How to: Toughen up your bike shed, part 1

There's no point spending hundreds or even thousands of pounds on a bike and then relying on a £20 lock to keep it safe. Our Buyer's Guide to Bike Locks gives tips on how to keep your bike safe when you're out and about. But what about storing your pride and joy overnight? In this article we give some handy tips which should help keep the thieves at bay.

The first rule of shed club...

The first rule of bike storage is simple: don't let people know you have a bike. A garage or bike shed is never going to be up there with Fort Knox in the security stakes, but it doesn't need to be.

If the local ne'er-do-wells don't know you have a valuable bike in your shed, they are unlikely to put much effort into breaking in, especially if you fit enough basic security measures to convince them to move onto an easier target.

Location, location, location

Where you choose to store your bike will depend on a number of factors, including the worth of the bike or bikes, your budget and the amount of available space, but the key criterion should be the location.

If you live in a dodgy area, even bricks and mortar may not deter the crims. On the other side of town, a wooden shed with a few extra security measures may be enough.

There are five main types of storage to consider:

1. Inside your house: This will depend on the amount of space you have and the tolerance levels of your girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/spouse/flatmates. Overall, security is high, especially if you can lock your bike to an immovable object.

2. Garage: Perfect. You can store your bike and work on it, without worrying about getting oil stains on the carpet. The drawback? Not everyone has one or has the space/money for one. The door is generally the weak point, but you can improve security by fitting a Garage Door Defender. Internally, you can beef up security by using a ground or wall anchor (see below) and a decent motorcycle chain.

3. Brick/breeze-block shed: The next best option, but if you haven't already got one they're not cheap and may need planning permission. See below for some tips on making it more secure.

4. Flat-pack shed: They're relatively cheap, easy to put up and will hide your bike(s) from view, but they're far from secure. For the purposes of this article, we'll focus on this type of storage because it's a common choice and there are some simple precautions you can take to make your shed much less attractive to thieves.

5. Standalone bike shelter: If you're short of space and need somewhere dry to store your bike, these are an option. But they're no more secure than a shed (considerably less so in some cases) and offer no room to work on your bike. See below for some tips on making it more secure. Here are some of the top options – click on the titles for our reviews.

Asgard Addition Bike Store

Shackup Tridoorbikestore

Bike Cave / TidyTent

Top tips for creating a secure bike shed

Whether you've plumped for the wooden shed option, or just want some ideas on making other forms of storage more secure, here are some handy tips...

1. Be realistic. A shed is never going to stand up to a serious attack by thieves. Offenders have been known to jemmy off a whole side panel or roof to get inside. The trick is to site it in an area where it is difficult for thieves to operate, avoid drawing attention to it and install as many security measures as possible to protect your precious bike(s). The harder you can make a thief work, and the longer it takes them to crack your defences, the more likely they are to give up and move on to an easier target.

2. Choose your shed location carefully. The ideal site for your shed is somewhere which is difficult for thieves to reach yet not so tucked away that criminals can operate without fear of being seen. In this case, the shed has been built in a back yard/driveway accessed by a private road. The shed can't be seen from the main road and because the access road is only used by a handful of households, any strangers in the area will immediately arouse suspicions. The neighbours are friendly, and several are elderly so they are around during the day. The shed can be seen from several surrounding houses and is within range of a security light fitted with a movement sensor. When a car is parked in the driveway next to the shed, the door can't be opened, providing extra security.

3. Take care when choosing the type of shed. There are three main types – wood (cheap and blends in well but prone to rotting), metal (strong, durable and fire retardent but prone to rust and walls are very thin on cheap models) and plastic (low maintenance but prone to condensation). Generally, the more you pay, the thicker the walls will be.

4. Think about the design of the structure. If the shed is going to be used purely for storage, and not as a workshop, consider getting one without windows, as these are an obvious weak point. The door should be clearly visible, either from your house or neighbouring properties. Double doors will enable you to get bikes in and out more easily.

5. Work out the shed's weaknesses. In this case, the door hinges are secured by small screws, the lock provided with the shed is extremely basic and the windows mean the contents are on display. Inside, there is nothing to lock your prized possession(s) to.

Step-by-step guide to beefing up shed security

In this first half of our guide, we show you how to improve the security of your shed. In part two we'll explain how you can make life tough for any thief who manages to breach these external security devices.

1. Toughen up the hinges

In this case, the hinges are attached to the soft timber door using seven short screws. If a thief shoulder barges/kicks the door with enough force, these could just rip out of the wood. Failing that, it wouldn't take them long to simply unscrew them all.

To make life harder for the crims, take out the screws, widen the holes using a drill and replace the screws with nuts and bolts.

Then you need to make sure thieves can't simply unscrew the bolts. In this case we've simply added a drop of superglue where the shaft of each bolt meets the nut.

Other options include using Allen key bolts and hammering ball bearings into the end so they can't be unscrewed, or using one-way security screws.

2. Add hasps and padlocks

The basic locks which come with most sheds are next to useless, so fit at least one hasp with a decent padlock. There is always a trade-off between increasing security and making it obvious you've got something to hide. Fit several hasps with high-end padlocks and you risk attracting unwanted attention, but rely on the in-built lock and you may regret it.

Here we've used a Powerlok from Squire, which has an 11mm shackle made of hardened boron alloy steel and a five-pin tumbler lock. It comes with a 10-year guarantee. Use different locks from different manufacturers to make a thief’s job that little bit harder. Again, using bolts to secure the hasps instead of screws will make them harder to break.

3. Fit an alarm

At the end of the day, a determined burglar is always going to be able to break into your shed. The next step is to make sure they don't hang around if they do breach the external security. An alarm is the obvious answer.

They're available from most DIY/hardware stores. This particular model combines a movement sensor with a door trigger and can be armed and disarmed using a key-fob remote control. The sensor is angled to cover the windows, so if anyone breaks the glass the alarm should sound.

4. Obscure the view through the windows

If a thief can see you have an expensive bike, they're more likely to go through the effort of breaking into your shed rather than moving onto an easier target.

There are various ways to make the glass opaque. In this case we've gone for a can of spray-on glass frosting from a DIY store. The advantage of this method is that it can be washed off with warm water if needed. Other options include stick-on film sheets (difficult to apply without air bubbles but has the added advantage of preventing the glass from shattering if broken) and replacing the original windows with opaque glass.

Once applied, light can still flood in but it's impossible to make out what is stored inside.

5. Consider securing the shed to the ground

In this case, the shed is large (5ft x 12ft) and heavy – it took six people to lift the roof into place – so it is unlikely thieves will be able to simply lift up one side to gain access. However, if you feel there is a risk of this happening to you, consider fixing the shed to the ground using L-brackets (also known as corner braces or angle brackets), screws and Rawl plugs.

How to: Toughen up your bike shed, part 2

At the start of the summer we explained the different bike storage options and how to make it harder for thieves to break into your shed. This time we're looking at the second wave of security needed if a burglar breaches those external defences: locks and anchor points.

Hooks and racks

Before deciding what locks and anchors to buy, it's important to think about how you're going to store your bike(s), because that will determine the length of the locks that you need and the position of the anchors. The main options are:

1 Lean bike against wall: The easy option, but the bike takes up valuable space and can be knocked over easily.

2 Use wheel rack to hold bike up: Bike takes up just as much space, but isn't as easy to knock over. Eg. Revolution Bike Stand, £12.71, Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative (click here for review).

Eg. THE Bike Stand, £19.99, THE Industries (click here for review).

3 Hang from hook horizontally: Frees up floor space but, depending on the height of the shed, you may only be able to fit one bike per wall. You can also buy 'horizontal' racks to use in the home. Eg. Revolution Storage Stand, £88.08, Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative (click here for review).

4 Hang from hook vertically: Frees up more space than any of the other options, as long as your shed is high enough.

In this case, the shed is tall enough to store bikes vertically, so that they take up less room. If you're in the same boat, here are some bike hooks to consider:

LifeLine Wall Rack, £10.99, Wiggle (click here for review).

Topeak OneUp, £32.99, Extra (click here for review).

X-Tools Wallmount, £9.99, Hotlines (click here for review).

Locks

Once you've got your storage sorted it's time to buy some decent heavy-duty locks and ground anchors. You'll need to make sure each chain is long enough to secure your bike(s) with but not so long that it's easy for thieves to use cutting tools on. For more tips see our Buyer's Guide To Bike Locks.

D-Locks (also known as U-Locks) are great for locking up your bike when you're out and about because they're relatively small and light. When it comes to shed security, weight doesn't matter, so it's a good idea to invest in a heavy-duty motorbike-style chain lock instead. Some of the best ones even come with a scaled down D-Lock instead of a padlock.

For ultimate toughness look for a Sold Secure rating. Sold Secure is an independent organisation administered by the Master Locksmiths Association. To achieve a top Gold rating, a lock must hold out for five minutes against a sophisticated array of tools.

Here's a selection of chain locks:

Abus Granit chain, £99.99 (110cm), Zyro (click here for review).

Kryptonite New York ‘Fahgettaboudit’ chain, £119.99 (100cm) / £149.99 (150cm), Madison (click here for review).

Oxford HD chain lock, £29.99 (100cm) / £34.99 (150cm) / £44.99 (200cm), Oxford Products (click here for review).

Pragmasis Protector chain and Master Lock Excell M50D padlock, £49.70 (150cm), Torc-Anchors (click here for review).

Squire DCL1 disc lock and J3 chain, £39.99 (100cm), Squire (click here for review).

Floor anchors

There's no good having an expensive lock if there's nothing to lock your bike to. Unless it's fixed to an immovable object, it will be easy for thieves to steal and may not be covered by insurance. The solution is to fit a lock anchor. The best option is a heavy-duty floor anchor bolted into concrete, but even a wall anchor screwed into a wooden shed panel or fencepost will provide some extra security. Here are some examples.

Abus WBA 100 Granit wall/ground anchor, £79.99, Zyro (click here for review).

Abus WA 50 wall anchor, £34.99, Zyro. We haven't put this wall-mounted unit to the test yet but it's made in Germany of hardened steel and has been designed to withstand attacks with bolt croppers, saws and drills. It mounts with two extra-long expander bolts.

Kryptonite Stronghold security anchor, £54.99, Madison (click here for review).

Oxford AnchorForce extra strong ground anchor, £49.99, Oxford Products (click here for review).

Oxford BruteForce ground/wall anchor, £14.99, Oxford Products. The BruteForce is a scaled down version of the AnchorForce, with a single steel layer and two expander bolts instead of four. As a result it meets Sold Secure's Silver rather than Gold standard.

Pragmasis Maxi Shackle, £42, Torc-Anchors (click here for review).

Squire Bull Point (BPGA) ground anchor, £39.95, Squire. We haven't had a chance to put this to the test yet but it's a heavy, tough-looking unit that has achieved a Sold Secure Gold rating and comes with a 10-year guarantee.

Squire BWA2 wall anchor, £5.99, Squire (click here for review).

How to fit a floor anchor

Here we'll explain how to fit the Abus WBA 100 Granit anchor. Many of the principles are the same, whichever model you choose.

1. Make sure you have all the tools you'll need:

• Electric drill
• Safety goggles/glasses
• 5/8in and 5/16in drill bits (these are included with the Kryptonite anchor but not the others)
• 4mm and 6mm Allen keys
• Pencil
• Vacuum cleaner

2. Decide where to put it. The floor anchor needs to be close enough to your bike(s) that your chain will fit through both the hoop of the anchor and your  frame(s). In this case, rather than attaching the anchor to the wooden floor of the shed, we've cut a hole in the floor so we can sink the anchor bolts into the concrete underneath for extra security. If you do this, make sure it won't affect the structural integrity of the shed. If you fit it in a corner, it will be harder for thieves to target. When you've decided where you want to position it, use a pencil to mark the position of the bolts.

3. Don your safety glasses and, using the 5/8in bit, drill the first hole

4. Use the vacuum cleaner to remove all dust from the hole

5. Gently insert one of the bolt-and-shield units supplied with the anchor to make sure the hole is deep enough.

6. If the hole is okay, hammer the bolt home.

7. Unscrew the Allen key bolt from the surrounding shield.

8. Place base plate in position over hole, reinsert bolt and tighten.

9. Use 5/16in bit to drill a pilot hole through one of the other holes in the base. Loosen first Allen bolt, slide base away and use 5/8in bit to enlarge hole. Repeat steps 4 to 8. Then repeat whole process for other holes.

10. Once the anchor is secured in position, tap hardened security balls or ball bearings into the tops of the Allen bolts. With some ground anchors, you will be given cover disks that can then be tapped on top.

11. Slide plastic cover onto base and secure in place using Allen key bolts. Now you're ready to thread your lock through the shackle.

We hope these articles have been helpful. If you have any safety tips to share, please have your say in the comments box below.

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