Keep bike outside? A stupid idea?

[pinkkaz]

My husband and I commute on bikes to work. We just have the one each (!) We live in a top floor flat which doesn't have a lot of room for bikes. At the moment they are kept inside anyway in the hall and just get in the way.

We have a small patch of garden at the front which could possibly be converted into somewhere to keep the bikes. Either a low shed-type thing (would have to dig down!) or maybe we could get some metal bars to lock the bikes to and use bike covers. Does anyone else keep their bikes outside (front of house) and if so, how do you do it?

Or am I just asking for them to be stolen and should put up with the inconvenience of having them in the flat?

Thanks!

 

[Night Train]

A small shed or garden tool store would be good if you can fit it. I think Argos do some plastic ones or you can get wood. It would need a ground anchor, or two, through the base and into the ground. There is another thread, in Cafe I think, about shed security that has a link to the Machine Mart augar type ground anchors. B&Q also do some but at more money.

Another option I suggested to a friend was to have a pulley system set up outside their flat window and to hoist the bike up so it is several metres above the ground but still outside.

 

[fossyant]

My MTB stays outside 8 hours a day - at work under a cover, but of course well locked to a sheffield stand.

What you could do is get a plastic shed, but also get wall anchors - bolt anchors to wall, cut hole in shed and then d-lock the bikes to the anchors.

Only problem - are you allowed to drill holes in the flat wall ? The other thing is use the screw in ground anchors - you just screw them in 18 inches and if in a shed, it's unlikely someone could twist the bikes about. - there is another thread on here about sheds.

The shed is really just to keep the bikes dry and out of sight, but you must use some sort of anchor and a good set of locks.

 

[Night Train]

Link to other thread here

 

[pinkkaz]

Great, thanks for the link.
I'll have to ask our downstairs neighbours if they mind a small shed in the front garden, but if it's dug down it will probably be less of an eyesore than the weeds currently are!

 

[Mr Pig]

They will rust a lot more if they are open to the elements.

 

[Blonde]

You can get tarpaulins for cycles and motor bikes which do work, but to really stop ground water or rain water running underneath the tarpaulin you'll also need a ground sheet. If you go for this (cheap and low impact) option you'll still need a ground or wall anchor to lock the bikes to. The best option for dryness and security is still the shed/covered bike locker.

I've stored bikes in small spaces in flats - horizontally but with front wheel out, in a fitted wardobe on a hook above the clothes worked well. Alcoves and other tall but narrow spaces can also be used well, if bike is hung up vertically. by front wheel on hook.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Yes, I'd suggest hanging them up from the ceiling by a hook, if that's possible. I wouldn't leave them outside in the front.

 

[asterix]

My bike lived under a roof overhang for a year locked to a gutter downpipe. Unfortunately the gutter overflowed a lot so it was rather damp, even so my policy of regular oiling (but not cleaning) kept the rust at bay. In hindsight I guess the saddle stem might have seized but maybe the large plastic bag over the saddle did the trick.

 

[Tynan]

thinking of getting one of those 3 bike sheds for £400 odd fairly soon, the ones that are always recommended, just have to check how high it'll come to the windows

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Also – if you’re in a flat, then in theory at least, you’ll need planning permission for a shed – even a small one – how well do you get on with your neighbours??

 

[marinyork]

My bike lived outside for about a year. I got a poundland bike cover and got treasury tags to pair up the ends (replaced at cost of a few pence when went rusty after about a month or so. This seemed to work pretty well.

 

[briank]

I wouldn't worry too much about the corrosion: 3in1 and WD40 will see most things right.
I'm sure many of us keep ouur bikes in cellars which are nearly as damp as outside anyway.
(Well not for the best bikes during the winter of course then they go up in the attic.)

 

[spring91]

Tridoorbikestore ....

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