I’ve got a new mancave to fill with my shiny prized possessions. It’s got 3/4ft high breezeblock walls with the rest being made up by open slat wood about 4′ wide and 1/2′ thick. I’m not sure what the building was originally for but I guess having a bit of air through it was a good thing.

Whats the best way to beef up the timbers to stop access – shall I just double line it with wood or should I just build it up on the inside with brick?

I don’t think i’ll be insulating as I’ll probably pop a little wood burner in there if I get cold.

Any recommendations on padlocks would also be great!

usual advice, a minimum of exactly what your insurance company specifies/requests.

Take a look here: http://securityforbikes.com/beef-up-kit.php

Most likely way in is for a thief to borrow a spade / fork from a neighbour’s unsecured shed and then prize the door on yours off. A spade gives a lot of leverage (longer than a crowbar). (Used successfully on my Parents back door and a colleagues back door).

[url=https://flic.kr/p/odoX6Y]Spade + back door = burgled (not me, a colleague)[/url] by brf, on Flickr

A good way to prevent this it to run steel builder’s band all around the frame inside and over the hinges as it’s flippin tough stuff.

£10 from Toolstation / Screwfix:

these guys will look after it for you

sounds more like a woodstore….

Personally I would go with the fact that if they want to they will get in.

The only thing that will stop is if some one finds them at it, and the way people find them at it is by making as much noise as possbile.

So I noisey alarm of some sort that can not be smashed up / disconnected. Maybe daggers that swing down from the ceiling, or guns that fire off automatically.

Personally I would go with the fact that if they want to they will get in.

A lot of burglary is opportunist, if one shed / house proves too hard, they’ll just move on to the next one. Just make it look like too much hard work and they’ll move on to a neighbours….

Just make it look like too much hard work and they’ll move on to a neighbours….

And that also means you should do all you can to ensure the possessions aren’t on view in the building and also do what you can when getting them out/putting them away just in case someone is watching – they see a £5k bike and they will be more likely to persevere…

A lot of burglary is opportunist, if one shed / house proves too hard, they’ll just move on to the next one. Just make it look like too much hard work and they’ll move on to a neighbours….

i thought all bike theft was the fault of strava or sinister gangs following you home?

i thought all bike theft was the fault of strava or sinister gangs following you home?

Over 500k bikes stolen every year, of which I’d wager 99.5% are opportunist, only a tiny percentage are targeted thefts.

Over 500k bikes stolen every year, of which I’d wager 99.5% are opportunist, only a tiny percentage are targeted thefts.

That’s just a few Orange 5’s with the factory upgrades isn’t it?

This is the jobbie… luckily we don’t live that close to anywhere of importance but I’d still sleep quieter at night if it was a little more than untacking a nail to get in

Awesome looking place. How about a false floor or wall for the most expensive bike? Build a mezanine/step up with hidden trapdoor and rug over? Leave cheaper bikes out shackled.

If someone breaks into that they’ll be looking for garden/farm equipment and will be coming equipped to deal with any security you can put it. Best give up biking now to be sure…

Build a pit/put false flooring over then cover?

You could fix some boards on the inside, staggered to cover the gaps but still let air through.

Lockable box inside made from timber or steel mesh, with a ground/wall anchor and big chain.

Best padlocks for a reasonable price are IFAM and I prefer the straight shackle ones for shutters with an armoured case like this.

I’d say secring the door with a decent lock hasp bolted into the stone work and a reasonable lock like this

would be a good starting point.

You’re going to have to go massivelly overboard (that wood work would come doewn in seconds if somebody wanted to be in) or just accept the risk.

Part filling the shed with un-sellable junk to camoflage your bikes a bit would help, then maybe chaining the bikes to something large and difficult to move too. covering them over with an old tarp or dust sheet is an easy and cheap way to make them less obvious.

Looking at the colour of the stonework I’d say that the local thieves in your area will be able to nick just about anything…

Pikey – a key that can open anything

Thanks for the suggestions chaps – I think between you we have an ideal solution and like one of the earlier posts said as long as the insurance covers it then it’s all good.

Who’s good for insuring bikes these days are M&S any good still or was it tesco?