Whatever type of bike shed you’ve got, it’s important that you always fully secure your bicycles inside the shed itself.
Because no shed is impregnable. And in most cases, it will actually be easier for a thief to get inside your shed than it will be to remove a properly secured bike from the shed.
What's more, since over 50% of stolen bikes are taken from the owners home (this statistic includes anywhere on the property), the bad news is: your garden, garage and shed are just not safe spaces!
The best way to protect yourself, is to secure the bicycle in your shed as if it were out in the street. And you’d never leave your bike unlocked in the street. So don’t leave it unlocked in your shed!
With that in mind, here are the three most important things you can do to keep you bicycles safe inside your shed...
1. Lock your bike to an immovable object.
You must always secure your bike to something that’s very difficult (if not impossible) to remove. Unfortunately, most bike sheds don’t come with the sturdy bike stands we find in the street! But there are plenty of alternative solutions for bike security...
The most obvious is a ground anchor. However, be aware that most ground anchors are designed to be sunk into concrete. You can fix them to wood, but make sure you bolt them onto the frame of the shed, or a thief will be able to rip them out very easily.
Even better might be a “shed shackle”, like the ones sold by Pragmasis. These should also be bolted onto the fame, but they’re specifically designed for wooden sheds. So they’re easier to install and are more secure (in wooden sheds) than standard ground anchors.
You could also cut a hole in the floor of the shed to sink a ground anchor into the earth or the paving underneath. This can be a very secure option. But it does of course involve a fair bit of work.
If drilling, screwing and cutting holes into your wooden shed is just not for you, then you should at least find something heavy and unwieldy to put inside your shed that you can lock your bike to!
I’ve used an old D-lock submerged into a big bucket of concrete before. But the easiest option is to buy a 40kg Kettle Bell (or, even better: two), to which you can chain your bike.
2. Use a really strong bike lock
You’ve already got a decent (Sold Secure Silver or above), bike lock to use in the street, right? So you could also use that to secure your bike in the shed. But the truth is, it might not be so suitable...
For starters, I’m not sure a Sold Secure Silver lock is strong enough for home use. One of the reasons bike theft from sheds is so high is that the thieves are less likely to be disturbed there. This gives them plenty of time. And it doesn’t take much time to defeat a Silver rated lock!
But you might also struggle to get your street lock around a ground anchor and your bike. Especially if it’s a smaller D-lock. Or you’re locking multiple bikes.
A better option would be to buy a new lock, specifically to be used in the shed. Ideally this would be the thickest, most secure (Gold or Diamond rated) chain you can afford.
Chains are great for home use because they’re long enough to go around multiple bikes and they work really well with ground anchors. They also offer more protection from power tools (than D-locks). And the massive weight isn’t an issue, because you’re not going to take it anywhere!
If you want a chain lock that’s bolt cutter proof, you’ll need chain links that are 16 mm thick. However most bike thieves wont be able to crop chain links that are 13 mm or more. Especially if you keep the chain well off the ground. That’s why fixing the ground anchor up on the wall is a good idea!
3. Make the thieves uncomfortable
A thief can defeat any lock and any ground anchor if they have enough time. And the more comfortable they feel in your shed, the more time they’ll be prepared to spend there, working on your locks!
So don’t let them get comfortable. Shed alarms and motion triggered security lights are cheap and easy to set up these days. Many are wireless and some are even modular! For sure: we all know that neighbours will sometimes ignore alarms and lights. But they’ll definitely make a thief feel rushed.
And if there’s a bright spotlight on the shed and a 130 DB siren going off in their face when they spot your beefy chain and anchor set up, the thief will more than likely flee without your bike!
Wrapping Up
There’s actually loads of things you can do to further protect the bicycles in your shed. But always locking them to an immovable object with a properly rated, high security lock is the most important.
And if you add the deterrent of alarms and security lights, you should be doing enough to deter the opportunist chancers that make up the vast majority of bike thieves!
Good luck and happy riding...