pressure in the chambers. With a decrease in the latter, you will have to take the pump in your hands. This is important to do, otherwise the rubber will deform and crack under the weight of the bike.

Before hanging the bike on the balcony, it is recommended to reduce the tire pressure. However, this does not mean that the cameras should be lowered completely.

Preventive lubrication

All bicycle parts are subject to lubrication before wintering. Untreated areas may suffer from rust. And that means that instead of wiping down your tech and jumping into the saddle, you'll go looking for parts and get bogged down in repairs. The event can be very costly, while lubrication costs mere pennies. In this case, the purchase of cheap funds is fully justified, since the rubbing elements, if you hang the bike on the balcony for storage, will not be loaded. Especially carefully it is necessary to rub the bearings in the steering column, chain, brake cables, gearshifts with the composition. During the processing of parts, it is worth paying attention to their technical condition. Perhaps something should already be replaced. Work can be completed immediately or after making a list, leave it for the spring.

When storing a bicycle on a balcony, the frame is not lubricated, but protected by wrapping with rags. The rubber is impregnated with glycerin. This solution will not allow it to dry out in the cold.

Do not use grease for prevention. If it comes into contact with metal for a long time, it causes darkening of parts and the appearance of the bike can be severely affected.

Batteries

If there is no other option, how to store the bike on the balcony, then you will have to remove the batteries from the headlight and taillight. If you leave them, then when the temperature drops, they will oxidize themselves and damage the contacts in the lighting fixtures themselves. As a result, they will have to be changed.

What not to do

It happens that the loggia is so small that there is nowhere to turn around, let alone put the “horse” on a joke, so the “Kulibins” do not find anything better than hanging the bike on hooks not on the balcony, but behind it. The result of innovation is deplorable. The frame will either have condensation or icicles hanging on the frame all winter, and, therefore, by the new season the bike will be with peeling paint and extensive rust spots. In general, walks are cancelled. Long live the overhaul!

Alternatives

If for some reason it is impossible to store a bicycle on the balcony, try to find a place for it in the house.

Disassembled and stowed in a case, it will easily fit into a closet.

If there is a large corridor or hall, the bike can be allocated a place on the wall or a personal rack with shelves and drawers can be made for it, where accessories and tools necessary for care will be stored at the same time.

You will not believe. But a bicycle can fit into the design of even a living room.To do this, the room must be decorated in an industrial style or loft.

For those who are afraid to get their walls dirty, there are also suggestions. Pack your bike in colorful printed cases. By doing this, you will kill two birds with one stone: keep it clean and enliven the atmosphere.

Some Helpful Tips

Our winters are severe enough to make loggia life unbearable for a bike. Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, wet clothes will also not improve the indoor climate. However, if the equipment has nowhere to put it, then it can’t escape the balcony anyway. Is it possible to make wintering more comfortable? Quite!

Proceed as follows:

1. Rub the bike with polish. This will create additional protection and make the bike even more beautiful.
2. Go over the mechanical components with an oiled rag and be sure to lubricate the chain.
3. Loosen transmission cables.
4. To prevent the wheels from deforming, you can put the bike upside down or find a place for it on the wall. The Internet is full of interesting ideas on how to hang a bike on a balcony. Provided that the winter frosts are extremely strong, it is better to remove the tires from the rims. It will not be difficult for them to find a shelf in the pantry or on the mezzanine.
5. Ordinary paper will save you from damaging ultraviolet radiation. You can hide the bike behind a thick fabric curtain or roller blinds.
6. Steel frames tend to accumulate condensation in their voids and rust. Surface treatment with an anti-corrosion agent will help to avoid consequences.

In the summer, bicycle storage on the balcony is carried out according to the same principles. If the vehicle is used frequently, then of all the above procedures, only protection from direct sunlight remains. The bicycle can be covered with a piece of cloth or the loggia space can be shaded with blinds.

Conclusion

As you can see, storing a bike in the winter on the balcony is not such an absurd decision. The organization of "parking" will not require much physical effort or material costs. All you need to do to carelessly jump into the saddle in the spring and rush towards a new life is to follow a number of rules and carefully prepare your iron horse for a long downtime.

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