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Winterize Your Bicycle

How to Get Your Bike Ready for Cold Weather

Nov 3, 2008 Elece Hollis

Prepare for the winter by cleaning, repairing, oiling and storing your bicycle. Leaving it out in the damp and cold will lead to rust and damage.

If you own a bicycle, take care of it this winter. Don’t leave it lying outside where cold damp weather can reduce it to a rusty mess. Take care of your bike and it will last until you outgrow it or upgrade. It will then still have value. Like car owners who weatherize their vehicles by adding antifreeze to any fluids in the vehicle, make repairs and store the car inside for the winter months, bike owners should winterize also.

Clean Your Bike

Has your bike suffered a lot of wear and tear this summer? How can you fix it up? Even if you cannot make repairs, you can wash and dry your bike. Polish it and give especial care to the painted parts of the bike body. Shine it until it looks its best.

Repair and Restore

When it is clean do what repairs you can, such as tightening the seat and handlebars, replace the bulb in your headlight, replace safety reflectors. Remove damaged parts such as horns or baskets. If you are able replace these parts. Replace broken spokes.

Rustoleum™ paint fights rust that may have already developed on your bike from scraps or dents. Repaint using spray paint made especially for metal. Lay the bike on paper outside on a day when the wind is low. Shake up the paint and spray slow and steady over the spot. Be careful of your clothes and hands as this paint is hard to wash off.

If your bike is a speed bike or has hand brakes, check the cables. Feel along the length of each cable to see if it is cracked, worn or loose.

Bike Maintenance

Tighten chain and oil it with 3-in-1 oil. Use a true oil rather than a lubricant like WD-40.

Check the kick stand to be certain it is still in good condition and will hold the bike up. Tighten it or replace it if necessary. The kick stand is an important feature of the bike since it stands it up keeping it out of water or wet grass. It prevents dents and damage that can occur when the bike is laid down on the ground. Keep it in working order.

Store the Bike

Store your bike by hanging it up on a bike hook in a shed or garage where it will be out of the weather. The tires should be off the ground to keep them from going flat. The best way to hang the bike is upside down – wheels up. A plastic covered hook is the least likely to scratch the bike or allow it to fall. The bike can be stored without a hook on a bike rack that keeps the tires off the floor.

Winter wet and cold can be hard on your bike. Take good care of your bicycle and it will last much longer.

The copyright of the article Winterize Your Bicycle in Kids Activities is owned by Elece Hollis. Permission to republish Winterize Your Bicycle in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Child on Bike