andrewjoseph wrote:i have a question for those who see no need to cover your bike when touring.
where does it live at home?
i cover our bikes when touring, sometimes there is cover near the tent and we use that, often there is not. i use a small cable lock that weighs next to nothing compared to 2 liters of water. the tarp weighs about the same. getting under the tarp to see what's there creates a fair bit of noise and i feel helps me with my mild paranoia.
yes the bike gets wet when riding in rain, but why not reduce the soaking as much as possible, keeping bar tape, shifters and gears dry is not detrimental to their operation and makes me feel better.
Quite correct, the simple fact is the less exposed a bike is the less it rusts. People say the bike will get wet when you ride so why cover it.
Well when you ride there is nothing you can but when in camp you can so why not cover it.
Repeating myself here, because luggage space and weight is rationed. It is a matter of priorities and to me, personally, there are many more things that I would rather carry instead.
i use a proper cycle cover at night it keeps people looking at your bike to see if its worth pinching,in the morning i take the cover off turn it inside out and sit on it to cook breakfast if the grass is wet,then you can lay all your stuff out to pack it away. in a emergency you could shelter underneath it in a big downpour
Clas Ohlson sells a very good quality saddle cover at £2.99, it fits my Brooks B17 perfectly and does the job well unlike the Brooks cover which was porous.
Dudley Manlove wrote:There's the security aspect I guess too - is a covered bike more likely, or less likely to attract unwanted attention? I don't know.
Tho if I had a 5 grand Ti custom framed Rolhoff jobbie I might want to a tarp to keep it out of sight.
I have a four grand belt drive Rolhoff jobbie and I want everybody to see it....
I don't lose sleep over its lack of covering apart from the aforementioned carrier bag Brooks seat cover.
Martin Sargeant wrote:Clas Ohlson sells a very good quality saddle cover at £2.99, it fits my Brooks B17 perfectly and does the job well unlike the Brooks cover which was porous.
Dudley Manlove wrote:There's the security aspect I guess too - is a covered bike more likely, or less likely to attract unwanted attention? I don't know.
Tho if I had a 5 grand Ti custom framed Rolhoff jobbie I might want to a tarp to keep it out of sight.
I have a four grand belt drive Rolhoff jobbie and I want everybody to see it....
I don't lose sleep over its lack of covering apart from the aforementioned carrier bag Brooks seat cover.
that's because rohloffs don't usually rustlike exposed derailleurs and chains!
Dudley Manlove wrote:There's the security aspect I guess too - is a covered bike more likely, or less likely to attract unwanted attention? I don't know.
Tho if I had a 5 grand Ti custom framed Rolhoff jobbie I might want to a tarp to keep it out of sight.
I have a four grand belt drive Rolhoff jobbie and I want everybody to see it....
I don't lose sleep over its lack of covering apart from the aforementioned carrier bag Brooks seat cover.
that's because rohloffs don't usually rustlike exposed derailleurs and chains!
look after it sounds like a great bike
I've toured for eight years with derailleur drive trains and was never concerned about rust. A well maintained and lubricated drive train shouldn't suffer from rust - my drive trains didn't. The only rusting that took place on my bikes has been with the allen head fasteners used for things like mudguard, rack and bottle cage mounts.
Andymiller wrote re my comment about my Brooks saddle cover being porous.
Oh come on: porous? Pull the other one.
Well Andy, Brooks B17, new Brooks saddle cover, light rainfall, wet saddle cover, wet saddle. The cover leaked, it was permeable, porous as said before, it did not keep my saddle dry, I resorted to Sainsbury's bags. Do you work for Brooks?
salsafargo wrote:i use a proper cycle cover at night it keeps people looking at your bike to see if its worth pinching,in the morning i take the cover off turn it inside out and sit on it to cook breakfast if the grass is wet ...
Ditto. We have always taken a cover - a twin one for the two bikes. It is heavy for what it is, but worth it IMO. It does make a good sheet to sit on. I suppose it depends where you're going and that you're doing. On a busy camp site for instance, if you are out for the day, not cycling, the cover is a disincentive for people to mess with the bikes.
I don't remember where I bought the cover. Halfords maybe. It was cheap anyway.
salsafargo wrote:i use a proper cycle cover at night it keeps people looking at your bike to see if its worth pinching,in the morning i take the cover off turn it inside out and sit on it to cook breakfast if the grass is wet,then you can lay all your stuff out to pack it away. in a emergency you could shelter underneath it in a big downpour
