So, I got robbed a couple of weeks ago, and as the insurance payout has been made and we are in the process of replacing two bikes, I have been working on bike shed security. Here is my situation:

Small garden with low gate. 2 sheds – one bike shed and one normal shed. Both contained bikes.

The thieves went immediately for the bike shed. There are two of them and they operate on foot – my Genesis CX bike was moved out of the way to get at the mountain bike the road bike. Had there been more than 2 or they had a van then I think the genesis would have gone as well.

They use bolt croppers, although they don’t seem to be much good. They cut into, but did not get through the padlock latch. Instead they ripped the hinges out of the doors.

So far I have don the following:
1) Replaced the gate with a full size one. I will be putting some trellis over the top as well, to make it a little more difficult to gain access.
2) All shed hinges have been secured with coach bolts.
3) The main shed now has three locks on the front, one of which is a motion alarmed padlock. Obviously the secret is out that we have nice bikes, so it is pointless making the shed look non-descript any more.
4) The remaining bikes have all been moved to the normal shed and the bike shed is now full of garden furniture, camping gear etc, and is double locked.

This is what I plan to do:
1) get a shed alarm
2) Buy a motorbike chain and secure all 4 bikes in the shed together. Should the thieves gain access to the garden, break into the nike shed to find there are no bikes then break into the other shed through 2 noisy alarms they will then have to either cut their way through the chain or attempt to get 4 bikes simultaneously through the shed door and down a very narrow alleyway (which would be impossible). I am considering an Almax chain – possibly overkill, but I want it to be as tricky as possible.

So, the first question is, am I going over the top on this?

Second is, have I missed anything (apart from the obligatory set of bombers (I only have rebas lying around doing nothing).

You need to anchor the bikes down really. A concrete pad for the shed with an anchor sunk into it and then a chunky chain will mean the only way to steal them is by using noisy and heavy equipment.

The problem is, they know you have bikes and its a case of when, not if, they come back for the insurance replacements. Can’t you keep the bikes in the house?

Get a shed shackle from Pragmasis. It really is very good when coupled with one of their chains.

True, but I was trying to avoid getting the wooden floor up and cementing something in.

Although I could just have a thick concrete paving slab on the floor.

Devash – we live in a very small house with 2 children, so no, bikes in the house is not an option

Oh, and make sure the chain can’t be moved too close to the floor. All of the cropping vids online use the floor to brace the croppers

or a bucket of concrete attached to the chain/ bikes.

Almax series iv and a large plant pot to make a bucket o crete

Cheers guys. Some good ideas here.

Saw the almax video and the bolt croppers bent, which pleased me!

They’re expensive bet you can’t grasp how big and heavy they are.

metal shed like Asgard? They need an angle grinder.

Looked at asgard. Unfortunately I don’t have over 500 quid spare. Keeping an eye on the bay for a local one that comes up though.

I have internal hinges on my shed door with a normal Yale lock and a heavy duty mortice lock. On the inside I have a cage that the bikes go in which is bolted to the floor. The bikes are double chained inside and to the cage, the cage won’t come out of the shed without removing literally everything else from the shed. To top it off I have lined the shed with 15mm chipboard and reinforced all joints with a substantial amount of builders band. So even if they strip the outer shell off the shed it will still be solid with its 2×4 frame and the lining.

Not going over the top at all 🙂 I put CCTV in my garage after my bikes got nicked.

Nice, I like the way your thinking.

I have a steel mesh cage in the shed, motion sensor linked to main alarm and CCTV covers the front and rear of the house.

Put this place to protect not only the bikes but the windsurfing and other gear.

They know its there. So will be back and may damage a bike.

Ultimately, the thieves have the advantage, it’s a shame we are not allowed to run mains voltage into the security system, a simple unprotected and bog standard padlock and chain discretely connected would shift the balance 😈

Ultimately if they want your bike they will find a way but it’s about making it tricky for them. what I have done is:

1. shed alarm that sounds in the house
2. I’ve built a metal frame that the bike sits and is then locked in by removable posts, these have steel mesh over them meaning that the whole lot has to be cut off not just a section.
3. fitted a kitchen worktop on top of the frame to let me store stuff above it so more chance of making noise and also prevents access from above the bike.
4. massive chain, and lock going into a ground anchor.

the shed sits on a concrete base so the frame is rawl bolted into this and its all welded, the shed could fall down but the frame would stand independently.

So they have to cut the frame and remove the posts before they can get access to the chain and lock then they have to work on that, all the time my alarm is going off and I’m putting shorts on and getting the pepper spray from my cupboard 😀

Not sure if the pepper spray comment is true but I’m pretty sure it’s considered the same as using a knife in the eyes of the law

Bikes are usually kept in the spare room or garage but if it’s late and they’re mucky they go in the shed.

I fabbed a post which is set 700mm deep on the outside of the shed wall into a concrete bed, a section of it then protrudes through the shed wall at pedal height. My bike is then fastened to it using an almax chain and abloy padlock.

Since been powdercoated security yellow so if anyone goes round the back of the shed they will see it.

The flat plate on the back is there purely to help it seal against the shed wall. They will still get it/pull bits off it if they want but you just have to slow them down as much as poss.

@Cloudnine

yep Pepper spray comment is true bought it from Germany, tends to be advertised as “dog attack repellent”

I know all about the consequences of using it but it’s more effective than a baseball bat. I’ve been a victim of a rather violent burglary where a bat made little difference and I was “advised” that pepper spray is a solution that will incapacitate multiple people from a distance of 5 meters.

oooh a ‘shed shakle’

ordered!

Pepper spray is assault. Plus I imagine before you got to deploy it you’d be in abit of trouble.

Unless you know from previous/life experience that you are handy in a fist fight with keyed-up people then I’d stay firmly in doors.

Get an old car tyre, stuff it with chicken wire then infill it with concrete. This creates an excellent locking point. It can’t be smashed up due to the rubber tyre.

Bluearsedfly – where did you get that post – I would like something similar

cheers

Pepper spray is assault. Plus I imagine before you got to deploy it you’d be in abit of trouble.

Unless you know from previous/life experience that you are handy in a fist fight with keyed-up people then I’d stay firmly in doors.

Id prefer upstairs window and catapult with ball bearings http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230491682171?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

STOP POSTING YOUR SECURITY DETAILS ON THE BLODDY INTERNET FFS.

C’mon people, I imagine you’re rightly proud of your security measures but scum have internet access too and it’ll be ten times easier for them to nick your bikes if they know what security measures you have in place.

Thieves check list..
Body armour
Riot helmet
Gas mask
plasma cutter
chainsaw
9″ angle grinder
42″ bolt cutters
Getaway driver called Colin
Pikey haircut
Be tooled up.

As mentioned somewhere above, there are some useful bits for shed security here.

Bluearsedfly – where did you get that post – I would like something similar

cheers

Made it myself with bits at work. Cheap enough to make if you decided to make your own.

Mine are chained together and to wall with a master motorbike lock in my dedicated bike shed which has 100mm thick walls with a steel lining and Powder coated 2mm aluminium outer skin. Door only opens wide enough to get 1 bike out at a time and best bike has a gps tracker fitted which when armed texts my phone if my bike moves. If they were to ever get it out I can track it on google maps…

shed shackle looks good but could be cut out very quickly.
Id prefer heavy concrete anchor.

Easy to get into a shed, through windows, so bars or grill on inside of windows, and curtains, ,board inside of shed with mdf or thick plywood, builders band under roof to secure roof down long screws, anti climb non drying paint under eaves, so they get covered in it if they try to lever off roof,reinforce door and side frames of door frame,internal and exterior cctv, and a baby minder type thing, so you can hear whats going on in shed, usually need mains power.

But if they have a customer for your bikes, they will be back.

Just keep a lookout for white transit vans in your area.

They’d be either Romanians looking for scrap. I’ve spoken to a van with these chaps in- very nice, just looking for stuff left out for collection.

I also said morning/tried speaking to two blokes in a transit….they spoke in a accent much closer to the Romanians. Guess which ones I distinctly worried about. It wasn’t the former.

Is it worth reporting the latter? Would anything actually happen as really they haven’t committed any crime.

Just keep a lookout for white transit vans in your area.

other vans are available, and they may walk up and ride away,thieves are adaptable to the circumstances they find themselves in .

Also isnt it racist reporting people with a non british ukip accent , but then your e not a racist are you.

Here we go…

but then your e not a racist are you

Am I? Or are you telling me I am?

thieves are adaptable to the circumstances they find themselves in

True but also depending where you live in the country etc. I’m not a crim’ analyst but around my particular way here in Manchester you tend to see alot of slow driving transits, stopping in odd places at odd times of the day etc. You can spot patterns, instead of pulling into my road by car/bike etc – if you watch them from a distance they sure aren’t looking for an address where they are supposed to be fitting plumbing etc.

I find it rather odd to be agreeing with Hora, but i once had a conversation with a police officer after an incident in which he told me that in his opinion, it was reasonably common for certain types to drive around in flat bed transit-type vehicles with a little scrap metal in the back looking for thieving opportunities.
The idea is that if stopped (as they tend to be known to the police) they simply claim to be looking for scrap to collect and sell on.