best way to keep bike when not able to ride

Some of you may know that 4 weeks ago I ventured out on my road bike and ended up in hospital for 18 days with 2 broken legs,(3 fractures in tib and fib left leg and broken femur right leg) broken hip, broken ribs punctured lung and a ton of bruises etc. Anyway head on with car is not a good result. (I was wearing helmet and high viz lycra lol) helmet had a split in the back so must assume saved my skull. What I want the experts to tell me is… What is the best way to store my mountain bike so that the shocks etc dont seize up. Ive been told 6 months before walking again. Just for the record I have been MTB rider XC for over 4 years, Roady only 6 months and mainly cos of the crap weather we have been having this last year.

Not sure there’s a lot you need to do to be honest. Just make sure that it’s not gonna get damp, make sure the chain is well lubed and perhaps put a thin film of lube on the fork stanchions just to protect them from the damp/wet. If you don’t have anything specific, then a rag/tissue with a smear of chain lube (like Finish Line Wet Lube) wiped over them will do.

My OH’s Myka Sport doesn’t get ridden very often – last time I think was Oct last yr and it doesn’t seem to suffer too many ill effects from being left standing..

EDIT – Oh, and healing vibes your way! Sounds like quite a lot of injury to deal with!

Blimey! Not good, fella. Sorry to hear of your injuries – you sound lucky to be alive.

Keep it clean and dry, a little bit of lube on the chain and mebbe put some silicon spray on the stanchions. Alternatively get someone to ride it! 🙂

Dry, lubed and upright

Flippin eck, hope recovery is going ok.

My main mtb was in the shed and unridden for ages with a nice protective layer of mud and dirt. After more than 6 months I knocked the mud off, washed it, lubed it, and it was ready to go.

If I know i’m not going to be using them for a while though I do strip the bikes down and store the parts somewhere dry (attic wrapped in a blanket is good.)

Bedroom, furthest side from the radiator.

weight off wheels if possible. But, TBH, as long as it’s inside it should survive fine.

Healing vibes too, plenty of sitting in sun if poss to get that vitamin D to the bones.

Cheers folks, I had heard about storing forks upside down etc but think ill lube it up and get son in law to ride round block every other week. Healing up well, just so boring lay on sofa all day. starting to get a bit more mobile in wheel chair though hence looking at MTB today in garage and thinking shock was stiff, although it was probably cos im as weak as piss at the moment.

Ghoulish interest piqued….

How did you manage that?

Oh god that sounds horrific. Nothing else bring to the bike storage party but healing vibes fella. Hope you are back on a bike soon.

+1 healing vibes

As for the bike, it’ll be fine parked up – maybe an overspray of GT85 will sort it.

Based on my past experience, you’ll re-build it at least twice before you can ride it again.

Hope the time passes quickly.

Good luck with your recovery.

ouch. get well soon.

I’d probably spend my recovery time giving all my bikes a thorough service, maybe learn how to service forks/shock as well! Will get the bike running nice for when you can enjoy it again.. if it’s not too painful to work on your bike that is. Hope you heal up soon, sounds awful.

Check the condition of your pivot bearings to ensure they are not rusty in anyway. Put my susser to bed over winter and returned to it to find all the main pivots seized.

ended up in hospital for 18 days with 2 broken legs,(3 fractures in tib and fib left leg and broken femur right leg) broken hip, broken ribs punctured lung and a ton of bruises etc. Anyway head on with car is not a good result.

Head on with a car?! I’d say you got off relatively lightly… Glad you didn’t come off any worse. Get well soon!

As for the bike, i only have one thing to add; i would seriously recommend giving you’re brakes a good service before you ride again. I have personal experience of storing my bike for 6 months (not through injury, fortunately – i was working away) only to have the brakes fail on the first day out.

All the best. Healing vibes have been dispatched:

Looking at my bank statements I’m spending about 100 quid on bike crap every week I’m injured.

For the first 4 weeks I couldn’t turn an Allen key so had a pile of boxes about a foot high, if you’ve got 6 months off then you’ll need to be building up at least 2 new bikes 😉

Healing vibes to you though man, sounds horrible.

Head on with a car?! I’d say you got off relatively lightly… Glad you didn’t come off any worse. Get well soon!

Thats what the police said. cant say too much about accident as police are prosecuting the driver who by the way never stopped to see if i was ok. The car suddenly changed lanes and drove straight at me at about 30 mph. luckily 2 cars behind me was a trauma surgeon who sorted my lungs out at the sceen by making an incision in my chest. The bike frame I have been told is in 3 pieces. Not sure if ill road ride in the future, hospital was a constant flow of cyclists injured. Big thanks to Paramedics and surgeons. And big thanks to general public who looked after me at the sceen until emergency services srrived. Put my faith back into society, lots of caring people about.

If no-one is riding the bike, I’d let the tyres down and remove the seat post. Every time I leave a bike, the seat post seizes…

Get well soon.