Prevent Your Bike From Rusting This Spring
With summer on its way, more bikers will be taking to the streets and trails to enjoy the outdoors and get great exercise. But even the sunny months have some weather fluctuation, whether it’s thunderstorms, clouds, windy days, or sudden temperature drops.
What does this mean for your bike? Bikes are notoriously susceptible to rust damage, whether it’s on the gears, brakes, shifters, and other metal components. Bike rust can shorten the lifespan of your bike, which means less sunny outdoor rides for you to enjoy. Thankfully, there are some simple ways to protect a bike from rust, from proper storage to rust-prevention bicycle covers.
Tips To Prevent Your Bike From Rusting
Rust forms when metal is affected by moisture and oxygen, which can happen with weather changes. Moisture can come in the form of water, but can also come through the air. If you live in a humid climate, then oxidation is very common, and rust can build up fast unless you practice rust prevention.
A good practice to get into to prevent your bike from rusting is to wipe your bike off if it gets wet. Have a dry cloth in your garage or storage space, and wipe up the excess moisture on your bike if you get stuck in a storm or come into contact with moisture another way.
Another key part of rust prevention for your bike is proper storage. For seasoned bikers, this may seem obvious, but casual bikers may be tempted to leave their bike on the driveway or in a yard. This leaves your bike exposed to the outdoor elements and can accelerate rusting. Ideally, a bike should be stored in a cool, climate-controlled space, but a garage or shed can also work if that’s not an option.
There are a few basic maintenance tasks you can do, like keeping your bike lubricated. Regular lubrication makes it hard for rust and corrosion to develop, and protects your gears from the elements. Keep your bike’s bearings and bushings greased, as well as your chain. It’s especially important to lubricate your chain after you wash your bike, which is another good tip for warding off rust.
Finally, performing regular tune-ups is a great way to void off rust. A bike tune-up is an in-depth process of disassembling your bike, cleaning the parts, and re-lubricating the parts that need it. Ideally, this should be done twice a year in order to ward off damage. If you’re an expert biker you may know how to do this process yourself, but bike mechanics are also a great resource for tune-ups.
Need A More Simple Solution? Bike Covers Can Help
All of these bike rust prevention practices work great, but if you’re looking for a single, reliable solution, a bike cover may be the answer for you.
Bicycle covers from Zerust Products are specifically designed to ward off rust and corrosion. These covers are corrosion proof, water resistant, mold proof, and rust inhibiting. This bicycle cover protects gears, brakes, shifters, and metal components all at once by fully covering the entire bike. This is also a long-term solution, as these rust and corrosion inhibitors remain active for 5 years after the date of your purchase.
If you travel with your bike often, then a rust prevention bike cover is a great way to be proactive. But this cover also works for bikes that stay in garages or sheds, because it provides the peace of mind you need to know that your bike is fully protected.
About Zerust Products
For nearly two decades, Zerust Products has developed and manufactured rust and corrosion prevention products for consumers around the world. They prioritize minimizing environmental impact and creating products that last.
There’s a reason more than 2,000 companies in more than 60 countries trust Zerust Products for rust and corrosion prevention. Learn more about what they offer and visit https://www.zerustproducts.com/