Bicycle storage

It’s time to move house again, and the house we are moving to has some great bicycle storage. Basically its a 6 foot tall lockable metal shed, with side opening doors rather than the usual door at the end job. I’m not too worried about how waterproof it is, but since the previous owners kept horse tack inside it’s a safe bet it’s dry. I’m going to put my old cycle tent (called a bike cave) inside though.

Bike Cave Bicycle Storage Shed

I’ve been a little disappointed since I reviewed what I thought was a great option in terms of cheap cycle storage. The tent is an excellent buy, but I’m not now convinced about whether or not it’s a long term solution. The problem is the zip.

We all know how prone zips can be to jamming, and because the zip goes around a couple of corners I think in the wind and the rain/snow of winter the materials have tightened and loosened in different places unequally, with the result that the zips have been up under unequal stresses. So just after Christmas when I went to check out my bike I discovered that as I undid the tent one of the teeth distorted slightly. Just one tooth. With the fabric stresses the zip split. And the only solution is to replace the zip and since it’s a few meters long, it’s really screwed up the tent structure.

If you do get a bike tent, it’s a fine option so long as you don’t expect anything long term. Bike security isn’t too much of a problem and it’s easy to make the bike cave into secure bike storage. Until they invent bullet proof rip-stop nylon you will be better off buying the optional bracket which comes with one-direction screws. The heads of the screws are shaped so that you can screw the bracket in, but not unscrew it. Rather glad i didn’t do that though as I’m selling the house now.

Of course you’d want to also buy a decent lock to strap it to the bracket, but they can be had from Halfords’ bicycle security range. And don’t skimp on the price either. All locks are breakable if you have the right equipment, but the tougher they are the more off putting it will be to the common tea-leaf. And security comes at a cost.

Now although I have my nice new secure metal shed with side opening doors, and although I will be locking my mountain bike (and hopefully new Ribble Cycles Road Bike) with the heaviest lock I can find, and then securing the outside with a juicy lock, the kids bikes still need something.

Plastic Bike Storage Sheds

What originally put me off buying a low plastic storage bicycle shed was having to put my own bikes in there next to the kid’s bikes. Scratches getting things in and out. And also something about the height bothered me. And again, security was an issue.

If I’d known I could buy brackets to screw to concrete I might have reconsidered. Whilst many have of these sheds have plastic bases you can usually get through it to put secure floor bolts in.The costs though of these plastic sheds – which you can get from most DIY stores such as focus and B&Q – are around £100-£150. So about 2 or 3 times the cost of the tents. And for the equivalent wooden shed you get a bit less space.

What is attractive about a plastic bike shed over wood is that it will last forever, is pretty much certain to be dry – the plastic shed in our front garden we use for tools has never leaked – and it’s a lot easier to get home n the boot of a car and put together. Whilst building your own garden shed was something that seemed a rite of passage for my dad and father-in-law it has no appeal to me, and the thought of having to recover the roof every few years is just not something high on my agenda. I’d rather be out cycling, thank you very much.

Security for plastic bike sheds isn’t too bad. Usually there’s a hole on the front that you can put a sturdy lock through, but unless it has a metal reinforcement around it, I would want to make sure that there is an internal locking structure too. For my too kids’ bikes and scooters, footballs and wotnot it will probably be my best option.

The Problem With Wood Bicycle Storage

So why not wood? Well apart from the obvious maintenance issue and initial building that I have mentioned above, I don’t personally think that the lock is as secure as it first appears. Usually on a new shed there is a lock which needs a key – as in keyhole. The problem comes in that the key is often quite small, and either the lock can be forced or the wood around the lock can be jemmied easily. Shed wood isn’t the toughest in the world. So we’re back to the issue of putting a bracket into concrete. Only sheds are usually stood up on blocks which means getting through to secure concrete is a long shot. And don’t bother attaching to wood, it’s easier to get through than tough plastic.

In fact I’d go as far to say that a wooden shed is to deter only a petty thief. It’s a relic of a bygone era where people left their houses to go shopping and could leave the door wide open, and where a lock was more for sure.

What do you think? Are wooden sheds ok to store £1000+ bikes, or do you need proper bicycle sheds to do the job, …erm…, properly?

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