UKC

Hi fellow cyclists!

I've just moved into a rental home and have no access to the shed. There's no space indoors to keep our bikes. We're not going to be there for long, so I don't want to spend a lot of money (less than 50 quid). Does anyone have any recommendations for keeping the weather off a couple of bikes kept in the back garden? Apart from a basic tarp of course, there appears to be some relatively cheap products out there on Amazon - are they any good/worthwhile, or will just draping a tarp over them be easily good enough for, say, 6 months (over autumn/winter) or possibly longer?

Thanks
Damo

In reply to mountainbagger:

Friend of mine bought a mini shed. think he got it from B&Q and was originally a tool storage box

In reply to MrJared:

Thanks, they look nice (little wooden or plastic sheds), but they all seem to be well over £100. I think I can only really afford a soft cover or tent like thing in that case.

In reply to mountainbagger:

All depends on the value of the bikes and how often they are all used. If they are expensive then you want something more secure and kinder to them, if they are used regularly then a mini shed garden storage box type thing could be a pain in the rear if you have to keep moving bikes around to get to the one at the back.
Whatever you get you need to get a massive lock or two and position them away from the floor so that any potential thieves can't lever bolt croppers against the floor.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Thanks for that. They are very cheap old bikes, so I'm not too bothered about thievery - I'm happy to just lock them up to each other or a drainpipe with my usual bike lock - I'm just after cheap protection from the elements for several months (rather than years) and wondered whether some sort of custom bike cover was worthwhile over just a tarp. I use the bike about once a week max.

In reply to mountainbagger:

I use one of the Oxford bike covers when the bikes are parked outside the campervan on holiday, they seem fine.

In reply to mountainbagger:


I think you have answered your own question. You don't want to spend much money on keeping the elements off some cheap bikes you wouldn't be too bothered about if they got nicked. £50 for a tarp seems a bit dear to me for a bit of tarp but make sure you get a long piece of bungee cord to make sure the tarp doesn't fly away in the night!

In reply to ByEek:


Yes, I think I'm down to just deciding between basic tarp and one of those Oxford bike covers richlan refers to. I didn't mean to imply I'd found a tarp for £50 - I'm sure they are cheaper than that, possibly just the way I worded the OP!

Thanks for the help everyone!

In reply to mountainbagger:
Tesco used to sell (it's a while since I bought them) bike covers for about £6. Big enough to cover the whole bike and made of some waterproof material. I have had ours for several years. Very useful on holiday when covered storage isn't available.

Edit: here is a link: http://www.tesco.com/direct/pvc-cycle-cover-one-size/328-1467.prd This one is posher than mine!