bike storage ideas

[pericat]

We live in a rural area, and up to now our driveway has been minimal. It's sort of a rough track from the road to where the car's parked. We keep the bikes in a canvas shed/tent near the house. It is a very low crime area and I'm not particularly concerned about theft risk for now as none of our arrangements are visible from the road.

However, we are soon upgrading our drive, and putting in a concrete pad for the car. It will have a roof and a retaining wall, but will not be fully enclosed. I was considering leaving the bikes out in that area, and using the shed for other stuff. If we did that, though, I'd want to lock them to discourage chancers. Since the concrete is still to be poured I was thinking rings set in the concrete would be the most secure, and simplest, and we could use our usual locks.

Are there other (better) solutions we should look at?

[ny biker]

Would they be under the new roof? I'd want to protect them from wet weather.

[north woods gal]

The idea putting rings in the concrete is a good one, but if theft isn't a serious problem, I'd vote for leaving the bikes in the shed for the sake of protecting them from the weather. Otherwise, how feasible would it be to make a shed just for the bikes?

[pericat]

They'd be under the roof, yes.

The thing about moving them from the shed is, we have limited shed space and some other things that need shelter come late fall, that would be less suitable for stacking in the carport. Putting the bikes there, otoh, would mean they're more conveniently to hand when wanted. I just wondered if rings set in the concrete could be bettered, so far as security arrangements go.

[north woods gal]

Got it. Might be more convenient to just lock them in the shed for the sake of security, given that crime is not a big problem for you. Just a thought.

[rebeccaC]

Google ‘Sheffield Bicycle Stands images’. Something shaped like that set into concrete would give you something to both lock to and lean the bike upright against.
If you have a wall to lean the bike against Kryptonite (http://www.kryptonitelock.com/content/kryt-us/en/products/product-information/current-key/330202.html) and others make anchors with a hardened steel shackle for a chain to go through. The shackle on the Kryptonite can lay flat into the anchor when not in use.

NOW….if you really loved your bikes you’d give them a spot inside your warm and cozy house :)

[pericat]

Ah, but then the canoes would want to come inside also, and THEN where would we be?

I'll show those pics to the contractor; thanks!