WEWS News Channel 5: A cycling swap meet, a new director, the Underground alternate, dealing with winter and money talk

The Northeast Ohio bicycling community is really fortunate that WEWS NewsNet 5 videographer Tom Livingston is on the bicycling beat for the TV station -- he is an avid cyclist who shines a much-needed light on all the great bicycling news in the area.

Look no further than his terrific report from February 23, 2012, which covered Century Cycles' tips on winter biking and storage (see excerpt below), Jacob Van Sickle now heading up Bike Cleveland, Jim Sayer from the Adventure Cycling Association coming to town, and even a bike swap meet.

If you’re like me, this mild winter has had you on your bike much more often than in winters past.

With winter winding down (but still lurking), Tracey Bradnan of Century Cycles offered these tips on winter riding and storage of your bike.

If you ride regularly in the winter, don’t store your bike inside a warm house. Instead, store it somewhere it will remain relatively cold, such as in a garage. Frequent shifts between cold and warm temperatures can potentially cause moisture to condense on the inside of the frame, which can lead to rust. Repeated freezing and thawing can cause components to come loose or, in the worst case, crack. This can also make minor imperfections in the frame’s finish become major cracks.

Bare concrete is not a friend to bike tires. Concrete draws moisture out of the rubber of the tires, causing dry-rot and premature aging of the tires. If you must store your bike with the wheels on the floor, store them on a non-concrete floor or put rugs or rubber mats under the wheels.

Bradnan added hanging your bike up by a wheel from a hook does not damage your wheel.

Road salt is highly corrosive to bicycles – the frames and the components. Make sure you wash your bike before storing it for the winter or wash it regularly if you are riding all winter long.

On that salt vein, she suggested cyclists beware if you keep bikes stored in the garage as cars bring in road salt and you may need to dust it off your bikes…who knew?

Potholes can bend your rims beyond repair, and newly minted potholes present a double hazard – the chasm itself, and the chunks of shattered pavement around it, which can puncture your tire.

Batteries for accessories like your lights and cycling computer may have a shorter life in the cold temperatures.

A reminder to service your bike before the warm-weather rush and while off-season sales takes place.

By the way, Century Cycles locations are offering free bike clinics, visit www.centurycycles.com/for/clinics for times, dates and locations.