So, new garage going up and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t primarily a bike storage / workshop facility. My plan was to hang all of the bikes on the wall, and therein lies the problem…

In these modern days, sadly it’s necessary to lock bikes in a garage, even if it’s a secure one. I plan to stick 25mm of hard insulation on the wall, and then ply over the top secured to the brickwork with battens. If I were to use a normal ground anchor, it would have to be directly on the brickwork, which would mean it would have to sit in a hole cut in the ply / insulation, which being a couple of inches deep is going to make it something of a pain to get to.

So, question: WWSTD? How would you lock several (this is an imperial “several”, so best assume it’s quite a lot!) bikes on the wall so they are all secure?

Ours are hanging of the back wall in the garage interlaced with some on the floor but the ground anchors are in the floor. You need multiple deterrents before they get near to the bikes. Ours has been beefed up even more since the photos

Thanks Tracey – I remember seeing pictures of your setup before – very impressive!

Mine will be in the wall anyway (mostly because I want to keep the floor clear of clutter), but I think some steel eyes of some sort will do the trick. Just need to find some!

You need multiple deterrents before they get near to the bikes.

Definitely. Won’t detail it here (obvs), but the locks are just the icing on the cake. I’m hoping it’ll take a reasonable amount to get to them, and it’s unlikely they’d be able to do even that in silence, so it would be a pretty bold tea-leaf that would be willing to stand his ground and cut through a chain when he knows that everyone knows what he’s up to. Well, that’s the idea, anyway…

I’ve found this which I think will do quite nicely for what I need:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362064722799

The important bit here is that there’s enough depth to get it fastened to the wall, while still being able to get chain through even with layers of insulation and ply behind. I’m planning to use a few, so I won’t be relying on just a single fixing for lots of bikes. Strength in numbers!

You could try these. Fold flat if needed but when out they stick out quite a way. Would probably clear you insulation and plasterboard. I’ve got one on the wall for a bike hanging off a pedal mount. Decently thick shackle – and with your setup it would probably be hard to try and remove / cut. Think it’s sold secure motorcycle gold rated too. £15 each on eBay with all the wall fixing.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203196668872

Thanks, that’s another useful option!

I’m still sat scratching my head as to whether to use vertical bike hanging using some sort of hook, or horizontal hanging of some description.

Vertical hanging is easier from an access point of view and certainly fine for the road bikes, but I remain worried that hanging suspension forks and other hydraulic bits upside down for an extended period might not do them any good, so I might end up with the MTBs stored horizontal.

Interesting GMBN video about this: https://youtu.be/mjkPs-48u2M?t=486

(tl;dw: it’s probably a good thing to do as it helps lube the fork seals)

Most of ours have been hung vertical for years and never had a problem. We find it easier to have the droppers down for ease of storage and had no problems with them.

Most of ours have been hung vertical for years and never had a problem. We find it easier to have the droppers down for ease of storage and had no problems with them.

Thanks! Reading around, the general feeling is that, with the exception of a few specifics (old Pace forks, for example), I would only have a problem if there is a latent problem there already. On that basis, I’ll probably just go with vertical hanging for all just to be consistent.

(sadly, I have to admit that my ratio of MTB to road bikes has skewed alarmingly in the wrong direction in recent years, and I can’t see this changing dramatically in the years to come. Boo.)

Like that setup, Tracey. Just needs a lion or a tiger inside the cage and you’re worry free 🙂