How to cover a bicycle left outside for extended periods I'm about to start a new job, within cycling distance of home. Trouble is that the office is small and has nowhere to store my bike. So I'm going to have to chain it up outside each day.

I went to my local bike shop today to get a cover and was surprised to find they didn't sell them. The staff said most are no good: they are too thin and light to offer proper protection.

Is this right? If so, is there anything else I can do to protect the bike from the elements (I live in the UK so this is mostly rain rather than extreme cold)?
Don’t worry about it. A bit of rain or dirt won’t harm your bike.

Regularly lube and clean your chain (even if it’s not yet rusty) and everything will be fine.

Salt can be quite nasty but unless you ride close to the coast it won’t be an issue in the UK.

If you want to save yourself some trouble, make sure you grease the contact area of parts such as the seat post or pedal threads before installing them so that they don't rust in place and you are still able to remove them at some point in the future. The bearings of some parts (e.g. pedals, headsets) can be re-greased which could be a good idea to do every year or so.