Brand new chain rusted in only 3 months

[madrespek]

I left my bicycle in my apartment buildings garage since mid february. I think I last rode it in February. Anyway, in that time, the chain and gears corroded completely. The chain was basically brand new before I left the bike in the garage.

Ive never seen corrosion like this, not even on my dads decade old junker, so I figure my bike was exposed to some sort of chemical. My girlfriends bike , which was left in the same place, was similarly rusted beyond repair; as was another bike that had been the garage for the past few months.

This garage is very dry, clean, and well maintained, so I was wondering if anyone knows what could possibly cause such ridiculous damage in a relatively short period of time in a clean garage. Should I try and get my landlord to front the expense? I can include pics if it will help.

Thanks

[xerxes]

Chains are bare steel and will rust pretty quickly in damp air unless kept well oiled.

[madrespek]

Hmm...would u expect a newly bought , was oiled when I bought it, to rust to the point of being completely stiff and brown in 3 months time? I mean this thing looked like a piece of the titanic.

[xerxes]

Unless the chain is fully enclosed, like it was on some older single and 3 speed bikes, you have to oil it very regularly. If you ride in wet or muddy conditions, it may be necessary to clean and oil the chain after each ride.

See here: http://bikeride.com/chain-lubrication/

[Joe_W]

Especially when riding in winter conditions, the moisture and the salt can be very aggressive and ruin chains etc. really fast. Especially after harsh winter rides I clean the chain using chaincleaner, a chain cleaning tool, then flush with water and (after it has dried) apply lube (some ceramic lube for wet conditions, I think Finish Line?).
On my "summer and sunny only" road bike I clean the chain... maybe once per year on average. (chain lasts me a bit more than one year, I don't have time to cycle regularly anymore...)

[DaveM]

Exposure to certain chemicals will speed up rust. Exhaust gases from cars, furnaces, or fumes from chemical storage can speed up the rusting process, especially in combination with high ambient humidity.

If the bikes were kept right next to a heating unit or some kind of storage maybe that contributed. Keeping the bike well lubed should protect against most airborne issues. If it was just one chain that was really bad, I would say maybe it was just a chain made of cheap steel that rusts quickly. But since all the bike showed it, sounds like there could be something in that environment speeding up the rust.

As to getting compensation, sounds pretty unlikely. Unless the garage is advertised as "environmentally controlled" or you can point to some specific issue (landlord left a big bottle of sulfuric acid sitting open in the shed) pretty hard to imagine they're going to take responsibility.