Never hang your bike

Never hang your bike by the front wheel from a hook in the ceiling.

Hanging a bike by its wheels is a really bad move, all of the free ions in the rim sink to the bottom of the wheel, stretching the top spokes, compressing the bottom spokes, and leaving a definite bulge where the hanger was.

In addition, the butyl of the inner tube gradually deteriorates at the top as the nitrogen sinks to the bottom, allowing the pure oxygen to attack the black colouring of the butyl.Apparently only black inner tubes are affected, so clear ones will be fine.The front forks are also affected, as the are made to be in compression, and once the compression is released, the kinetic tension is released, so lengthening the forks.

The only way to keep the bike in good condition is to use it everyday!

(Alan Lee, posted on uk.rec.cycling)