Cycle store in new home

Miri_J

Not sure which thread to put this in!

I have recently moved into a new-ish home. I have a small garden, no garage, and a small shed which is stuffed with all my gardening gear. My family bikes are in a friend's garage while I work out what to do with them. There's no space in the house for bikes as I've significantly downsized. I have a good quality e-bike and a small trailer. My daughter has a fairly cheap halfords (full size) bike.

I'm racked with indecision over this! I'm in a moderate sized town in the south west. Crime isn't rife, but I don't consider anywhere to be completely safe nowadays. I've looked at 'security' (wooden) sheds and I've looked at the metal bike bunkers from Trimetals and Asgard's metal bike sheds. Prices increasing significantly with each step and fewer size options in the metal sheds. In each case I have to factor in building a base for it and the space that will take in my garden. I'm a gardener too so I'm trying to balance leaving room to grow things. What are your thoughts? Is a wooden shed sufficient? Or do I need the full metal armour?

teaselMay

I'm having similar debates with myself, moving to a blank canvas garden. I think if someone is determined they'll steal no matter what they're in. If you're riding your bike folk know what you have but to deter the opportunist I'd go for out of sight and a decent ground anchor, and so a small, probably windowless, wooden shed would do the job.

moneysaver1978

How's your DIY? If you cannot find anything for your needs, have you considered building one?

We are in a similar position - we have 2 bikes and they take up awkward space in the shed. We looked at bike storage but they are either too expensive/overpriced/overkill or wrong sizes.

As we managed to built a bin storage with nothing more than free pallets last summer, we are confident enough to build a bike storage next to the shed this summer.

teaselMay

Yep think mine will be self built too, narrow bike shape but with height against a fence

Nasqueron

It depends on the space you have but I recommend Asgard sheds, I can fit 3 bikes in fine to the shorter one with front opening doors on the long edge and the footprint isn't massive and they're tough as old boots when secured to concrete, add a few hooks and the shelves and I'm fine for locks, shoes, tools, helmets, cleaning stuff etc. If you're happy doing DIY and can rope someone in, you can assemble them too.

In terms of that vs wood - depends on your insurance and how accessible it is. I found one bike policy wouldn't touch it as the metal shed is at the front of the house, but a far less sturdy wooden shed at the back would be fine. If you're talking Halfords specials at a few hundred quid a pop, good wooden shed is fine, if it's bikes in the significant 4 or even 5 figure value, I wouldn't trust something you could kick in vs something needing heavy duty cutting gear. 

We have a rear shed and I got a security bar thing that screws into the frame and gives you anchor points to lock the bike, the screws break off when you fully tighten to stop them being undone and it makes the wall a bit more secure, but even that is only used for a cheap bike and a ladder

tetrarch

I've just bought my second Duramax box from Amazon. I'm seriously thinking of buying a third for storing two bikes

The 570L one has been down the bottom of my garden with furniture cushions in for the best part of 18 months. Absolutely no sign of water ingress and the steel finish is unblemished £161 quid

I've just bought its twin for £148 to be nearer the house and I'm seriously looking at one of these to store two bikes in:

https://www.duramaxbp.com/product/bicycle-store-6x3/

For £300 it looks like great value

Regards

Tet

Miri_J

Nasqueron said:

It depends on the space you have but I recommend Asgard sheds, I can fit 3 bikes in fine to the shorter one with front opening doors on the long edge and the footprint isn't massive and they're tough as old boots when secured to concrete, add a few hooks and the shelves and I'm fine for locks, shoes, tools, helmets, cleaning stuff etc. If you're happy doing DIY and can rope someone in, you can assemble them too.

In terms of that vs wood - depends on your insurance and how accessible it is. I found one bike policy wouldn't touch it as the metal shed is at the front of the house, but a far less sturdy wooden shed at the back would be fine. If you're talking Halfords specials at a few hundred quid a pop, good wooden shed is fine, if it's bikes in the significant 4 or even 5 figure value, I wouldn't trust something you could kick in vs something needing heavy duty cutting gear. 

We have a rear shed and I got a security bar thing that screws into the frame and gives you anchor points to lock the bike, the screws break off when you fully tighten to stop them being undone and it makes the wall a bit more secure, but even that is only used for a cheap bike and a ladder

I have been debating an Asgard shed, though I hadn't really looked at the shorter ones. I shall have another look at it. 

The bike isn't at the higher end of what you quote but it's worth looking after! 

Miri_J

moneysaver1978 said:

How's your DIY? If you cannot find anything for your needs, have you considered building one?

We are in a similar position - we have 2 bikes and they take up awkward space in the shed. We looked at bike storage but they are either too expensive/overpriced/overkill or wrong sizes.

As we managed to built a bin storage with nothing more than free pallets last summer, we are confident enough to build a bike storage next to the shed this summer.

Sadly my DIY isn't up to that. Having just moved to a house with a few DIY disasters that I'm having to undo, I don't want to create another one in the garden! LOL. 
I hope you manage to create what you want. :-)

bouicca21

A friend stores his bike in a shed, and locks it with a d lock (I think gold rather than platinum rated).  He’s had one break in but they didn’t take the bike as they weren’t equipped to saw through the d lock. 

He continues to store the bike in the shed as he reckons that the sort of person who breaks into sheds is unlikely to be carrying an angle grinder.

Other friends rent space in cycle hangars that the council have installed on the street.

Nasqueron

Miri_J said:

moneysaver1978 said:

How's your DIY? If you cannot find anything for your needs, have you considered building one?

We are in a similar position - we have 2 bikes and they take up awkward space in the shed. We looked at bike storage but they are either too expensive/overpriced/overkill or wrong sizes.

As we managed to built a bin storage with nothing more than free pallets last summer, we are confident enough to build a bike storage next to the shed this summer.

Sadly my DIY isn't up to that. Having just moved to a house with a few DIY disasters that I'm having to undo, I don't want to create another one in the garden! LOL. 
I hope you manage to create what you want. :-)

Asgard do an install service, it's maybe £150 or so but the guys who did mine were in and done in half an hour or so, unloaded and built it all, screwed in etc

Nasqueron

bouicca21 said:

A friend stores his bike in a shed, and locks it with a d lock (I think gold rather than platinum rated).  He’s had one break in but they didn’t take the bike as they weren’t equipped to saw through the d lock. 

He continues to store the bike in the shed as he reckons that the sort of person who breaks into sheds is unlikely to be carrying an angle grinder.

Other friends rent space in cycle hangars that the council have installed on the street.

You can see videos on youtube of people with portable battery powered grinders in broad daylight going through locks to steal bikes from public locks. If they want the bike they'll come back with the grinder