I used a nice old butted-chromoly steel hack roadbike for commuting is a rainy coastal town. The bike lived outdoors 24/7 for 2 years and was ridden hard every day, including along the seafront in storms.
Corrosion was never a problem. I squirted WD40 inside every steel tube and waxed exterior surfaces. Bearings were over-packed with lithium grease to prevent the ingress of water and all metal-metal contacts were greased. The bottom bracket shell has a drainage hole and was fitted with a Shimano cartridge (un53)
I could have used special framesaver and copper antisieze, but just used whatever stuff I already had.
I always covered the saddle with a heavy duty plastic bag and water drained past the seatpost, not inside the seat-tube.
Leaving the bike outside prevents problems from internal condensation.
Corrosion was never a problem. I squirted WD40 inside every steel tube and waxed exterior surfaces. Bearings were over-packed with lithium grease to prevent the ingress of water and all metal-metal contacts were greased. The bottom bracket shell has a drainage hole and was fitted with a Shimano cartridge (un53)
I could have used special framesaver and copper antisieze, but just used whatever stuff I already had.
I always covered the saddle with a heavy duty plastic bag and water drained past the seatpost, not inside the seat-tube.
Leaving the bike outside prevents problems from internal condensation.
I thought I was doing it a favour. Unless you have good ventilation, leaving something outside is better than storing it damp. The ideal is a roof to keep the rain off, and plenty of air flowing through.
