End-of-Season Bike and Wetsuit Storage: The Complete Winter Prep Guide

As racing wraps up for the year, how you store your two most expensive pieces of kit over winter determines whether they’re race-ready next spring or need repairs and replacement. Here’s how to put your bike and wetsuit away properly.

Why Off-Season Storage Matters

A bike left dirty over winter corrodes at the chain, cassette and bolts far faster than one that’s cleaned before storage, and a wetsuit folded away wet or salty degrades the neoprene’s flexibility and buoyancy. Both problems are entirely preventable with an hour of prep at the end of the season.

Preparing Your Bike for Winter Storage

Deep clean before you store it — degrease and re-lube the chain, wipe down the frame, and clean the cassette and jockey wheels. Road grime left over winter attracts moisture and accelerates rust.
Store off the tyres if you can — hanging the bike by the frame or wheels, or using a stand, prevents flat spots developing on tyres left under load for months.
Drop tyre pressure slightly, don’t fully deflate — a small pressure drop reduces stress on the tyre sidewall over a long storage period without risking bead damage from a fully flat tyre.
Remove the battery from electronic groupsets and computers — Di2, AXS and head unit batteries degrade faster if left to drain fully over winter storage; charge to roughly 50% and store separately if possible.
Store somewhere dry with stable temperature — a garage that swings between damp and dry, or freezing and warm, is worse for a bike than a slightly less convenient but stable spot indoors.

Preparing Your Wetsuit for Storage

Rinse thoroughly in fresh water — salt and chlorine both degrade neoprene over time; a proper rinse after the last swim of the season matters more than any single mid-season rinse.
Wash with a wetsuit-specific cleaner occasionally — this removes built-up body oils and residue that plain water rinsing doesn’t fully shift, without the harsh detergents that break down neoprene glue and seams.
Dry inside-out, away from direct sun — UV exposure breaks down neoprene faster than almost anything else; dry it in shade, turned inside-out first, then right-side out to finish.
Hang on a wide hanger, not a wire one — a proper wetsuit hanger (or the fold-over-a-thick-bar method) avoids the crease marks and shoulder stress that a wire coat hanger creates over months of storage.
Store flat or loosely folded, not tightly rolled — tight, permanent folds can create creases that weaken the neoprene at the fold line over a long storage period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Storing a bike with a fully loaded chain still dirty from the last ride of the season — this is the single biggest cause of winter drivetrain corrosion.
Leaving a wetsuit balled up in a swim bag over winter rather than properly dried and stored — damp neoprene left folded is a recipe for mildew smell and degraded flexibility.
Storing either in a garage or shed with big temperature and humidity swings rather than a stable indoor space, even if it’s less convenient.

None of this takes more than an hour combined, and it’s the difference between starting next season with kit that performs like new and one that needs an unplanned repair bill before your first spring race.