No Garage / How do you store your bike?

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Soldato
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I don't have a bike yet, but I don't have a garage either and the nearest garage to rent is good 15min away. I'm thinking ahead of how I should store it and how to protect it from the weather. I did think about one of those cycle sheds, you can buy one for 300-400 pounds. But the problem is that my garden is not level'ed up, its narrow and it would cost a lot of money to level it up...

So the only option I have is to buy a massive chain, alarm, massive thick cover. Because of this being my only option I'm really thinking if its worth spending over 3k on a bike which will be stored outside. I'm not planning on moving out any time soon, so that's not an option atm. :(

P.s. The bike for the winter will go into my room, I have a big room (30m2) so that's not a problem. :D


How is everyone else coping without a garage/shed?
 
I would chain it (to an anchor or something solid if possible), alarmed disk lock and cover (lockable cover if you can be bothered to do up yet another lock when you park up).

Can you wheel it round the back anywhere, out of site of the road? Or keep it out of site?
 
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What's your garden like? If you have easy access to it you can !even it up with strong decking or breeze block pier's and sit a shed on it?

If you have a side access or path along your house maybe build a lean to?

I'm lucky to have a large garage

Any nearby neighbours with garages? Ask to rent em?
 
I have mine out in the front garden just now, unfortunately. The day before my brand spanker was ready to collect from the dealer, the garage roof collapsed. Mixed emotions, but at least it was the day before and didn't come down on my new bike!

At the moment it is at the side of the driveway, tightly between a wall and a hedge, chained to the metal driveway gates with an Oxford hardcore XL, alarmed disc lock on the front wheel and covered over with a heavy duty outdoor cover. Driveway gates are also padlocked shut at night. There is also a motion security light pointed at the bike.

Thats about as secure as I can make it right now without sitting out front all night in a rocking chair with a shotgun :p , but I still worry about it. Rain has been belting down this week as well!
 
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I have a half mile walk to the garage I rent from the local council, I use my bike for my year round commute, the walk is good exercise and wakes me up for the ride.
 
I have an enclosed porch, 2 brick sheds opposite the back door with a door going in from outside, and I store my bike there. There's a bit of a technique to getting the bike in and out but I'm a master of it. I originally thought a Tiger would be too wide but it's all about angles and lean.
 
Craig321 said:
I would chain it (to an anchor or something solid if possible), alarmed disk lock and cover (lockable cover if you can be bothered to do up yet another lock when you park up).
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I could probably get 2 covers, 1 for general use and 1 for longer stay which is lockable.
Craig321 said:
Can you wheel it round the back anywhere, out of site of the road? Or keep it out of site?
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Yes and No.
wazza300 said:
What's your garden like? If you have easy access to it you can !even it up with strong decking or breeze block pier's and sit a shed on it?

If you have a side access or path along your house maybe build a lean to?

I'm lucky to have a large garage

Any nearby neighbours with garages? Ask to rent em?
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The garden is simply to uneven to to do that, there's no way of digging and trying to level it up as we have a massive tree in the garden which roots probably go under the house.

So building anything at the back is just a big no no and I don't plan on staying here for longer than 2 years. About the neighbours I did think about it and there's an elderly couple who have 2 garages that are empty pretty much most of the time and are opposite my house. Although, lately I see some cars there so not sure if they're already renting them... I'll check with them once I start my search for a bike.
Clum said:
I have mine out in the front garden just now, unfortunately. The day before my brand spanker was ready to collect from the dealer, the garage roof collapsed. Mixed emotions, but at least it was the day before and didn't come down on my new bike!

At the moment it is at the side of the driveway, tightly between a wall and a hedge, chained to the metal driveway gates with an Oxford hardcore XL, alarmed disc lock on the front wheel and covered over with a heavy duty outdoor cover. Driveway gates are also padlocked shut at night. There is also a motion security light pointed at the bike.

Thats about as secure as I can make it right now without sitting out front all night in a rocking chair with a shotgun :p , but I still worry about it. Rain has been belting down this week as well!
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Ouch, I hope no one got hurt? :eek:
FunkyCowie said:
I have a half mile walk to the garage I rent from the local council, I use my bike for my year round commute, the walk is good exercise and wakes me up for the ride.
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If you don't mind me asking, how much are you paying for the rent and how big is the garage?
ElliorR said:
I have an enclosed porch, 2 brick sheds opposite the back door with a door going in from outside, and I store my bike there. There's a bit of a technique to getting the bike in and out but I'm a master of it. I originally thought a Tiger would be too wide but it's all about angles and lean.
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Yeah, I wouldn't try doing this at my back garden, especially after its been raining.
 
the garage is big enough for a car, has water access but no electricity. It costs £10 a week, but for the security its worth it for me.
 
My cheap commuter bike sits under a car port, if/when I get something nice for the summer I'll also invest in an Asgard metal motorcycle garage. Big enough for 2 bikes and should be classed as a garage by insurance. They're not cheap though.
 
It's a bit costly but ACF-50 is good at inhibiting corrosion and preserving metalwork when your bike is exposed to the elements. With this said, a little goes a long way and one can has lasted me at least 3 years now.

Ground anchor and good chain for some peace of mind. If no solid ground to put it into, pour concrete into a bucket and insert the ground anchor into that - better than nothing!

Oddly my bike insurance was cheaper when declared as stored on a driveway than kept in a shed - did have a ground anchor though.
 
TallPaul_S said:
My cheap commuter bike sits under a car port, if/when I get something nice for the summer I'll also invest in an Asgard metal motorcycle garage. Big enough for 2 bikes and should be classed as a garage by insurance. They're not cheap though.
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Even a wooden shed is classed as a garage by insurance companies :)

I've got a 8' x 6' metal shed which I got before getting my bike so the door is on the side with a path between it and my house so getting the bike in is ok but not easy if you know what I mean. Had I'd known I'd have got one with the door on the end. The shed is also full of other stuff too so there's just enough room.

Don't know how I'd feel about leaving it out all night personally. Luckily I have space so it's ok. I leave it at work sometimes overnight if I'm away on business, but that's got 24hr security.
 
TripleT said:
Even a wooden shed is classed as a garage by insurance companies :)
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Check their terms first, as my shed isn't classed as it being garaged and it's a lot more solid than your general prefab wooden job but because of it's construction I can't class it as a garage with my insurance.
 
tom_e said:
Check their terms first, as my shed isn't classed as it being garaged and it's a lot more solid than your general prefab wooden job but because of it's construction I can't class it as a garage with my insurance.
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Yeah I think this is the case with most, whereas the asgard garages because of their weight and size are classed as a garage (with most places, obviosuly I'll need to check). They are £1k though! But if it saves £200 in insurance per year, it wouldn't be that long before it's paid for (+ peace of mind not leaving an italian bike out in the weather and easy pickings for theives).

http://www.asgardsss.co.uk/motorcycle-garage

My place has a long driveway, with room at the bottom for one of these, and no access to the rear gargen so a shed wouldn't be any good.
 
I'm in the annoying position of having a shed in an alleyway behind the flats but it's a total pain to get the bike in the shed due to the angle you have to turn into, and if there is a car parked in front of the gate to the alleyway (there is pavement in front of the gate but not enough) you can't even get the bike in or out of the alley.

There is also nothing at all to chain the bike to so I just have to put the chain around a wheel and keep a cover over it, behind all the cars so it's reasonably out of sight. I'm more worried about kids messing with it than it being stolen really. Hopefully I'll be moving to a house within the year so at least there is the possibility of a lamppost in the future!
 
My bike lives outdoors. I use an Oxford Aquatex bike cover, chain, alarmed disc locks, and the bike has a factory immobilizer. Late autumn it gets hugs with ACF-50 / WD40 and then put to bed. I view having a garage as a luxury, not a prerequisite.
 
I was keeping my bike in our downstairs toilet as its massive. The paranoia of it catching fire and burning out house down means I now keep it in the garden...
 
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