Perfect conditions las night for “My bike has never seen rain but the crap Ducati chain has gone rusty”! It was -4 in the midlands yesterday. Today at 0800 it is +14 and very humid. Everything outside is covered in condensation, including the side plates on the chains on my bikes, which are sitting in my garage and are still cold. If you don’t like rusty side-plates, now is the time to check and protect them if necessary with some fresh chain-lube or similar. (Smug gits with heated or de-humidified bike stores, this thread is not for you!)
My wife just came in from the garden and said it tropical outside, first thing I thought was my bikes will be sweating.
You don't need a heated or de-humidified bike store, you just need to make sure the temperature inside changes slowly so the metal bike parts warm at the same speed as the air. I found just blocking out all light made a big difference, the air really heats up quick when sunlight is coming through glass.
Ditto...i'd go for a ride to burn it all off but the roads are covered in shite and it'd take me a good hour to clean it when i got back, i'm gonna have to get a dehumidifier for my garage.
Part of my garage is partitioned off with a log burner. I’m extending it in the spring so I can get the bikes in there. Somewhere warm to tinker and I can dry them out quickly in the colder months after a wash or to minimise condensation. A dehumidifier is a good investment.
I find after cleaning and lubing the chain, a light coating of ACF50 on each side of the it prevents moisture build up and keeps it looking like new.
Went down to my bikes today and gave them a good wipe over and blast off with the airline ,they were running with condensation
This is correct. Last week our dogs were sunbathing by our patio doors. It was -2 outside but 26 degrees behind the glass. The garage is dark and sealed. Went down to 2.5 degrees at coldest point and today was 11 degrees. No condensation whatsoever. Slow warm up.
I’ll try blocking out the light and plugging all holes with expanding foam. I’m also going to try insulating the corrugated roof. I couldn’t believe how wet my bike and car were underneath covers. If that doesn’t work I’ll buy a dehumidifier. Darn, my previous garage was dry as a bone.
I use an oil radiator on a thermostat - keeps the temp consistent at around 12-14 degrees in a double garage which is separate from house. God knows what the bill will look like...
Heart sank when I went checking the bikes.Looked like I'd just hosed them down. Bought a pet dryer a few years back which I hadn't used and intended to sell.Luckily for me I didn't get round to it and used it in anger for the first time.Happy days. Moral of the story,keep hold of things if you think in the future you may need. Bought a dremel once and sold without using.Ended up having to buy a copy of one down the line.Refused to buy the same one twice.
