My garage was broken into last night and my two beloved mountain bikes were nicked. The garage door was forced and the handle broken.

Operation secure-the-garage this weekend begins. Any tips?

We have a prettry old up and over with a single-lock mechanism, so I’m going to look into replacing it but don’t want to spend a fortune…

Anyone used cameras, alarms, etc. with success?

PS keep your eyes open for anyone trying to sell a blue and black YT Jeffsy and a retro bronze Genesis IO singlespeed…

These top and bottom.

https://www.homesecureshop.co.uk/security-c67/garage-security-c72/asec-garage-door-bolt-locks-for-extra-security-one-pair-operated-on-same-key-p147/s159?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=garage-door-bolt-locks-for-extra-security-one-pair-operated-on-same-hs1829&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6fvdBRCbARIsABGZ-vR8a8Kg0Ej87MZ6Hkir_REzjV3y2oT-jslScDDxohoj6z8HSDa0YZ8aAok5EALw_wcB

Sorry to hear this. I assume that you were in the house when it happened?

Ground anchors and big-ass motorcycle chains, combined with an alarm linked to the main house alarm. Use multiple chains, if you can, to slow them down. There’s no way they’d be able to nick the bikes before someone was up and disturbing them and you can be sure that they wouldn’t want the attention it would bring. Get your neighbours involved too in a mutual agreement, so you have strength of numbers. CCTV is a good deterrent but that’s all it is – it won’t put them off if they really want to get in.

You probably don’t want to hear this, but it’s common to hear about them returning again and again after a successful “hit” because they know that you’ll probably replace the bikes, so you do well to increase your fortifications :-/

Good luck.

I’ve just fitted one of these (plus a slave PIR/sounder) to my shed.

https://www.ultrasecuredirect.com/wireless-indoor-alarms/shed-garage-alarms/battery-gsm-wireless-ultrapir-alarm/3g-battery-ultrapir-gsm-alarm-007-1150-p1167.html

Calls and/or sends a text when triggered.

Spend the cash on a ground anchor and 19mm chain then get door sorted.  Sad thing is, even with a big chain it can still be cut 🙁

Sorry to hear this. Is the up and over door the only way into the garage or do you have side access?

If you have another way of getting in, the up and over door can be secured quite easily with some removable bolts through the lip of the door and into the frame in each corner.

If you don’t have other access, it is a case of as many locks and bolts as you can on the outside without drawing attention to your garage.

Remember the roof too, scrotes have been known to lift roof panels to get access if the door is too secure. Worth fitting a decent ground anchor and lock too.

Is the garage attached to the house with an internal door?

If so the best bet is being able to padlock down to the floor from the inside, such that when fully locked it can only be opened from within, even with the keys. Assuming a decent door with decent fixings at the top too.

If its detached, maybe one of the smaller asgard sheds within the garage for the 2 bikes, plus an alarm that is loud enough that it is physically painful to be around, rather than just annoying.

an alarm that is loud enough that it is physically painful to be around, rather than just annoying.

https://www.powersaver.co.uk/masterblaster-klaxon-master-blaster-very-loud-127db-outside-sounder-for-alarm.html

Would be intolerable to be inside a garage with that going off…

The most secure I can think of is an alarm in the garage, with the bikes in an Asgard shed in the garage, with bikes chained to a ground anchor inside the shed. Shed and anchor bolted through to the floor obviously. You can get a removable ground anchor from here

https://securityforbikes.com/removable-ground-anchor.php

Thanks all, awseome advice… am going to look into all these options this evening.

Very aware they will come back, possibly for the other bikes they didn’t take last night – they ignored the road bike and the commuters.

+1 for the locks wwaswas posted, I have them (only at the bottom though, worth getting at the top as well if you don’t mind the slight extra hassle when locking/unlocking), think I paid £80-90 for someone to fit (yeah easy enough to do yourself but for me life’s too short and I’m remarkably incompetent at DIY :p ).

After that you have to ask yourself is any additional security worth the extra hassle/cost vs having decent insurance cover. For me although I had expensive ground anchors and chains I got increasingly fed up of using them (4 bikes on one anchor with a huge chain is a PITA when you want the bike leaning against the wall). I fitted a cheap PIR/alarm thing but meh remembering to have the remote fob with me + changing the batteries meant it’s now not used.

So I now just rely on my Pedalcover insurance (assuming the door is breached). If you’re less lazy or more willing to put up with hassles than me (or have irreplaceable custom/sentimentally meaningful bikes) then by all means go for ground anchors, chains and alarms – it’s never going to be 100% secure but it will all help.

Good point fuzzywuzzy

Have got someone coming round to install the extra locks on monday and think I’ll throw in a camera too for good measure… At least then I can watch how they manage to break in so quietely…

Those up and over doors with the central lock at the top you can literally slide a flat stiffish sheet of metal in between the door and the frame and release the catch.

I saw someone illustrate using a pair of garden shears to do the same thing once. Push them, open, into the top of the door and push the handles together – job done.

this video shows another door type;

here’s picking the lock.

These are not sophisticated, secure, doors in their standard form!

We thought ours was secure but it didn’t stop two scrotes breaking in in broad daylight and legging it with 2 bikes worth over 12k in 7 seconds according to the cctv. The alarm and internal siren  didn’t deter them. It now as beefed up as humanly possible but still a worry.

I disconnected the lock and bolted through the sides into the frame and along the floor into the concrete, I would have bricked the door up form the inside but we were thinking of moving house.

We only used the side UPVC door that had one of these fitted: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Avocet-ABS-High-Security-Cylinder/dp/B00KS3WJD0

Also had an recording IP camera

So I now just rely on my Pedalcover insurance (assuming the door is breached)

I wouldn’t recommend just relying on insurance. People have found that thieves return to properties they’ve previously stolen bikes from to get their hands on the replacements. Remember that your premium could go up* after a claim and if it gets really bad (multiple thefts) you could even be refused cover for the bikes.

*By someone being successful at stealing from your property it demonstrates that you’re at a higher risk of theft. It’s the same for car accidents where it’s not your fault. You’re statistically more likely to have an accident again.

It’s the same for car accidents where it’s not your fault. You’re statistically more likely to have an accident again.

Surely this proves it might actually, in some way, be your fault? Or is ‘being unlucky’ an actual thing?

Or is ‘being unlucky’ an actual thing?

In most cases it’s got nothing to do with luck. Take one of the most common crash scenarios: rear end shunts; which would be the other drivers fault. If you drive badly e.g brake hard and late you’re much more likely to get shunted than if you drive sensibly and brake over a longer period.

we’ve got CCTV, alarm with visable box, dusk to dawn light on the side, a couple of other sensor lights. We have big gate before garage door with decent quality locks and keys.

Actually garage retracting door is sealed to because we don’t use it.

Idiots have tried once to get in the front. Couldn’t do it. We made all of the measures since then and not a peep in several years.

House porch is also lit up on dusk till dawn.

Beware of dog signs?

In most cases it’s got nothing to do with luck.

Which leaves: “proves it might actually, in some way, be your fault?” as the reason?

Which leaves: “proves it might actually, in some way, be your fault?” as the reason?

I think is most cases the victim is at least partly to blame eg driving erraticly or parking selfishly etc

Does anyone know of some kind of alarm that can automatically turn on at night and alert us in the house?

(We’re already insured and have those decent locks above, just want something extra)

I don’t have a garage, just a shed.  I’ve had four attempts, only the first was successful.  After the first one I fitted a more secure padlock and locked the bikes up inside the shed.  After the second or third attempt I beefed up the door and frame and fitted an alarm.  After the last attempt I fitted a second padlock to the door, none of the improvements have cost a lot other than my time.  The last attempt my other half heard them just before the alarm went off, they scarpered as soon as the warning beep went off.  If we’re away I’ll put the bikes in the house.  I think round our way it’s the same small number off culprits and now they know it’s probably more trouble than its worth to try.  Once you’ve been done over once I don’t think there’s any point making it look like you’ve got nothing worth stealing, I’d rather it looked like it was too much trouble to be worth trying.

When you park your car, park it so that your bumper is only a couple of inches off the door – give the scrotes less room to work at breaking in.

Surely this proves it might actually, in some way, be your fault? Or is ‘being unlucky’ an actual thing?

I think is most cases the victim is at least partly to blame eg driving erraticly or parking selfishly etc

When first insuring you, your insurer has no idea about your most frequent driving routes and the accident risk of the roads you choose to drive on. You then having an accident which isn’t your fault indicates to them that you may use roads that have a higher accident risk* in general and therefore you are more likely to have another accident.

*e.g. a busy roundabout where rear end shunts are more likely to occur.

I wouldn’t recommend just relying on insurance. People have found that thieves return to properties they’ve previously stolen bikes from to get their hands on the replacements. Remember that your premium could go up

Fair point – I should have added my attitude was partly based off never having had my garage broken into before. I’d probably put up with the extra hassle of anchors and chains (at least for a while) if I’d had a break in.