Cycling is a favorite activity of many. However, weather conditions do not always allow this, for example, in the winter season. And your favorite means of transportation should be postponed or set aside for some time. Will it be usable next season? It all depends on the chosen storage method.
If the area of the apartment allows, you can just put the bike somewhere in the corner. Or you can disassemble it and fold it in parts on a mezzanine or in a closet, if it fits. It is good to use a special bike mount, for example, a wall mount. You can take the bike to the garage, but you need to keep it dry and that the garage is heated. This will keep the elastic parts (suspension fork, saddle, handlebars) and rubber from drying out and keep them in working order. You can also leave the bike for the winter on the open balcony. In this case, all the elastic parts are removed and left at home, and the metal parts are oiled and wrapped in oiled paper. This is the worst bike storage ever. It's not scary if it is stored onglazed balcony. It is quite similar in characteristics to a dry heated garage.
A bike wall mount is the best way to store your bike. Thanks to this fairly common bike accessory, the bike does not need to be disassembled, it is always in sight and does not take up much space. At the same time, there are a number of wall mounts that allow you to store the bike by hanging it by the handlebars, by the wheel, by the top tube of the frame, by the pedal. In this case, it is best to buy a ready-made bike mount than to make it yourself. Although, with engineering thinking and skilled hands, you can cope with this task yourself, spending, of course, a lot of time going shopping in search of the necessary parts.
It is best to store your bike in a horizontal position. Suspension by the wheel will inevitably deform the rim. Also, storing it in an attic, summer cottage, balcony or garage with constant temperature fluctuations can damage the suspension fork filling, and all steel components will become rusty. A good solution in this situation is a relatively inexpensive bike wall mount. It consists of two hooks that are attached to the wall. The bike is hung on them by the top tube of the frame. In this way, it is perfectly stored, and it does not need to be disassembled and reassembled. This holder can also be used as the main parking lot during the cycling season. So he will not fall to his feet or otherwise interfere with the rest of the family.
Difficulty can be encountered when using this type of bike rack if the bike's cable management is on the side of or under the top tube, and thus the hanging cables are pinched. To prevent them from deforming, you need to put a piece of dense material between the frame and the cables.
If you decide to make a bike rack like this yourself, just buy a couple of large hooks from a hardware store and then cover them with rubber duct tape or liquid rubber. This will help prevent damage to the bike. But there is no guarantee that such a mount will not break.
