Bicycles in garages would typically be secured to a wall with a ground anchor, often a 13mm chain passing through the frame of the bike and perhaps one or both wheels if they are valuable, and a suitable padlock or D-Lock. Higher value bikes, or where a previous theft has occured in the vicinity, going up a level or two, is recommended, whilst keeping in mind the weight of the products being considered. It is very unusual for a chain as heavy as a Protector 19mm to be appropriate for securing bicycles. A Protector 16mm chain is often used by professional and serious amateur cyclists, but two 13mm chains that are kept well above the floor, perhaps looped around different anchors, might be better in many cases. These items should usually all be at least Sold Secure Bicycle Gold approved. Beware that long lengths of chain are heavy and bicycles are fragile, so securing multiple bikes is frequently better done with multiple chains, going to different bikes, and potentially multiple ground achors. Usability is important, especially when a high level of security is intended and the bikes are valuable as well as fragile. Trying to avoid a single point of failure means a thief would have to defeat multiple elements in order to steal more than one item, for instance.

The ground anchor should often be placed on a wall behind the bike, or otherwise underneath and behind the bike, such as between the bike and the wall. Bicycles are naturally relatively high with respect to the floor, so having a foor-mounted anchor would mean having a chain long enough to rise up to the bike and then go back down again. All of that makes it more likely that the chain will be close enough to the floor for a thief to be able to get some attack advantage; keeping the anchor and the chain well above the floor can mean a lighter (and thus cheaper and easier to handle) chain can be used.

Notwithstanding the above, the quality of the wall in a garage may force special consideration. If the wall is made of breeze block then it is not going to achieve a high level of security, although we do offer a Block Wall mounting option for our Torc Ground Anchor and that can help. But, a wall made of proper solid concrete blocks or strong bricks would be much better. If the wall is not adequate, it may be necessary to mount the ground anchor on the floor after all. A good concrete floor is stronger than a good brick wall is stronger than a block wall, as a general rule.

Bicycles in garages are frequently hung on the wall and this strongly favours the anchor being fitted behind the bike, also on the wall.

Suggested Shopping List

The following are alternatives for the ground anchor: (Select according to recommendations above):

• Torc Ground Anchor
• Beefy Bridge Ground Anchor
• Double Doofer Ground Anchor (Removable)

Then, usually the Protector 13mm Chain (or Protector 11mm Chain if cost is a major issue)

The following are alternatives for the lock: (Select according to guidance in the Padlocks Selector):

• DIB D-Lock, or...
• RoundLock (not suitable for the Protector 11mm chain), or...
• Squire SS50CS

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Bicycles in wooden sheds are invariably well protected with our Shed Shackle fixed to the wall of the shed. We designed the Shed Shackle for precisely this scenario. It can be used to tether one or more bicycles by means of Protector security chains up to 16mm gauge, but ordinarily an 11mm or 13mm chain will give good protection to a very wide range of bicycles (see the chain gauge guidance, above, for help in selecting the appropriate chain), plus an appropriate padlock or D-Lock. The Shed Shackle can be used to secure more than one bicycle, if they are leaning against each other.

Important: The value of bicycle(s) secured to a single Shed Shackle should not normally exceed something like ?5,000, and you should confirm with your insurance policy wording if a Shed Shackle is considered adequate, if insurance is important to you. Many customers simply use more than one Shed Shackle, distributed across different walls of the shed, to allow higher value bicycle groups and collections to be protected. Distributing the risk and having multiple, independent, deterrents, is always good practice, especially if values are high. We have numerous customers keeping e.g. ?20,000-worth of bicycles in wooden sheds, with multiple Shed Shackles, and bikes hung up on the walls (as that makes the chain harder to atatack for a thief).

We would strongly recommend that you check, and probably upgrade, the security on the shed door. Our HS1 Hasp & Staple and our BeefUp Kit products can give a substantial boost to the door security. If you can keep a thief out, you have won!

If you need to protect higher value bicycles, or groups of bikes, you should consider using a proper ground anchor mounted to a concrete floor. If your shed has a wooden floor, you can cut a hole through it and either fit an anchor to concrete below (if concrete is pesent and of sufficient quality), or to lay an area of fresh concrete. Achieving high security in a shed with a wooden floor is not easy! We would suggest that you should consider storing the bike(s) in a more solid building such as a garage, if the risk is a concern.

Suggested Shopping List

The following are alternatives for the anchor: (Select according to recommendations above):

• Shed Shackle (for Wooden Sheds)
• Torc Ground Anchor (usually with the Mediocre Concrete fitting option)

Then, follow the chain and lock guidance in the section above about bicyles in garages.

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Metal sheds can have their security upgraded by fitting one of our Metal Shed Shackle products, or a ground anchor if the floor below the shed is accessible and of adequate strength. Note that many metal sheds/bike huts have very inferior locking provisions on their lids/covers, and also on their doors. We would recomend that you give serious consideration to upgrading the security of the metal shed itself, wherever possible.

Suggested Shopping List

The following are alternatives for the anchor: (Select according to recommendations above):

• Torc Ground Anchor (with either a Mediocre Concrete (for floor fixing) or Van (for wall fixing) fitting option)
• Shed Shackle (for Metal Sheds)

Then, follow the chain and lock guidance in the section above about bicyles in garages.

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Portable security for bicycles is a particular challenge due to the limited weight and volume constraints that apply. To some extent, these can be offset by using some kind of frame or saddle bag or pannier or rucksack, but we are typically still limited on what we can do. Hence, products that give a good level of security with some versatility can be very helpful, such as a Protector 11mm Noose chain. At 2.1kg weight per metre of length, they can still be a significant weight to carry if cycling up hills! The padlock is an extra weight, and a relatively lightweight lock, such as the Squire SS50-P5, can be a popular compromise with the 11mm chain.

An alternative to a chain & padlock can be a DIB D-Lock, typically at around 1.5kg, and that can allow the frame and rear wheel of a bike to be secured to some street furniture, depending on proximity and dimensions.

Companies such as Restrap manufacture belt loops that allow a D-Lock to be carried, hanging from a belt, with reasonable comfort.

Suggested Shopping List

The following are alternatives: (Select according to recommendations above):

• Protector 11mm Chain (select the Noose option, where required) and Squire SS50-P5 padlock, or...
• DIB D-Lock (beware that the larger ones are also heavier).

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