Bike sheds

EKE_38BPM

Mrs EKE is in the market for a bike shed.

She is ready to pull the trigger on this for £95.
Does the hive mind know of any better and/or cheaper ones to look out for?

nation

Just make sure you attach a ground anchor to the concrete pad you're sitting the shed on, and get a heavy motorcycle chain to lock the bikes up.

A padlock on a wooden shed is basically no security at all. It's also a good idea to check if your home insurance has any limits or exclusions relating to theft from outbuildings (for example mine applies a limit of £500).

Not really the advice you were looking for, but good advice nonetheless.

EKE_38BPM

nation wrote:

Just make sure you attach a ground anchor to the concrete pad you're sitting the shed on, and get a heavy motorcycle chain to lock the bikes up.

A padlock on a wooden shed is basically no security at all. It's also a good idea to check if your home insurance has any limits or exclusions relating to theft from outbuildings (for example mine applies a limit of £500).

Not really the advice you were looking for, but good advice nonetheless.

Yes, good advice. Thanks.
A metal shed has been vetoed on cost and aesthetic grounds.

mroli

Eke - I've got one of those and would say -

Putting it up wasn't that much of a problem - it was fine really, a bit fiddly making sure that it all fits together and stuff and that it is all level, but I'm pretty incompetent when it comes to these sort of things and did it by myself. A helping pair of hands would be good thougoh.

The shed itself is ok - you can get 3 bikes in there (if you fit one upside down) and you can put lots of hooks on the top to hang stuff like helmets and shoes - in fact there is a lot of "top" space - I'm thinking about trying to put a shelf in there.

The doors are a bit of a faff - to get a bike in/out, you need to open both doors - on my one, the left one is bolted.

As someone else has said - the padlock system is useless for security purposes - I have my bikes locked and alarmed inside my shed - the padlock is really just there for aesthetic purposes. The wooden shed could be destroyed in seconds, but it is cheap, keeps the bikes dry and out of sight and they are locked securely within the shed.

I also painted the shed (after having put it up because then I lazily didn't have to paint the back which is against a fence) which was fine.

IMHO - a good cheap alternative - but I would get some additional security on the bikes living in there as well (and I won't put my "best" bike in there!)

The only issue I have had is that one of the doors has "sagged" a little - not even a cm, but a little bit annoying (not annoying enough to fix though!)

Clever Pun

use security screws on the door (don't get it wrong as they only go in)

also get a security latch that covers the padlock



Also 3 bikes... bit limiting?

Headhuunter

I've got my bikes in a similar shed, got my 3 bikes in there and the other half's bike too, all hanging by their saddles from one of the rafter beams. Plenty of space on the floor and all around for other stuff too. I've got 2 padlocks on the front, a padlock on the bolt on the inside and the bikes themselves are padlocked to each other and the rafters of the shed, but no ground anchor or anything. I'm sure that if a thief wanted to get in and had a crowbar handy, it wouldn't be tough, but it may take a while to get through all the locks on the bikes themselves.... As for the screws on the outside of the shed which attach the hinges etc, instead of changing them for expensive security screws, just fill the exposed end of the normal screws in with glue so it's impossible to unscrew them without chiselling all the glue out 1st...

mudcow007

funnily enough im looking at buying my first shed at the moment, speaking to my dad last night he said that i need to make my own as its kind of a right of passage (maybe my dad is like a Jedi but instead of a lightsabre you build your own shed)

12ft x 8ft i want it so i can put my turbo in there an pedal away til my heart is content in all weather, im planning on running electrics to it aswell an running a zone off the house alarm to it too.

£695 aint cheap though for a bit of wood

i have seen a security bolt that goes across the whole of the shed doors so the doors can not be forced

also ground anchor is the way forward, i will make mine out of sheet steel about 1/2 " thick

SimonAH

The secret of any long term relationship is a good shed.

Me "I'm going out to the workshop"
Mrs "You building sh1t again?"
Me "Yep, see you in a bit"

.....bliss.

veronese68

I agree with all of the comments about security. The problem being although it increases the amount of aggravation for a tea leaf it also increases the time it takes for you to get started every time you go out. The downside of this is that human nature being what it is you are more likely to get lazy and not use all of the security devices at some point. That is the day some toerag decides to turn your shed over.
Something of sturdier construction would mean less hassle extracting the bikes so more likely to be used to good effect.
Apologies if that sounds too negative.

ex-pat scot

£95 or £695 ? Bit of a difference.

I'd lock all the bikes together. Makes removal rather difficult. Add a few poisonous spiders perhaps. And a trap door.

Butterd2

I know you have ruled out the metal shed but that is what I went for.
We also have a wooden shed and after the door getting sprung a couple of times we now no longer bother locking it, it was impossible to make secure and was just getting more damaged every time.
Every now and again it will be open in the morning when someone has had a little look around, found nothing worth nicking and left.

Confusedboy

You've got to try to think like a thief. Imagine yourself to be an opportunist thief scouting through gardens looking for an easy raise. A shed shouts 'goodies in here' to you, and the padlock on the door confirms it. A decent kick destroys the shed, and the short, sharp noise will most likely be ignored by anyone hearing it. In the remnants of the shed are 3 bikes, locked together, along with all the good stuff you have on hooks or shelves. A quick call on your (stolen) mobile to a chum, and the pair of you can easily lift all 3 out and away, to a location where the bike's locks can be dealt with at leisure. And, don't forget, the thief will now be keeping an eye on your garden in order to repeat the hit when you have replaced the stolen bikes.

In short, this sort of thing is worse than useless because it actually advertises to thieves that there is something stealable inside, and your garden and property have been flagged up as potential goody locations. Unless you have your bikes locked down to a concrete base, they are practically guaranteed to go missing. Your bike needs to be inside a brick or concrete building, preferably within the exterior walls of your own household (communal areas in flats are, again, asking for trouble. You may trust your neighbours, but do you trust everyone who knows them?). I suspect you will find that your insurance cover reflects this.

sketchley

I've got one. I. don't bother locking it instead the bikes are secured on the inside to ground anchor. Also two bikes go in fine, a third is a big push. There is no floor so you need a level concrete base, if not level the door don't shut. It's not exactly the sturdiest thing every but keeps the bikes dry which is what it was purchased for. Personally I wouldn't bother locking it, if it locked someone with think there's something in there worth stealing and break the lock, let them open the door and take look ans see everything secured inside. Also as no floor on it you can simply pick it up and lift it over the bikes.

Headhuunter

Sketchley wrote:

I've got one. I. don't bother locking it instead the bikes are secured on the inside to ground anchor. Also two bikes go in fine, a third is a big push. There is no floor so you need a level concrete base, if not level the door don't shut. It's not exactly the sturdiest thing every but keeps the bikes dry which is what it was purchased for. Personally I wouldn't bother locking it, if it locked someone with think there's something in there worth stealing and break the lock, let them open the door and take look ans see everything secured inside. Also as no floor on it you can simply pick it up and lift it over the bikes.

Although leaving it unlocked simply invites people to take a look. They look, see 2 or 3 bikes secured to a ground anchor, they go away and come back with the tools they need to "free" the bikes. If the shed door is padlocked it's probably 50:50 whether they bother to crack the locks to get inside or just move on to an easier target...

SimonAH

Alarm. And flashing light outside the shed door. And a PIR.

Cost you sub £50 if you shop around.

The aim is to make your stuff look less nickable than your neighbours stuff. That's all.

I have dogs

sketchley

SimonAH wrote:

Alarm. And flashing light outside the shed door. And a PIR.

Cost you sub £50 if you shop around.

The aim is to make your stuff look less nickable than your neighbours stuff. That's all.

I have dogs

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterproof-Imit ... 196&sr=8-5

sketchley

Headhuunter wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

I've got one. I. don't bother locking it instead the bikes are secured on the inside to ground anchor. Also two bikes go in fine, a third is a big push. There is no floor so you need a level concrete base, if not level the door don't shut. It's not exactly the sturdiest thing every but keeps the bikes dry which is what it was purchased for. Personally I wouldn't bother locking it, if it locked someone with think there's something in there worth stealing and break the lock, let them open the door and take look ans see everything secured inside. Also as no floor on it you can simply pick it up and lift it over the bikes.

Although leaving it unlocked simply invites people to take a look. They look, see 2 or 3 bikes secured to a ground anchor, they go away and come back with the tools they need to "free" the bikes. If the shed door is padlocked it's probably 50:50 whether they bother to crack the locks to get inside or just move on to an easier target...

I get where you are coming from on that. But purpose of my shed is to keep bikes dry that's it. Before the shed I had them under a cover in the same spot secured in the same way. There is a lock on the gate in to the back garden though. Famous last words (although they are welcome to steal my bike at the moment) I live in an OK area so this isn't an issue for me but this shed would not work for me in a front garden in Hackney.

richVSrich

sketchley, does that come with a chain gun attachment?

and put some signs down that there are some unexploded mines in your garden :evil:

daviesee

All I can say is nothing like the above happens here and I am not revealing my location.

Is it real, or is it paranoia?

moonio

I have a metal shed like this one but bigger
http://www.gardensite.co.uk/YardMaster_ ... _21000.htm

Its like a whole other house to store things in

Aidy

... but what colour should it be?

redjeepǃ

Aidy wrote:

... but what colour should it be?

Preferably invisible but I don't think Ronseal have perfected that one yet.

I keep my bikes in a big wooden shed. It's 20 foot by 12 and I've upgraded the doors and door frame with pieces of 4x2 timber along the back. I fitted throughbolts for the padlock and the hinges (don't forget them). My most valuable bike is kept locked to a large piece of concrete with a motorbike chain and padlock. And I live in a very low crime area.

I made a beam of concrete with several through holes for the chain, but an easier way to do it is to get a dustbin or something similar, cut a hole in each side to feed some piping through and then fill the bin with a mixture of stones, gravel, rebar and wet cement. When it's dry, feed the chain through the piping. As long as it's heavy it'll be reasonably secure.

EKE_38BPM

Sketchley wrote:

... I live in an OK area so this isn't an issue for me but this shed would not work for me in a front garden in Hackney.

Hmmm....

The shed is for a front garden in Dalston (just up the road from Hackney).

The shed is so mainly to keep the bikes dry and its in the front garden so that the bikes don't have to be carried through the house into the back garden.
Solid shed to deter thieves or flimsy shed with better internal security?

What to do?...

sketchley

Wrong tool for the job then.......

You want one of them metal sheds that open upwards. Cost about 400 quid. I'll look up a link in the morning.

joelsim

You need to make it like Indiana Jones, where some 'orrible tealeaf opens the door and gets crushed by a great big iron ballbearing, and then falls into a pit full of cobras.

My missus is getting sick of my bike being in the front hall too. Shame.

bobinski

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

... I live in an OK area so this isn't an issue for me but this shed would not work for me in a front garden in Hackney.

Hmmm....

The shed is for a front garden in Dalston (just up the road from Hackney).

The shed is so mainly to keep the bikes dry and its in the front garden so that the bikes don't have to be carried through the house into the back garden.
Solid shed to deter thieves or flimsy shed with better internal security?

What to do?...

I wish I had gone the metal shed route...

we went with a wooden shed much like you are looking at for a front garden in Brixton. concrete floor, U shaped bar at the bottom set in the concrete so we could lock the bikes to each other and the bar. It became a faff day after day locking and unlocking the bikes up so sometimes we were lazy and didn't. one of those nights shed was popped open, 3 padlocks forced and bye bye 3 bikes.

Nearly every shed in the street has been broken into and gradually, one by one, everyone has replaced their wooden shed with a metal one. And no more break in's. Oh, just remembered bar one, a few doors down where the wooden shed was kept on basis bikes were worth less than a metal shed. Fair enough. they use their bikes rarely so not a faff to lock and unlock occasionally.

So, i would advise getting a metal shed despite the cost or an open access wooden shed but set on a concrete base, something to lock the bikes too as well as each other and use top quality locks. Then you are getting pretty close to the cost of a metal shed...

sketchley

Something like this

http://www.gardeneco.co.uk/metal-sheds- ... shed-.html

Although for a front garden in Dalston, I would still want this bolted to a concrete base and and ground anchor screwed in to the a concrete base too (http://www.motorbike-security.co.uk/cat ... d-anchors/) with a heavy motorcycle security chain (http://www.motorbike-security.co.uk/cat ... le-chains/) attached which you then lock your bike too. Although if you ask nicely I may have a spare heavy duty chain you can have albeit without a lock. You may think this is over kill but if the thieves break the exterior padlock then all bikes are gone at the same time so doubling up isn't a bad idea. Don't forget you need one of two good padlocks to secure the shed as well.

essex-commuter

I had a brick shed built, 16 feet by 10 feet with double glazing and an alarm connected to the house. IT has a tv aerial on top too so I can watch telly while on the turbo 8)

Confusedboy

Joelsim wrote:

You need to make it like Indiana Jones, where some 'orrible tealeaf opens the door and gets crushed by a great big iron ballbearing, and then falls into a pit full of cobras.

My missus is getting sick of my bike being in the front hall too. Shame.

Euphemism?

EKE_38BPM

Confusedboy wrote:

Joelsim wrote:

You need to make it like Indiana Jones, where some 'orrible tealeaf opens the door and gets crushed by a great big iron ballbearing, and then falls into a pit full of cobras.

My missus is getting sick of my bike being in the front hall too. Shame.

Euphemism?

Wouldn't that be more of a euphemism is Mrs JS has said she something along the lines of "She was sick of her back passage being stuffed"?

mroli

EKE_38BPM wrote:

he shed is for a front garden in Dalston (just up the road from Hackney).

Mate - I wouldn't use this for a front garden to be honest. Too flimsy by half. Great for back gardens/more secure areas