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Drying bikes for shed storage

29 posts & 20 voices | Started 16 hours ago by orangespyderman | Latest reply from andyl

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orangespyderman - Member

My bike spends a lot of time in a shed or in the back of my van. The climate is such that it doesn't dry particulary well. Last time I pinched OrangeSpyderMissus' hairdryer to get the transmission and various other areas much drier before putting it away and it seemed a really good idea.

Do any more respectable forum members use a similar technique (or alternative?) for drying their bikes after washing. Any advice (either technical or for divorce lawyers I think long term I'd have to get my own hairdryer if this is going to happen more often as she really wasn't happy...)

Posted 16 hours ago #
mikewsmith - Member

Dry with an old towel and lube the transmission to displace the water.

Posted 16 hours ago #
hodgynd - Member

As above ..
At the end of each ride I always spend a couple of mins to wipe down the chain and remove excess crap from the frame with an old towel prior to putting it inside my car ..where it can often stay until the next day ..wherever possible it gets a "dry " clean and lube the next day ...dont like using too much water even with an ordinary hose ..

Posted 16 hours ago #
weeksy - Member

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Display4top-Variable-Grooming-Hairdryer-Temperature/dp/B076BK6QP3/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1515511511&sr=8-4&keywords=pet+blower

Posted 16 hours ago #
orangespyderman - Member

I do wipe down ( ) afterwards and lube the chain. Just never got it quite that dry with the shake/towel/lub approach.

Thanks weeksy

Posted 16 hours ago #
cchris2lou - Member

Air compressor. Less than £100 from Lidl.

Can also be used for tubeless etc...

Posted 16 hours ago #
jameswilliams54 - Member

Air compressor. Less than £100 from Lidl.

Can also be used for tubeless etc...

Be careful with this approach as most off the shelf compressors will not have a class rating for oil and eater vapour carryover so you could be spraying fine mists of both onto brake pads / rotors etc

Posted 15 hours ago #
mrblobby - Member

Weeksy that is genius!

I usually just shake the bike dry and bring it indoors to dry for a few hours.

Posted 15 hours ago #
orangespyderman - Member

bring it indoors to dry for a few hours.
Unfortunately this is just not possible for me

Posted 15 hours ago #
Davesport - Member

Be careful with this approach as most off the shelf compressors will not have a class rating for oil and eater vapour carryover so you could be spraying fine mists of both onto brake pads / rotors etc

Point taken, but never experienced brake pad contamination using this method.

Posted 15 hours ago #
clevertrevor - Member

Don’t get it wet in 1st place, can’t think last time I took hose to the bike.

Posted 14 hours ago #
Onzadog - Member

That pet blower appears to be cheaper in pink!

Cheaper than that clean by air thing I was looking at.

Posted 14 hours ago #
Big-Bud - Member

Clever Trevor's method would simply not work in calderdale this time of year if you want to venture off from bikes going to get caked .

My drying tip is to cover the brakes entirely with plastic carrier bags .apply bike spray much off water displacer to all moving parts and the frame via a rag .wipe off excess using a large lint free cloth (cheap from wilko) leave in laundry room with a dehumidifier on for a couple of hrs .Lube chain and done

Posted 14 hours ago #
Big-Bud - Member

Oil contamination from compressors indicates a fault or you would not be able to spray with one
Although there are oil free versions available
Look at scheppach compressors on screwfix
The cheap Aldi workzone ones are made by scheppach rebranded and aldi are sold out but due 10000 units in April

Posted 14 hours ago #
clevertrevor - Member

Mud fest where I am but I just leave it on and don’t worry about it. Fully rigid bike tho so less to worry about.

Posted 13 hours ago #

weeksy - Member

Weeksy that is genius!

Not my find, it's the motorbike boys who discovered it, does warm air too. I'm tempted on payday.

Posted 12 hours ago #
orangespyderman - Member

Oil contamination from compressors indicates a fault or you would not be able to spray with one
To spray with one that had inadequate separation (some really do not spray clean air) you can add a separate separator.

Posted 11 hours ago #
lovewookie - Member

before i rather crudely ran power to the shed, I'd run an extension in and leave a small fan heater on for 30 mins. would dry my tools out too

Posted 11 hours ago #
Onzadog - Member

Could use the small fan heater/timer/extension that a recent thread had people using to defrost the car before work.

Posted 11 hours ago #
StirlingCrispin - Member

Park it wet but spray with Scottoiler FS365 (water-soluble rust inhibitor).

Unless your shed is heated the bike will be coated with condensation every time the temperature drops.

Posted 5 hours ago #
andreasrhoen - Member

Unless your shed is heated the bike will be coated with condensation every time the temperature drops.

That's a big problem.
The 'dryer' won't solve this.

Posted 4 hours ago #
gravesendgrunt - Member

What are you worried about corroding?Chains are easily wiped dry and lubed before storage,cables can be protected well by full length outers.
If sealed cartridge bearings have had water driven into them no amount of blow drying will save them over time in storage - I would of thought ( although I think regular use/movement helps to prevent them brinneling).

Posted 4 hours ago #
HoratioHufnagel - Member

THis can run off 12v:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Breeze-Portable-Dehumidifier-Moisture/dp/B00NFRTVY6

Posted 4 hours ago #
superstu - Member

Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?!

Condensation will mean moisture gets in. You won’t dry all the recesses. Anything that may be susceptible to corrosion can be kept corrosion free with far less hassle.

Someone saying that they don’t use a hose and therefore their bike isn’t wet...very good but presumably you don’t ride in the UK where it rains all the time!

Posted 4 hours ago #
mattsccm - Member

Quid shop WD copy on mechs and exposed cable bits. EP90 on the chain if needed. Balls to the rest. Paints will dry in shed in less time that a decent ride. The fiddly bits won't be dried by any of the above methods anyway. It's a bike FFS not a 1st Edition of the Bible.

Posted 2 hours ago #
Onzadog - Member

It's a bike FFS not a 1st Edition of the Bible.

Personally, I prize the bike more highly.

Posted 2 hours ago #
timber - Member

If I've washed the bike at work I've used the leaf blower to dry it off to avoid making the inside of the car any wetter.

Kerosene space heater on work bench, pointed in back of car when that gets too wet inside with bike, kit and all.

Posted 31 minutes ago #
andyl - Member

when i was at Uni my friends used to store their bikes in my outbuilding which was damp so it did lead to lots of minor surface rust.

As commented above, even if you dry the bike it will get damp due to condensation but some form of cover could help that. Maybe you could get a decent motorbike cover that's breathable and/or has some form of felt liner.

Towel bike down after washing. Just take care around brakes to not spread fork/chain oil onto them - maybe have a small face cloth for brakes.

If really worried you could always put a little dehumidifier in the bag with the bike.

As for the shed - make sure it's external waterproofing treatment is in good shape and there is no damp coming in through the roof, walls and floor and make sure it has some ventilation.

Posted 21 minutes ago #
andyl - Member

oh and for the compressor you get inline water/oil separators. Cheap ones will be so so but paint spraying will be FAR more sensitive to any tiny amount of oil than your brakes that will be getting covered in all kinds of crap off the roads when riding to and from the trails or from being near your kitchen when cooking.

Posted 19 minutes ago #

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