After more than one hundred years, bicycles still get the short end of the stick when it comes to a long life. It only takes a few rainstorms for them to rust and become a danger to ride. If you do not like the idea of extra tetanus shots and lockjaw because you scraped or cut yourself on rusty bike parts, here are some automotive products and approaches that can keep your bicycle good as new. 

Rust Inhibitor Spray

What the automotive industry coats entire vehicles with and thickly applies to the underside of every vehicle, you can use to keep your bicycle from rusting. Buy rust inhibitor spray in a can from your local hardware store and generously douse:

• Your bike's chain, which could jam up at a critical moment and throw you over the handlebars.
• The pedals, which need to move as smoothly as the chain to keep you in fluid motion and prevent injuries.
• Handlebar brakes, which, when rusty, do not work and therefore will prevent you from stopping when you most need to.
• The underside of your bicycle seat, especially if it is removable via a small clamp. (Being able to adjust your seat to a comfortable level and/or remove it when you want to relies on the absence of rust.)

Covering Your Bicycle When You Do Not Have a Garage

This also applies to anyone who does not have a storage shed or a place to put his/her bicycle safely out of the elements when not in use. Since you would cover a car or truck with a vehicle cover or tarp, do the same to your bicycle. Keep as much rain, sleet and snow off of it as you can. Do not let any part of it remain exposed, and the rust, if any, should be minimal.

Repainting Your Bicycle with a Rust-Proof Paint

Outdoor, rust-proof paint is the final means used by automotive manufacturers and dealers to keep vehicles looking their best. You can paint your bicycle with the same paint, and you can buy it from a home improvement retailer, discount retailer or hardware store. The paint comes in both spray cans and paint cans, but you will need to sand off your bike's current paint job before you apply the rust-proof paint. The paint will need a rougher surface to stick to, and since many bicycle manufacturers apply a slick topcoat over every bicycle's paint job, you will have to remove this before the rust-proof paint goes on.