Securing bikes in garage away from home

codfather · March 2018

Hi all,

I've been off of here for a few years, but I'm back now.

I'm looking for some opinions and experiences regarding keeping bikes in garages.

I currently live in a large flat with a massive living room in which all eight of my bikes live.
This place is costing me an arm and a leg, so I'd really like to downsize and have a bit of spare cash for a project car or a new DH bike. Trouble is, finding anywhere with space for bikes is tricky. FYI I am in nooooo position to consider buying a place for many years yet.

I've turned up some garages to rent for £50 a month, but I'm concerned about security, as they're largely not near the places I would be living and the town I live in is not among the nicest.

I would probably keep my BMX in the house as it's not large and I could have my road bike outside under a tarp.

So in a roundabout way, this leads to my actual question;
What would people recommend for securing bikes in this setup?
I was thinking about some racks fixed to the wall and chains + padlocks. This is of course assuming that I'm allowed to drill holes all over the place. It's not the ideal situation, but it's looking like a better option than shelling out as much as I currently do.

Any advice appreciated.

Safe trails!

P.S. This also includes 20+ spare tyres, spare rims, spare wheelsets, spare forks, kit etc.

And no, I have no interest in selling any of it.

thistle_ · March 2018

Codfather wrote:

Hi all,

I've been off of here for a few years, but I'm back now.

I'm looking for some opinions and experiences regarding keeping bikes in garages.

Would some sort of self storage place be better?
No experience of them myself, but some advertise themselves as ideal for storing bikes, cars, construction equipment etc. and seem reasonably secure.

Most don't seem to advertise prices online unless you give them your details. These guys seem to advertise prices on their website to give you an idea: https://www.shurgard.co.uk/

swod1 · March 2018

Rent a small house or another flat with a spare room(s) to put all the bike stuff in a better idea where you can see it?

I've only got two bikes and got them in the spare room, do have a shed but i'd rather see the bikes again.

A tough call what you have to make here.

slc123 · March 2018

I personally wouldn't be happy with a garage away from the house. People tend to know that they are used for storage and as they are usually in blocks with no houses nearby are a prime target for thieves. I know a few mates who have had bikes and expensive tools and other stuff taken from off site garages.

I would think building some form of shed in your garden with decent security would be a good move. You can get pretty robust stuff and from a rental perspective it's something you can remove at the end of your tenancy. Just get permission first.

Other option is if you have any mates nearby that have a better storage area like a garage and can bung them a couple of quid. I often do that for my mates (I don't charge, but I don't tend to store 8 bikes!) - having said that it can be restrictive if you want easy access.

The practical side of me would say... stop buying bikes and start saving for a deposit, but I recognise that is an extremely boring view!

timothyw · March 2018

Whatever you decide to do, make sure they're insured, you need to factor in the cost of that insurance in addition to the £50 a month for the garage.

The terms of your insurance, and the cost of it, will give you some indication of just what you need to do to make them secure and how risky it is to store them there.

I'd have thought most Garages won't be too bothered about you putting a few holes in, although again, you need to factor in the cost of those ground anchors, as if they are secure then you aren't going to be easily able to move them to your next place.

Given that, by the sounds of things, you live alone, are you sure that you couldn't compromise in some other way to get the storage you need? Ground floor flat with garden access that you could perhaps put a metal bike shed in? Rent a bit further out and cycle in to work?

We rent a council garage very near to our house, got somewhat lucky as it had already been fitted with additional disc padlocks on either side of the door - it's probably the most secure looking one on the row, somewhat a mixed blessing :-/

I've got a pair of wall anchors and two bikes in there, each locked to the anchors and each other. Wouldn't want to risk 8 in there to be honest - mainly it's old junk that won't fit in the house.

fenix · March 2018

If you've got 8 bikes and you need to start storing them - then why not cull the herd ? If the bikes are going into storage - do you really need them ? Wjy pay to not use them. I've got mine down to 4 bikes now.....

Oh I just read the bit where you don't want to sell them.... oops

There's no way you'll be able to buy your own place with burning cash for storage and insurance on bikes you're not riding.

codfather · March 2018

First off, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's already offered their thoughts. Great to see people taking the time of day to respond to something which is pretty boring in the grand scheme of things.

Rather than separate replies, I'm going to do it all in here.

Self storage - This would be ideal, bu there are none in my town and the nearest ones that are large enough run up to £200 a month.

Rent another place with a spare room - looking to reduce expenditure. Already have plenty space inside to store them, but I want to downsize living costs for more fun things.

Shed in garden - Good option. But this would need to be agreed in advance and the transition period would be a pain. This still looks like a good choice though if done well.

Living further away and cycling to work - No dice. I'd love to cycle to work, but we are a small company in a small premises with no shower. There is no way in hell I am cycling in without showering.

Downsizing fleet - No chance. I love them all and I ride them all. Any storage would need to have easy access so I can come and get them easily. Another reason why I don't fancy self storage.

Just for reference, I'm 23 with no family money, so putting a deposit on a house is a long way off if I decide to go down that route at all.

Perhaps the best way would be a house share w/ garage. The more I think about it and read experiences, the garage away from home, especially in Hatfield, starts to seem like a poor idea.

timothyw · March 2018

Codfather wrote:

Living further away and cycling to work - No dice. I'd love to cycle to work, but we are a small company in a small premises with no shower. There is no way in hell I am cycling in without showering.

Perhaps the best way would be a house share w/ garage. The more I think about it and read experiences, the garage away from home, especially in Hatfield, starts to seem like a poor idea.

Hatfield? There's a coincidence, that's where I am - lots of garages in Hatfield, some definitely more vulnerable to theft than others.

I have showers at work, but haven't used them for years despite cycling in. Wear clean gear, wash before you set out in the morning, don't beast yourself and you will be fine - it's good to have somewhere you can sit and cool down before getting changed when you arrive.

Honestly, I'm sure I'm less stinky now than I was when I was taking the tube (where I was sweating in my work clothes and not even getting any exercise to show for it....)

cougie · March 2018

I cycle to work sometimes but don't shower. I just take it really easy. I guess it depends on how long the commute is but it's quite nice to not allow yourself to ride hard once in a while.

codfather · March 2018

TimothyW wrote:

Codfather wrote:

Living further away and cycling to work - No dice. I'd love to cycle to work, but we are a small company in a small premises with no shower. There is no way in hell I am cycling in without showering.

Perhaps the best way would be a house share w/ garage. The more I think about it and read experiences, the garage away from home, especially in Hatfield, starts to seem like a poor idea.

Hatfield? There's a coincidence, that's where I am - lots of garages in Hatfield, some definitely more vulnerable to theft than others.

I have showers at work, but haven't used them for years despite cycling in. Wear clean gear, wash before you set out in the morning, don't beast yourself and you will be fine - it's good to have somewhere you can sit and cool down before getting changed when you arrive.

Honestly, I'm sure I'm less stinky now than I was when I was taking the tube (where I was sweating in my work clothes and not even getting any exercise to show for it....)

Small world indeed! If you see a lanky guy mucking about on a raw frame BMX about town, that's me.
I moved here 9 months ago, but haven't really found anywhere local to ride yet.
Mostly I've been going to Woburn (definitely over that XC lap now), Aston Hill, Swinley, Surrey Hills etc...
But if there's anything worth riding nearby, I haven't found it.

Cycling in is unfortunately a no go without showers for me. I get far too hot too easily and needing to wear a suit at work adds another level of complication.
I really don't know how people do commuting in London. I have to go in on the odd occasion for work and I absolutely could not live with the tube every day; it's lethal!

I might try a casual run of the route to work on Saturday and see how it goes. I don't tend to do well at riding slowly though... Also, this doesn't remedy the bike space, but I'll continue to look into other options there.

Cheers for the input everyone!

02gf74 · March 2018

It's not worth Paying to rent a garage which if away from home is very vulnerable to being broken in.

When I was renting I had 2 or 3 bikes max, and only a pair of bedside cabinets as furniture, made moving easy.

You have to reduce the number of bikes, can you store some at your parents?

Re cycling to work depends on distance and how fast you push. Im sure you can do 4-5 miles no sweat at leisurely pace.

If there is a sink in the gents, a cloth wash down is possible.

jakejhonson44 · April 2018

better to rent a little room near your house, and store them all there. Also, buy them bike-locks. just my opinion, not an expert of this tho.

Securing bikes in garage away from home

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