Bike locker or BSO?

[winjim]

We're moving into rented accommodation for a short while until we find somewhere to buy. With the rental market and our budget being what they are, this means that we might not be able to find anywhere with a garage or sturdy shed for bike storage. Storing bikes in the house might not be doable as we have a lot of baby stuff we need to house. I have a storage unit which I'm going to put a load of stuff in, but obviously I'm going to want a bike to ride.

I've thought of two options:

1. Put my nice superbike into storage, keep hold of my day to day bike. Buy a bike locker which will fit on the patio / garden of wherever we're renting. This way I still have a pretty nice bike to ride, but bike lockers are pretty expensive (cheapest Asgard >£350). I wouldn't be able to securely ground anchor it but I don't know how much of a problem that would be.
2. Put both of my bikes into storage and buy a cheapo shocker of a BSO to ride in the short term. I could just lock it up outside (under a bikeparka) and not be too concerned. If it gets nicked, buy another. This is less faff and cheaper than getting a locker, depending on how many iterations of the steal/replace cycle we get through, but means I have to ride a cheapo pile of cack for the next few months.

Any thoughts? Other ideas?

 

[User32269]

BSO. Then when your settled, you can give it to a mate or family member who need a bike.

 

[NorthernDave]

£200 will buy a one of a choice of entry level road bikes at Halfords at the moment (or less if you're a BC member). Assuming the bike survives for a few months without getting nicked, you'd get most of that back selling it on ebay.
OK, they're not the greatest bikes ever (although the Carrera TDF has got a carbon fork...), but they'll do a job for you.

 

[Drago]

Take the pedals off, turn the bars, slide it under the bed.

Hang in in an alcove or wardrobe.

Remove the wheels and keep it in the fireplace, ideally not when there's a fire lit.

When I divorced I took my share of the 6 bed executive house in legoland (which being a country boy I always detested) and just managed to buy a two bed stone cottage with no garage or outside storage, and I became quite adept at stashing bikes in unlikely nooks and crannies.

 

[Tin Pot]

We're moving into rented accommodation for a short while until we find somewhere to buy. With the rental market and our budget being what they are, this means that we might not be able to find anywhere with a garage or sturdy shed for bike storage. Storing bikes in the house might not be doable as we have a lot of baby stuff we need to house. I have a storage unit which I'm going to put a load of stuff in, but obviously I'm going to want a bike to ride.

I've thought of two options:

1. Put my nice superbike into storage, keep hold of my day to day bike. Buy a bike locker which will fit on the patio / garden of wherever we're renting. This way I still have a pretty nice bike to ride, but bike lockers are pretty expensive (cheapest Asgard >£350). I wouldn't be able to securely ground anchor it but I don't know how much of a problem that would be.
2. Put both of my bikes into storage and buy a cheapo shocker of a BSO to ride in the short term. I could just lock it up outside (under a bikeparka) and not be too concerned. If it gets nicked, buy another. This is less faff and cheaper than getting a locker, depending on how many iterations of the steal/replace cycle we get through, but means I have to ride a cheapo pile of cack for the next few months.

Any thoughts? Other ideas?

Dragos option.

Unless the problem isn't just the bike, it's a whole heap of stuff, then storage/friends/family/rubbish tip.

 

[winjim]

BSO. Then when your settled, you can give it to a mate or family member who need a bike.

£200 will buy a one of a choice of entry level road bikes at Halfords at the moment (or less if you're a BC member). Assuming the bike survives for a few months without getting nicked, you'd get most of that back selling it on ebay.
OK, they're not the greatest bikes ever (although the Carrera TDF has got a carbon fork...), but they'll do a job for you.

£200 would get a tidy bike, but I'm thinking cheaper than that. If a £200 bike gets nicked and needs replacing then I may as well have bought a locker.

Take the pedals off, turn the bars, slide it under the bed.

Hang in in an alcove or wardrobe.

Remove the wheels and keep it in the fireplace, ideally not when there's a fire lit.

When I divorced I took my share of the 6 bed executive house in legoland (which being a country boy I always detested) and just managed to buy a two bed stone cottage with no garage or outside storage, and I became quite adept at stashing bikes in unlikely nooks and crannies.

Somewhere in the house would obviously be ideal but it would depend on the particular house we end up with. There may well be some sort of nook and/or cranny.

Dragos option.

Unless the problem isn't just the bike, it's a whole heap of stuff, then storage/friends/family/rubbish tip.

The tip has been visited many times over the last few months and the storage unit is already chock full of all my records, synths, a ton of bike stuff, various household items, baby clothes etc etc. I'm going to get a quote for a bigger unit.

I'm beginning to think a folder may be the answer. In the name of all that is holy, please don't let it come to that.

 

[wonderloaf]

£150 buys a Decathlon Triban 3, use it, abuse it then lose it!
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-...H2Z0UhYCYVW4i_BLRHLd708hSVCAVYT2dsaApki8P8HAQ

 

[GlenBen]

Anything that isnt a bso.
Put hooks below a 1st floor window. Drop the bike out the window and nobody will reach it. Unless they have a ladder.

 

[winjim]

£150 buys a Decathlon Triban 3, use it, abuse it then lose it!
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-...H2Z0UhYCYVW4i_BLRHLd708hSVCAVYT2dsaApki8P8HAQ

Unfortunately only in small sizes. I'm not sure I'd really call a T3 a BSO, it's a pretty good budget road bike.

Anything that isnt a bso.
Put hooks below a 1st floor window. Drop the bike out the window and nobody will reach it. Unless they have a ladder.

Good tip, but there might be objections to fixing hooks to the wall of a rented property. Also a bit of a faff lugging the bike upstairs and dangling it out the window every night. I might try this trick with a BSO, but prolly not with my nice bikes.

 

[Nebulous]

£60-70 quid on ebay will buy you a steel-framed 80s racer. Another £30-50 on bits to make sure it goes well. People don't steal them in my experience and despite looking old and tired they can ride quite well. Just as long as you can cope with downtube friction shifters!

 

[winjim]

£60-70 quid on ebay will buy you a steel-framed 80s racer. Another £30-50 on bits to make sure it goes well. People don't steal them in my experience and despite looking old and tired they can ride quite well. Just as long as you can cope with downtube friction shifters!

Good idea. Could keep it crappy but functional for the time being, and then when we're in our permanent home treat it to a proper restoration.

 

[palinurus]

bike lockers are pretty expensive (cheapest Asgard >£350). I wouldn't be able to securely ground anchor it but I don't know how much of a problem that would be.

May not be the best solution for you but Asgard lockers have floors so they can't just be lifted up to gain access if not bolted to a base. Mine (4x bike locker) isn't attached to the ground, it's fairly heavy and would be difficult to move it out of where it is placed as it was erected in situ. Can't (easily) be taken apart unless you gain access to the inside.

 

[Salad Dodger]

Get a 2nd hand oldish bike, and if it survives until you have moved into your new long term house, then treat it to a rebuild.
Would this be an opportunity to buy a different style of bike to what you normally use? Maybe get MTB if you normally ride road bikes, or maybe a hybrid/tourer......

 

[Brandane]

Buy something you like but aren't too precious about on e-bay. Give it a very bad hand painted finish with a brush and a tin of Hammerite in a naff colour. Anything to make it less desirable for resale (and therefore less desirable to those with sticky fingers), but still good to ride.