Ground anchor, Data Tag, Big Chains, Cables?

Is it worth adding this to the bike?
Datatag Datatag Electronic Security System

Where is the best place in the garage to put a ground anchor? Wall high/low breeze block or floor concrete.

Should i just keep bike next to bed!?

Any security advice welcomed!

This fella sleeps with mine & he really doen't like people he doesn't know on his turf 🙂

In the garrage with minimal security.

Figure my bikes don't look like they're worth much.

O-O 456 (a nice build, but doesn't look flash like a new trek or specialized)
BMX (de-stickered)
Tourer
Fixie
Roadbike (probably the shinyest of the lot and will live on the turbo trainer once the house is sorted inside)

I've been thinking about this recently.
I was going to stick a 1ft cube of concrete under the shed with a Y anchor in it, combined with a large chain/padlock to go with it. But, seeing as we had just put the house on the market I didn't want to go to all the effort and then move house soon after.

But, the house isn't selling so I am thinking of getting on with it anyway, and just filling a large bucket with concrete rather than digging a hole. Just not sure what to put in the concrete to act as an anchor, as when I move I want to do it properly in the ground and don't want to have to buy another anchor….

I'm also thinking of getting some kind of shed alarm.

I guess Datatag is only any good if your bike is nicked and recovered by the Police.

Google "elite security supplies" for some good chain/padlock packages.

Its nice where I live, its a small "close knit" town where everybody knows everybody. We all have keys to each others doors and the locks are made of something like paper. Unfortunately this means crime is a real problem so I've just come to accept that in communities like this your possessions will get stolen, the only thing I can do is move to London where the locks are metal and nobody knows anybody.

:wink:keep bike next to your bed with a cattle prodder in ones hand !

kept in the shed at the end of the garden. never even considered the need for a ground anchor or anything. Do you live with a bunch of robbers ?

stick a D lock into the bucket of concrete with the loop pointing skywards with just enough room for your k'off big chain to go through, hey presto a ground anchor!

flatfish – Member
stick a D lock into the bucket of concrete with the loop pointing skywards with just enough room for your k'off big chain to go through, hey presto a ground anchor!

Yeah – thought of that, but unless I pay for a really expensive d-lock to set in the concrete, there's no point buying a really good chain as they'll just cut through the d-lock instead of the chain…..and if I'm paying for an expensive d-lock I might as well just get a ground anchor….
I should really just accept I might have to buy a ground anchor that'll only be used until I sell the house & move.

the hoop part of a D lock is much the same as any other D lock, it's the locking part that costs more but as the lock part is going to be sunk into the concrete it's just acting as an anchor rather than a lock.

A wellie boot filled with concrete with a chain dangled into it can be buried under the shed then the chain fed through a hole in the floor.

Mine just going in a badly secured garage, with no locks or anything.

Thanks for all the replys, a guy at work had his garage pryed open last night and 3 bikes robbed! just got me thinking, he had no locks so hopes the insurance will pay out!

Datatag is only of help if the police recover your bike – but if you've got serial numbers to give them when you report it stolen it probably has almost as much chance of returning if the police did find it.

Ground anchor (into concrete floor) and chain is the only really effective way. If you have access to the garage from inside the house then worth considering the deadlocks that keep the door shut – prevents opening the garage from the outside via a key but much more secure as a result.

What keeps bike thieves going is the fact that most garage doors are pretty easy (and quiet) to break into, and people tend not to bother locking the bikes inside. If it needs a load of extra effort and noise, that's far more risk to them.

We live in an "nice" neighbourhood but recently someone made a sloppy attempt at forcing our up and over garage door. Didnt think too much about it until the next neighbourhood watch update came out and 3 garages nearby were broken into.

So I fitted some PIR lights, along with some of these:
http://tinyurl.com/32bzhud
and one of these:
Garage alam

But no matter what you do if they really want in they will succeed. I thinks its just a case of making your own spot less easy than those around you.

Mine just going in a badly secured garage, with no locks or anything.

No wonder Brant doesn't let you keep hold of that TD-1 for long…!

Mine have a couple of big **** off chains around them and are secure to a ground anchor.
Chain has a 16mm diameter so will defeat most (but not all) attacks, the ground anchor is position underneath the bikes, so it's not easy to attack either.
BUT as it's alway pointed out, some thieves are prepared to saw through your frame in order to get everything else to flog.
Some advocate not using your garage/shed at all, but that not alway practical, or possible
I have a friend who had his house invaded by thieves looking for his car keys, I'd rather have them invade my garage not my house.

There is no way you can completely secure your bike, but do the best you can (and at least get to your insurers minium requirement), some will baulk at the price of a decent chain but will happily spend thousands on there pride and joy. Also as mentioned above, making the garage either extremely difficult to enter is another option

Squire Locks & Almax chains:
http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/
Squire Locks, Pragmasis chains & Torc ground anchors:
http://www.torc-anchors.com/index.php

I have a tin cycle specific shed which takes three bikes.
I've no doubt it'd not stop any serious guys but it makes a hell of a lot of noise when you have the keys and open it so I bet it'd wake the dead if someone tried to break into it.
We also have a PIR light on the back and there's a BMX running free in the back garden at all times so any kids will hopefully just nick that.
Finally, we're insured.

My comments (form another thread "Garage Security"):

Cheeky Monkey – Member
I got burgled recently through a stable type door in the side of my garage.

They unscrewed the door handle, chiselled across the timber frame of the door (not the door frame, they tried to prize that out of the building portal but failed), levered the timber covering the sash lock body away and then levered the sash lock out so the keeper etc snapped. All at 4 am with us in the house only a few metres away.

Once they had the top half of the door open (there was a deadlock in the bottom section of the stable door as well) they hopped over and in. 48" bolt croppers used to cut both sides of a link of 11mm Pragmasis security chain (didn't touch the shielded hasp Squire padlock).

IMO, get rid of the stable door, they're shite There was a diddy bolt between the two halves on mine but with the inherent flex once one half was open it just popped / bent.

Otherwise, screw the whole thing together with ply or steel / mesh. Even if you get a solid door board / mesh it so it is harder to simply kick / pry through. At least put in some big, lockable bolts to keep the two halves together.

Fit a steel outer door with a good padlock and well set fixings that they have to get through before they can work on the timber door.

Make sure the frame is secure (star bolt fixings) into the building portal. You want enough to be secure but not too many (lots of screws / locks etc can just make things weaker, sometimes).

If there's a window or view into the garage block it (old sheets are good) it adds uncertainty to the speculative burglar.

I would have at least a sash lock and deadlock in the door mounted at thirds of the height / into the main door sections.

Fit a metal plate over the door surface where the locks are and round out the screw heads. That way they have to get through something harder than softwood timber to get to the lock body. If you need you could always drill out the screws (as could burglar) but it's more time and effort.

Chain the bikes up inside the garage, yet more things for them to get through. Always keep the chain up as high as possible. Common trick to use longhandled croppers is to put one arm on ground and jump / throw body weight onto the upper arm to give enough force to cut even the strongest chains. It's on youtube somewhere.

Make the lock as inaccessible as possible.

Use a ground anchor (properly fitted) or like I did chain them all together. In hindsight I wish I'd had a couple of heavier duty chains than the single but long one that locked all mine together. Once a link was cut they had access to them all.

Install an alarm. Once they're in a garage they're out of sight and have more time and opportunity to crack whatever secondary security (chains etc) you have. If an alarm is blaring it's more likely they won't try in the first place or won't have time (and probably don't need long) to get through chains etc.

If you've got an alarm use it. You always get hit when you don't expect it (been Tuesday and Thursday early am in rainy weather for me). Get the alarm rigged so you can have it on in the garage almost all the time.

I know a shop that was robbed of several bikes with the scrotes in and out in less than a minute.

Get outside lights so there's less cover for them whilst they're forcing the door.

If you can put in a gate to your drive / access / whatever with a lock. If they come calling they've got to get over / through / round it to get in and out (with bikes). Use padlocks with shields to the hasp so it can't easily be cropped.

Look at everything you've done. Think that, if you didn't care what state it was left in, how easy it might be to break in. Then just accept that there's a good chance you'll never have enough to beat a determined and vaguely able burglar. Unless it's a steel door with some massive security a sledge hammer will get you in through most things. Failing that it's usually possible to lift a few roof tiles to get inside the garage.

Don't under-estimate the cheer cheek and brazen-ness of the scum. Also, what are you going to do if you know they're breaking in and there's three of them? Go down and confront them (whilst they've got chisels and screwdrivers). Up to you but bear it in mind.

Consider the cost of all this, the insurance etc and decide what you can afford / is worth paying for.

Only my ideas / stuff I've done / plan to do. Others opinions and experience may vary.

Living in the middle of nowhere with the only access being a 1 in 3 150ish yard long driveway – no scum can be ar5ed to get up here! If they did, at least three neighbours would see them and report them to the Cops.

Plus a dog.

Car parked up to locked up-and-over door and no back door. Bikes hanging from wooden beams. The more expensive bikes are chained with a very chunky chain and huge padlock.

Very little, but I keep them all in the spare bedroom, and live 3 doors up from a Police Station in one of the lowest crime areas in Scotland. They are insured and I lock the front door. Probably get robbed now !

I've to take note now too having just had two bike stolen from my shed on Monday.

My last house didn't have the space to store bikes in-doors so they were kept in the shed locked to a ground anchor fixed in a bucket of concrete, this had three bikes locked to it and would have been hard to shift.

A couple of years ago we moved to a larger place, in a nice village where fortunately crime is rare and whilst I kept my MTB in the conservatory, my wife's MTB and my road/work bike were in a shed visible from the roadside – these were taken this week so when a the replacements arrive I'll need to think of some better ways of keeping them safe.

I'm thinking of buying some kind of bike shelter type stand: http://www.baileystreetscene.co.uk/category-all_cycle-stands-3-asc-p1.html and fixing it securely into a concrete base within a shed, which this time will be a security shed with a better door and no windows. I'll also install a wireless shed alarm and a fence so the shed is no longer in view from passers by.

Thing is that regardless of ground anchor quality, most chains are easily cut with decent bolt cutters. Ultimately insure them and don't make them obvious. If someone wants them, they'll have them and trash your £100 chain in the process. It is seriously tempting to electrify the internal metal shed structure though, and the bikes with it.

Asgard bike storage

ourmaninthenorth – Member

No wonder Brant doesn't let you keep hold of that TD-1 for long…!

It's okay, I don't live in Manchester.

😉

Thing is that regardless of ground anchor quality, most chains are easily cut with decent bolt cutters.

How about these:

http://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/locks_and_chains.htm

The protector 16mm ones a little way down the page with the brown covering??
I am thinking of getting one of those chains & locks. They reckon it's impossible to bolt crop with hand held bolt croppers, "even using the Irwin Record 42" bolt croppers the largest boltcutters available".

I've seen a PIR wireless alarm system with the alarm in the house, which also seems like a good idea. Not sure how long the batteries on these last though.

Amongst several other items, I have a Shed Shackle from Pragmasis
Good guys to deal with.

Live on top of a hill in a village in Spain. I could leave the bikes outside unattended if I wanted and they'd be safe.
No chavs see!

has anyone here had their house broken into by scum looking for bikes?

Pragmasis are excellent to deal with. Great service and advice. I have a range of security products from these guys, plus an alarmed garage. Alarm is always armed for garage even when we are in.

Mate had four bikes nicked a few years back after a gang tailed him home. The crims were followed after they had stolen the bikes. The police were called and they recovered the four bikes plus around 20 more from the same address in Darlington.

Like someone else said, if they want it, they'll get it. Better bring a grinder for mine though. I was assured by the engineering supplier that I got this lot off that bolt croppers wouldn't get through either the ground anchor, chain or lock. Apparently they'd tried with some mahoosive croppers but broke the jaws, however, I'm not 100% convinced of that. The garage is alarmed & both bikes are WELL insured. Plus when the bikes are chained together, theyr'e arranged so they have to be moved before you can get to the anchor & get any kind of purchase on the D.
Lets face it, to the pro burglar nothing's impossible to bypass (even Wolfie).

Chains and ground anchors are all well and good, but the f*^&$%s will just strip all the parts off your bike and leave the frame.

…i found out the hard way.

I've replaced all the fixings on my bike with security screws now, just to slow them down a little bit,

My bikes live in my flat. Only the commuter ever gets left out of sight – and it is camouflaged to look shite and protected with a 3 kg £100 shackle lock.

ahwiles – yep, with a f off big axe through the kitchen door. Scary, glad I wasnt in (I think…).

I've now got a 150dB alarm installed over the bikes in a concrete shed / workshop, it's too loud to stay near when it's going off, makes you dizzy. Ground anchors sunk into concrete, those things that look like an Egyption Ahnk (sp?) symbol, the Prince thing? About 1" thick so not easy to cut. Good quality chains and padlocks, but I guess these will always be the weak spot, pretty hard to defend against an angle grinder I guess.

I make sure the chain goes through the frame and the fork arch.
Good quality oak door to the shed, with hinge bolts. Door and PIR alarms.

Avon and Somerset chopper constantly circling overhead….

But then I do live in Bristol.

Almax 4 + ground anchor and a couple of cable locks through the wheels to cause more time and effort. Also thinking of fitting the blank shotgun cartridge alarm.

Buzz Lightyear- dont bank on the car in front of the door approach- we did that when on holiday- all they did was put the window of the car through and take the handbrake off and push the car back- result – no bikes and a claim on the car insurance as well!! grrrr

I am now going to go for:

Ground anchor plus wall anchor
Chain through as many parts as well as frame
A pir alarm thingy
Possibly cctv also

Alos make sure insurance is adequate this time 😳

In my study on the 3rd floor. Mostly in bits. Only the fixie easy to take but the hill is properly steep so I'll follow the trail of blood.

150 db Alarm, couple of kryptonite chains, noisy gravel, well insured.

I also don't keep the wheels with the frames, so if they did get the bikes they can't ride them off.

Dumb bell bars in strategic places many years MA training…might be interesting….

mines wired up to the mains 😈

seriousley though i borrowed a work mates mig welder, got a load 2 inch bar from a scrap yard and made my own bike cage and anchor, cost me about £100 all in

Up and over garage door bolted to the floor with huge expanding bolts in the concrete floor – u-shaped links let me unscrew the bolts if necessary.

Small garage door has a not-so-great Yale lock but beefed up with a deadbolt and Abus padlock.

Bikes all locked to each other then locked to a floor anchor. The 'good' bike has its own separate Abus chain and padlock.

The unicycle is unlocked bait 🙂

Garage made of cardboard though – had two bikes pinched not that long ago – if they want 'em they'll get 'em. Dog probably deters a few – the postie calls him the white wolf!