Securing bikes to meet home insurance requirements

[Danny]

I've always had our three bikes covered by paying bit extra on my home insurance policy that up until now has allowed me to just keep the bikes locked in my attached garage.

The policy has come up for renewal and they now have imposed a new conditions on how they have to be stored. Each bike has to be secured to an immovable object with a Sold Gold standard lock. Given our garage is not very big this is easier said than done, particularly if we want to have easy access to our bikes.

The best solution foe ua would be to buy a Hiplock Wall Hanger but these cost up to £144 each - which makes it expensive for 3 bikes. Another possible solution is a Hiplock Home Chain and Anchor combination that would secure two bikes for £160.

Can anyone recommend cheaper security solutions that would work?

Alternartively are there any home insurance policies that don't have a required to secure bikes stored in a locked garage? I know the Cycling UK policy doesn't have this requirement but it would cost us around £250 a year to insure all three bikes, which is significantly more than the premium on our home insurance policy.

I assume that one of the reasons insurance companies now insist on the the extra secuirity is that bike prices have gone up so much. I bought my carbon road bike for about £1,300 around 6 years ago. The equivalent model now costs £3,000. So the cost of replacing all our bikes (1 road bike and 2 tourers) is at least £6,000.

 

[Drago]

pictures of the storage area might inspire us.

 

[midlife]

Slightly off topic but my home insurance has come up for renewal and now they want the burglar alarm covered by a maintenance contract or they will void the insurance cover…… more cost !

 

[Gwylan]

Put the bikes onto the domestic insurance, a few quid extra of course.

Then I sank some eye Rawlbolts with resin into the wall. Then gold U bolt the bike to that. Photo follows.
You can only remove the eye bolt with a jack hammer, or by turning to whole arrangement to unscrew the bolt. Since the bike is based on the floor that's not easy or really possible.
An angle grinder would see the U bolt off, but it's gold rated as they require. The fact that there are plenty of tools in the garage to see the lock and the bolt off seems irrelevant.

Sent a photo to the insurance company, to piss them off having to deliver with the communication and ensure they had a chance to disapprove the arrangement.
We have a sensitive relationship after a previous bike was nicked from outside a cafe. Eventually, they blinked nd paid up.

 

[geocycle]

I have got two of those hiplock wall hanger things. They were having a deal where I got a 2 for 1. They are very solid indeed, so much so they would probably take half the wall with them if anyone tried to remove them. I think they are diamond rated. I seem to remember having to buy a special masonry bit bigger than my standard set. One advantage is there is enough support to do all major drive train work and I now rarely use my work stand.

 

[Drago]

Slightly off topic but my home insurance has come up for renewal and now they want the burglar alarm covered by a maintenance contract or they will void the insurance cover…… more cost !

Check whoever you go with has the industry NSI accreditation (Verisure lost theirs a few years ago) as that might give them another excuse to finger you off.

My garage is also covered on my system.

 

[Sharky]

I've always self insured.
We have an integral garage, so consider the risk low and as most of the bikes are well over 10 yes old, it would be a good excuse to buy a new one, should they get nicked.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Asguard Sheds have some options: https://www.asgardsss.co.uk/bike-locks that are cheaper than that.

 

[oldandslow]

I've always wondered about the ground anchor thing. I have good quality chains on the bikes in our shed, securing them to each other, and it would be impossible to get them out of the door without cutting that. If you could do that, the ground anchor would be of no benefit. Last time I checked we weren't required to have one, but I'll have to keep an eye on it. Of course, the best bikes aren't in the shed

 

[Dadam]

Pragmasis Torc Maxi ground anchor. No prisoners.

 

[Danny]

Slightly off topic but my home insurance has come up for renewal and now they want the burglar alarm covered by a maintenance contract or they will void the insurance cover…… more cost !

The previous owner had put in a DIY alarm. The insurance company said we would not get a discount for having this unless it was covered by a maintenance contract. However they were happy to provide a quote based on us having no alarm and the extra we had to pay was negligible compared to the cost of taking out a maintenance contract.

 

[Danny]

Pragmasis Torc Maxi ground anchor. No prisoners.

View attachment 796495

That looks very secure👏. What make is the chain and how long is it?

 

[Pblakeney]

My house and contents insurance is with MBNA. The bikes worth above £1000 have to be listed but there are no lock requirements other than simply locked to "something fixed".

"Bikes are covered at your home. They’re also covered whilst they are temporarily away from your home. This includes taking them abroad."
...
"We’ll pay claims for:
– Your bikes if they are damaged, including by accidental damage.
– Your bikes if they are stolen. If they are stolen from a public place, a communal area, an unlocked outbuilding, or in the open, you need to have locked your bike and its accessories to something fixed. For example, a post or bike rack."

 

[oxoman]

Look at motorbike locking methods. Usually very good ground anchors available similar to some already shown above.

 

[Dadam]

That looks very secure👏. What make is the chain and how long is it?

It's a Kryptonite New York Noose (12mm x 130cm). However I've now got 4 bikes chained up on the same anchor using a Pragmasis Protector 13mm x 2.0m chain.