Living Car Free - bike garage options?

we dont' have a garage. and bikes have been stolen when left outside on porches overnight. i'm sick of hauling my bike inside. does anybody have any good outdoor options. bike lockers seem too expensive. i saw mention of a rubbermaid shack, but they mentioned that it is easy to dismantle, so not secure at all.

any other ideas? i'm not handy, so it has to be something i buy.

Are you serious?... how do you lock up your bike like you would when you go into a store.

Wait...so you are willing to spend money on a rubbermaid shack, but not a high-quality bike lock?

locked bikes get stolen. of course i use locks

Rubbermaid Shack AND some Kryptonite bike locks? If the thief is dismantling your shack and then picking/breaking your bike lock, you should notice a strange man stealing your bikes by then.

If not those, a dog? Not some rottweiler (unless you want one), but just a dog that'll bark really loud when a stranger is around.

If they were stealing my locked bike off the porch, I would move to a safer neighborhood.

( :. but its a cute neighborhood and walkable to downtown.

yeah maybe shack + kryptonite. thanks for suggestion

When I lived in Toronto, in different neighbourhoods, I had:
1. Someone try to steal my crappy Raleigh bike u-locked to the porch by the top tube by lifting the bike upside down for leverage. Dented the bike frame, but someone scared the thief away.
2. Someone use a wrench to remove a RUSTY front wheel (non QR) from the same said crappy Raleigh bike u-locked to the porch.

Neither neighbourhood was unsafe but both were urban, its a fact of life in urban neighbourhoods that people will try to steal bikes.

Suggestions:
1. Always bring the bike inside! (yeah I know you didn't want to hear that one)
2. If you have a backyard that is not accessible via laneway lock the bike outside there (ie. somewhere that is out of sight, there is still a risk) I left one of my bikes often unlocked in the same backyard where I had the wheel stolen from the front porch and never had a problem with it.
3. Buy a backyard shed. Usually you cannot lock these sheds high security but unless someone is watching you put your expensive bike inside the shed they are unlikely to break the lock figuring its just garden tools and crap.
4. Get a dog
5. If you are a light sleeper attempt to catch the thief in action (not recommended)

The shack may work to make it unlikely people will think there's a bike in there, but it would be best if you can place the shack somewhere people will not see you putting the bike in and out of it. It would be good if you could still somehow lock the bike to a solid object and not just to itself within the shack. Maybe if you are putting the shack on the porch, you could embed a metal ring into the porch floor that you then use a heavy chain lock to lock the bike to.

Maybe if you are putting the shack on the porch, you could embed a metal ring into the porch floor that you then use a heavy chain lock to lock the bike to.
To me this is the best idea. A steel rod could also be bolted to the floor, especially if you have more than one bike. You'd have to lock the frame and both wheels, of course.

+1 Always bring the bike inside!

we dont' have a garage. and bikes have been stolen when left outside on porches overnight. i'm sick of hauling my bike inside. does anybody have any good outdoor options. bike lockers seem too expensive. i saw mention of a rubbermaid shack, but they mentioned that it is easy to dismantle, so not secure at all.

any other ideas? i'm not handy, so it has to be something i buy.

There are many options available-for the right price. But even in the worst area imaginable for riding/storing a bike like the one I live/work in presently has ways of dealing with both crime and exposure to the elements (another problem of storing a bike longterm outside that was not even mentioned here).


Rubbermaid Shack AND some Kryptonite bike locks? If the thief is dismantling your shack and then picking/breaking your bike lock, you should notice a strange man stealing your bikes by then.

If not those, a dog? Not some rottweiler (unless you want one), but just a dog that'll bark really loud when a stranger is around.

You have to assume that you will not be home at all times (i.e. 24/7) to watch the house and the surrounding property. And even if you are always there (not likely as people do have to go satisfy a mandatory request requiring their physical presence periodically), you have to assume that someone who has criminal intent in the process of committing a crime might attack you if you get in the way. And that goes for any dog, be it a aggressive rottweiler type to a diminutive pesky chihuahua. I have noticed that neighbors are in short supply to be nosy at times like this (but to spy in your personal life-that is a sure fire thing).


When I lived in Toronto, in different neighbourhoods, I had:
1. Someone try to steal my crappy Raleigh bike u-locked to the porch by the top tube by lifting the bike upside down for leverage. Dented the bike frame, but someone scared the thief away.
2. Someone use a wrench to remove a RUSTY front wheel (non QR) from the same said crappy Raleigh bike u-locked to the porch.

Neither neighbourhood was unsafe but both were urban, its a fact of life in urban neighbourhoods that people will try to steal bikes.

Suggestions:
1. Always bring the bike inside! (yeah I know you didn't want to hear that one)
2. If you have a backyard that is not accessible via laneway lock the bike outside there (ie. somewhere that is out of sight, there is still a risk) I left one of my bikes often unlocked in the same backyard where I had the wheel stolen from the front porch and never had a problem with it.
3. Buy a backyard shed. Usually you cannot lock these sheds high security but unless someone is watching you put your expensive bike inside the shed they are unlikely to break the lock figuring its just garden tools and crap.
4. Get a dog
5. If you are a light sleeper attempt to catch the thief in action (not recommended)

The shack may work to make it unlikely people will think there's a bike in there, but it would be best if you can place the shack somewhere people will not see you putting the bike in and out of it. It would be good if you could still somehow lock the bike to a solid object and not just to itself within the shack. Maybe if you are putting the shack on the porch, you could embed a metal ring into the porch floor that you then use a heavy chain lock to lock the bike to.


+1 Always bring the bike inside!

As others suggested, it is always the most secure way of making sure your bike stays with you is to take it inside always. When I was living with my parents as a young girl, I lost at least 2 bikes because my father did not want "that dirty thing" inside the house. I have to give him credit that before he died and I returned home, he insisted that all my bikes stay inside-no matter how old or new it is, no matter how long I was home! No one wants to be made a fool of more than twice! And I no longer fall into the so called "beater" or "junk" bike as relatively theft-resistant or even proof. If it has even a small monetary value or ridable condition for being even used by the thief him/herself, well it will be gone for sure.

And for the record, I no longer use locks as around here locks are no more than a joke. I simply use common sense and treat the bike just like the valuable item it is just like a purse or a briefcase-it is always with me all the time or else it is in the house with the other bikes! If you don't like to stare at the bike(s) all of the time, you can cover them with a nice cloth and no one will know the better.

we dont' have a garage. and bikes have been stolen when left outside on porches overnight. i'm sick of hauling my bike inside. does anybody have any good outdoor options. bike lockers seem too expensive. i saw mention of a rubbermaid shack, but they mentioned that it is easy to dismantle, so not secure at all.

any other ideas? i'm not handy, so it has to be something i buy.

Just bring your bike inside, fer Chrissake. Yes, it's a minor inconvenience, but it's more secure than any of your other options, it's much less expensive, and probably not even that inconvenient if you think about it.

(I'm guessing that the real reason is that your SO just doesn't want your bike in the house.)

I bring my bike(s) indoors. :thumb:

Just bring your bike inside, fer Chrissake. Yes, it's a minor inconvenience, but it's more secure than any of your other options, it's much less expensive, and probably not even that inconvenient if you think about it.

It may actually be quite inconvenient, and an important part of being able to be car-free is to be able to easily just go on the bike without a hassle every time you want to make a trip. In the first case of attempted bike theft from the porch, I had a super-heavy bike and was living in a third floor attic apartment with a very narrow staircase. It was a PITA to haul the bike up to the apartment each time and so after theft attempt when I always kept the bike indoors I tended to use it less. (granted I was still car-free so either walking or transitting)

In the second case where the wheel was stolen the only real good place to put the bike inside was the basement and so to avoid stairs I put the bike either in the kitchen or partially blocking the front door (neither very convenient). I also know someone that had a very expensive bike stolen in a home break-in, when they went out they didn't take their bike figuring it was safer inside. Not always unfortunately.

I'm happy now to live somewhere I can leave the bikes on the front porch unlocked :)

Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get one of the sheds that they sell. It's in a giant kit. You don't have to cut or lay anything out. You can even use blocks for a foundation, no need for a poured one. If you can't or don't want to do the install, they can put you in touch with an installer. You may need a permit for it though.

Then put a couple eye-bolts in there and lock your bikes to them.

Just bring your bike inside, fer Chrissake. Yes, it's a minor inconvenience, but it's more secure than any of your other options, it's much less expensive, and probably not even that inconvenient if you think about it.


Well yeah, if you live on the ground floor and have plenty of space for all your bikes. Also you need to store the bikes near the door if you don't want to carry a dripping wet/muddy/salty bike over your carpeting and hardwood floors. Most apartments and small houses don't have this type of space.

I was in heaven when I had an attached garage with automatic door opener. I hit the button at the top of the driveway and rolled right in. It was heated too, so my bike was always dry by morning, and there was a drain in the floor for easy cleanup. This is the way to go if pride is no object.

I've been thinking the same thing, OP. It's pretty common to rent three-story apartments here in Louisville, and none of them have elevators. After a month or two of hauling my bike up those narrow stairs, I'd probably do some severe damage to the walls with my bike.

I've seen a lot of motorcycles downtown where there are few garages, and they just cover their motorcycles with a tarp-like motorcycle cover. I was thinking a similar system would be great for a bike if you could somehow tie it around the bike and lock it, while also locking the bike to something sturdy. That way, someone would actually have to cut through the tarp just to even see what bike was hidden under it. I'm aware that it wouldn't be completely thief-proof, but it would certainly make things more difficult.

Also, the tarp idea would protect your bike from the rain, and possibly be able to fit in a pannier so you could use it everywhere you go.

When my bike is locked up, I'm more scared of people stripping it for parts (and the weather stripping it of it's beauty), than I am of someone cutting the lock(s) and stealing the entire bike.

thank you all. i think i have all the necessary ideas, just have to get the motivation together to set it up. will update this when i finally do it

Carley just made me think of something. They make these stainless steel mesh nets (http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=50) that you can toss over a back pack or luggage and lock it down. Won't prevent theft but it will slow them down. Maybe put one over a tarp over the bike? As well as locking it down to something solid.

Aaron :)