Getting bikes off the tyres over winter

hello
Have heard the advice that when bikes are left in storage or in a garage over winter etc then the bike should be kept with the tyres off the ground ? is that to help/stop squaring off as the weight of the bike stays in one place or whats the reasoning behind it ? Would search google but dont know where to start on what terms to use :-)

They say to reduce your tyre pressures by approx 20% and lift them completely off the ground for winter storage. This is generally to prevent flat spots and degradation of the tyre wall.

I've also heard separately that the tyres should always be off the ground when stored (garage etc) as prolonged contact causes the concrete to remove the oils from the rubber at the contact point and beyond again causing premature tyre degradation, basically the rubber goes brittle and starts to break down.

Some people have old carpet or rugs under the bike for this reason!!

ahhh ok, thank you very much for the reply. Thought the carpet was just people showing off how posh they were LOL

We have a carpet in the garage, and it gets hoovered.....

Luckily I have a lovely little man that takes care of mine for me, he lifts ours off the ground for the winter as mentioned above.

Haven't you got a hover in the garage specifically for that Ellie? I think I remember from a pic of your bike there was a Dyson in the background?

Yup, same here. The logic I was told, and which makes sense, was to do with the cold as well as the pressure. Concrete will get colder and stay colder than the surrounding air during frosty winter nights, and can damage the rubber in the tyre.

I don't have a front paddock stand, so for winter mine is on a rear stand with the front wheel up on a folded cardboard box. Six or so layers of corrugated cardboard should help to insulate the front contact patch.

Agree with the above, however I just put mine on the centre stand, cover with a blanket, bring it out in spring, and never had a flat spot. When the bikes on its centre stand there's very little weight on the front wheel.

Easiest way around this problem is to become a proper biker and use it throughout the winter !!!!!! Lol

No thanks. I've done enough riding in the snow and rain and dark and cold to last me a lifetime.

Yours,
An imaginary biker.

Currently enjoying my first experience of winter riding...can't beat it!
Glare from the sun causing you to ride with ur eyes closed, losing feeling in tips of ur fingers 20mins into any journey, playing skid roulette with man-hole covers, having to leave extra 20mins journey time to allow for getting geared up with extra layers and a hot water bottle...what's not to love?

I start work extremely early some days so its always icy cold and dark,

All worth it though if it means my tyres don't end up feeling "depressed" and "deflated"

think I am too much of a wimp to be doing that when it gets rainy and icy etc...have a hard enough time getting out of bed in the winter as it is let alone getting up even earlier to put extra layers on...When its like today however and bright sunshine outside (in Northampton) then that wont be a problem, its the other end of the day riding home in the cold and dark that I don't look forward to...need another hot drink just thinking about it LOL

I must say I don't enjoy riding round in the cold and the dark, at any time of year. But there are still enough days through the winter when you can have an enjoyable ride out, and I'm sure the bike is all the better for it.

OK, I'm a gent of leisure, so I get more opportunities than most, but today for example I went out for a quick blast - 2 1/2 hours with only a quick stop for petrol. Managed about 100 miles, including an unobstructed run on the whole length of the Charlbury TT (apart from a few wayward pheasants) . The forecast said no rain, but in fact I did hit a little bit of light drizzle here and there, though the roads stayed mainly dry, and it wasn't cold.

So, don't hang up the kit for the winter - be prepared to take advantage when the chance comes.

bikes on a abba stand with a simple car jack under the down pipes so she,s off the ground every so often though the winter spin the wheels lube chain coveedr with old quilt heater wooden floor drawn curtains on trickel charge radio
thats only because fred won,t let me keep her in the conservatory spoil sport

HEHORE wrote:Easiest way around this problem is to become a proper biker and use it throughout the winter !!!!!! Lol

Just came across this on another forum:

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So if you're taking the bike off the road AND intending to SORN it, check with your insurer first. Though if the bike's in the garage, I'm darned if I can see that there's a greater risk of a claim if it's SORNed than if it's taxed!

Unless it's a mis-spelling and they really meant "snoring".

Just to add to the above, I thought I had better ask my insurance company that very question and got the following through (hope it helps others too if they are insured by ebike):

SORN'ing a vehicle does mean insurance is no longer valid, however, when you do not plan to use your bike for a while, you may reduce the cover to "Fire and Theft" only. This is only available as an option on “Comprehensive" or "Third Party Fire and Theft" policies that are already running. This is only available if your bike is kept in a garage while at home.

If you have a "Third Party Only" policy, or you do not have a garage at your home address, this is not available.

As eBike Insurance is an online company, you are able to make any changes to your policy online:

HEHORE wrote:Easiest way around this problem is to become a proper biker and use it throughout the winter !!!!!! Lol

Amen to that... although understandable that for some people it's just not practical to commute however there is no excuse to not take the bike out for a spin every now again in the winter

mrfrance wrote:

HEHORE wrote:Easiest way around this problem is to become a proper biker and use it throughout the winter !!!!!! Lol

Amen to that... although understandable that for some people it's just not practical to commute however there is no excuse to not take the bike out for a spin every now again in the winter

Defo agree with that, although I don't commute my bike was out all through winter in the wind and rain, (not snow and ice apart from Wales in Feb) virtually every weekend.