Check with your insurer that they will cover the full value of your bike, spares, tools etc, including when kept in the shed.

If some tea-leaf has got in undetected he won't have any problem carrying bolt-croppers and will make light work of any chains, particularly ones near or on the floor. Doesn't matter if they cost £100, they're vulnerable.

How about putting a gun club sticker on the shed window?

Portray yourself as a voilent nut case and you'll find they'll not risk it.

Shave your head, get some tattoo's and gather a reputation for unprovoked attacks. If you have friends in the police make sure they visit in their uniform and park the car outside.

my main way of stopping the tea leaves getting in my garage is to park my car right up tight to the doors so they cant be opened. Therefore to get in to the gargage they will have to break in to the house for the car keys first.

This is something i have always done and i find it strange when people with a garage on the drive dont do this because any amature theif can break in to the locks on garage doors, but modern cars with all the fancy immoilizers and alarms are not so easy to break in to.

The thiefs out there like easy targets. Any little thing you can do to make there life hard will help.

Be a bit more aware when you are riding home too - watching out for if any car or person if watching or following you - take different routes etc, and don't make it obvious that you have nice stuff in your garage/house/shed to passers by or opportunists - clean/service it out of view - not out the front of your house etc

my bikes and shed are well secured but i find my 2 american bulldogs are the best deterant to any scum that want to try and get my stuff,as a tip never put a beware of the dog sign up if you have a dog not only will it be a surprise when your dogs barking like mad at them but also if your dogs do bite them like mine would they cant get compensation off you,if you do have a sign up and your dog bites they can sue you,

You can still fold out the top of a garage door with a car parked up against (as someone on another forum mentioned that's how his bikes got nicked), it is a useful idea though (although in my case I have no internal access door so it's a hassle).

Odd they didn't list an Almax chain above either, the ones they have listed are easily bolt-croppable. At least the Almax needs an angle grinder which isn't an option if the thief is trying to be stealthy.

I work in the legal profession. I recently read the interview of a prolific bike thief who came clean about his methods. There were two that particularly caught my eye has quite inventive. The first is aimed at Lukeellis. He recounted that if he came across a car against the garage he would simply use bolt croppers to cut through the hand brake cable to roll it back. He said this made less noise than smashing the window. I suppose the answer to this is to leave the car in gear. (Have look at the Enfield dead bolts for garage doors)

The most alarming thing was how he came to find some of the bikes in the first place. As well as the normal following people, he and his 'colleagues' would phone up adverts in the paper and the like and have a conversation something like this:

'I'm phoning about the bike for sale but I'm after one in good condition not one that's been left outside'. If he got an answer along the lines of 'that's okay I keep it in the shed or the garage' he had his next target. Clever eh?

The other problem of course is that once people had been burgled once, he knew that if that was their hobby, they were likley to replace the bikes and so there would be shiny new ones back there shortly. So try not to let people see where you live if you've got bikes on the car. I always keep a close eye on my rear view mirror near to home. If somebody is really keen though it is possible for them to get your address from the DVLA if they have your reghistration number. I've always thought that this is outrageous but it's worth mentioning. Sometimes it's better putting the bike in the car despite the mess and hassle.

Other thing I forgot to mention is that Toolstation to a good range of hardened steel locks and chains that are far cheaper than any of thos above. They will resist pretty much anything but an angle grinder

A friend who downhills, uses a baby monitor in his garage. He argues that night time is the most likely when they'll get stolen as there's always someone in the house during the day.

you will never stop a determined thief who really wants to steal anything but a ground anchor and good quality chain will mean the thief needs to be really well tooled up as a good quality chain will need at least a 42" bolt cropper to cut which are not something you can just carry around with you as they are huge, heavy and cumbersome to use. Very expensive to buy and the cutting jaws need replacing regularly if cutting hardened steel again these are expensive. OK they could be nicking these as well but a 42" cutter is not something that you can hide in your coat.

So a good chain should defeat the less professional thief.

Unfortunately some thieves who know their bikes will cut the frame to steal the bike and then sell off all the expensive parts.

My bikes are in what appears to be an old tin shed but which is lined with a wooden shell with a very strong block board door and the only window is too small to get a bike out of, the bike is then chained to a 10 mm hardened chain and a heavy duty agricultural trailer hitch acting as a ground anchor.

I work on the principle to get into the shed will create a huge amount of noise and some considerable time and once in they will need a 42" bolt cutters or an angle grinder to nick the bike. So unless they really want the bike it is likely they will try somewhere else.

That’s my theory anyway

Jenks66; good advice on thieves cutting the bike frame & selling the parts instead. They also don't have to worry about a frame with security markings.

The most vulnerable part of a shed is the roof. Many shed roofs are just nailed to the timber frame, A few bangs on the roof overhang with the palms of the hands will soon allow the thief to quietly & tool free fold the roof up and over and access the contents of the shed. No quality shed breaker would commit crime and walk off with large bolt croppers etc they would hide them and return to them when needed. This includes stolen bikes. They will hide them in bushes or undergrowth and return for them at a safe time. Always worth checking the immediate vicinity when some scrote has burgled your shed. Another good method of finding out about various deterents etc is to read all these comments!!!!

I don't keep my pride and joy outside, it's kept in a room guarded by my faithful rottweiler, i know this isn't an option available to everyone but i reckon it's got to be pretty close to the top of the list. Another safety point is regarding transporting on car bike racks, do make sure your bike is padlocked to the rack and that the rack is difficult to get off the car , i know someone who had the bike nicked along with the bike rack after it was parked in a car park, the sods backed a transit van up to his car and were able to unfasten the rack without being disturbed and made off with a £3000 bike in broad daylight!!!! needless to say my friend was left speechless and a prized bike gone.......

I had a mountain bike nicked from my shed. The scrotes broke off 2 locks & then set to one side (a) my £2000 Road Bike (b) my £850 training bike - they then took my £400 mountain bike & then REPLACED my other 2 bikes & closed the door! I have now cleared out my under-stairs & put my bikes in there, out of sight, doors locked & keys removed, with burglar alarm set when I'm out. All the junk from under the stairs is now in the shed - fully protected with 2 high tensile steel security closures with good quality locks, plus an audible alarm. If they break in again they'll go to a lot of trouble just to get at a box of crappy tools, a sunlounger, a jetwash & some odds 'n sods. Funny thing is that I hadn't been out on the MTB for a year, so how did they know it was there? Anyway, the insurance paid up current replacement cost of £525, so I bought a PowerTap & had it built into a wheelset! No more MTBing for me.

Note to all.

You all talk about garage or shed storage and spending vast sums on anchors and locks. Please remember to ensure your own tools are stored securely or elsewhere.

I'm also in the law proffession and you'd be surprised how many thieves just use your tools to assist them. Saves them getting lifted on the way for going equipped to steal

how bout a shed lock ...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shed-Security-Bar-Lock-Garage-Door-Outbuilding_W0QQitemZ180426164279QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HaG_Lock_Safes_GL?hash=item2a023cc837