Bike Shed for Garden: Sizes, Ground Anchors and the Locks

A bike shed for the garden has one job a normal shed does not: keeping something light, valuable and easy to wheel away from being wheeled away. That changes what to look for. Size matters, because bikes are long and awkward and a shed that fits them on paper can be miserable to use. But the parts that decide whether the bikes are still there in a year are the base, the fixings, the lock and what is bolted to the floor inside.

This page covers how to size a bike store, the main types and how they compare, the security standards police-backed guidance actually asks for, and the planning rule that catches out anyone who wants a bike store in the front garden.

How big a bike shed do you need?

Measure your bikes rather than trusting a listing that says “fits 2 bikes”. Lay a tape along each bike from the front of the tyre to the back of the rear wheel, and across the handlebars at their widest. A typical adult bike is roughly 1.7 to 1.9 metres long; e-bikes, cargo bikes and anything with a child seat or panniers fitted can be considerably bigger, and handlebar width varies a lot between road, hybrid and mountain bikes.

Then check three internal dimensions on the shed’s specification, not its nominal size:

Internal depth or length: the bike’s length plus a little room to get the wheel past the door frame. Nominal “6ft” or “7ft” sizes are external and include the roof overhang, so the inside is always smaller.
Door opening width: handlebars, pedals and panniers all have to pass through it. Single doors on budget sheds can be too narrow to wheel a bike in square.
Height at the eaves: on a low pent or horizontal store, check you can lift a bike in without tipping it onto its saddle.

Our measured pages on the 6×4 garden shed and the small garden shed show how far real internal sizes fall short of the name on the box.

As a rough guide, two bikes side by side need a store deep enough for the longer bike and wide enough for both sets of handlebars, offset so the bars do not clash. Three or more usually works better on wall hooks or a floor rack inside a standard shed than crammed into a purpose-built two-bike unit.

The main types of garden bike storage

Horizontal bike stores

Low, wide boxes with a lift-up lid and front doors, usually in metal, plastic or timber. They tuck under a window or along a side return and are the usual answer for a small garden or a terraced house. The trade-off is that bikes go in flat, so the store needs to be as long as your longest bike.

A curved grey metal bike locker on paving beside a red public bike pump — A curved metal bike locker in Innerleithen, the hangar style also sold in smaller sizes for home use | Bike locker, Innerleithen – geograph.org.uk – 8296161 by Jim Barton (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bike_locker,_Innerleithen_-_geograph.org.uk_-_8296161.jpg

Metal bike sheds and lockers

Steel units built for bikes, often with a floor-fixing kit. Metal resists cutting better than thin timber or plastic, but it gets hot in sun and suffers from condensation, which matters for chains and gears. Our page on metal garden sheds covers condensation, bases and anchoring.

Timber sheds fitted out for bikes

A standard wooden shed with a ground anchor, wall hooks and a better lock is often the most practical option if you also need room for tools. Thicker cladding and solid framing give the fixings something to bite into. See our wooden garden sheds page for what the board thickness and framing numbers mean.

Plastic and resin stores

Low maintenance and quick to assemble, but thin panels and lightweight floors make them the hardest to secure. They are best for low-value bikes or used with a separate ground anchor set into the base beneath. Our plastic garden sheds page covers anchoring them.

Security: what police-backed guidance asks for

Secured by Design, the police crime prevention initiative, set out what it expects of bike storage at new homes in its New Homes 2010 guidance. It is a useful benchmark for any garden, because it is specific:

Purpose-made bike containers should be certificated to LPS 1175 Security Rating 1, the Loss Prevention Certification Board’s attack-resistance standard.
A shed used for bikes should be securely fixed to a concrete foundation, with a Sold Secure-certificated padlock, hasp and staple on the door (Silver at the time), or, if the door is at least 44mm thick, a mortice lock certificated to BS 3621.
Inside, a Sold Secure-certificated bicycle ground anchor (Silver was the grade it named).

Grades have moved on since then. Sold Secure currently lists ground anchors and security posts at Bronze, Gold and Diamond, and grades bike locks at Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond, so for an anchor in practice you are choosing between Gold and Diamond if you want more than the entry grade.

What that means for a typical garden:

Fix the store down. A shed or store that two people can lift off its base, or tip over to get under, is not secure, whatever the lock. Bolt it to a concrete base or slab with the fixings supplied, or better ones.
Lock the bike, not just the door. A ground anchor bolted into the concrete, with a good chain or D-lock through the frame, means a thief who gets the door open still has a second job to do.
Upgrade the door hardware. Many sheds come with a hasp held on by short wood screws that a screwdriver will remove. Use coach bolts through the door, or a lock with its fixings hidden when closed.
Hide what is inside. Frost or cover any window, and do not leave the door open with bikes on show from the street.
Record your bikes. Note frame numbers and take photos, so a recovered bike can be returned and an insurance claim backed up.

Check your home insurance too. Some policies cover bikes in outbuildings only if the building is locked, and some also want the bike locked to something inside, so read the wording.

The base and the fixings

For a bike shed, the base is part of the security, not just a level surface. A concrete base or a slab laid on a compacted sub-base gives anchors and fixing bolts something solid to grip; a plastic grid or timber bearers on soil does not. Allow for the ground anchor when the concrete goes down, or choose a bolt-down anchor rated for retrofitting into existing concrete. Our step-by-step on how to build a garden shed covers base sizes and levels.

Keep the floor dry. Bikes bring in water, and a store that stands in a puddle rusts chains and rots timber floors. A slight fall on the base away from the door and a gap around the walls for air both help.

Planning permission: back garden yes, front garden usually not

Most back-garden bike sheds fall within householder permitted development for outbuildings, which the Planning Portal sets out. The limits that usually matter are:

no part of the building forward of the principal elevation facing the road;
a maximum height of 2.5 metres if it sits within 2 metres of a boundary;
single storey, and outbuildings together covering no more than half the land around the original house.

The first rule is the one that matters for bikes. A store in a front garden, ahead of the front wall of the house, falls outside permitted development, so it normally needs planning permission. Some councils are supportive of front-garden bike stores because they help people cycle; others are strict, particularly in conservation areas. Ask your council before buying. Listed buildings and designated land have extra limits. Our page on planning permission for a garden shed goes through the rules in full.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need planning permission for a bike shed in my front garden?

Usually yes. Outbuildings forward of the principal elevation of the house fall outside permitted development, so a front-garden bike store normally needs planning permission. Check with your council first.

What is the most secure bike shed for a garden?

A purpose-made metal store certificated to LPS 1175 Security Rating 1, bolted to a concrete base, with a Sold Secure ground anchor inside and the bike locked to it. Certification is something you can check, unlike a listing that just says “secure”.

How big should a shed be for two bikes?

Measure the bikes first. The store needs an internal length longer than your longest bike, a door wide enough to pass the handlebars, and enough width for two sets of bars, usually with the bikes offset.

Is a metal or wooden bike shed better?

Metal is harder to cut into and needs little maintenance, but runs hot and can drip condensation. Timber is quieter, easier to fit hooks and anchors into and better if the shed is also a workshop, but needs treating and a good lock fitted with through bolts.

Do I need a ground anchor inside a bike shed?

It is strongly recommended. Police-backed guidance for bikes kept in sheds asks for a certificated ground anchor as well as a secure door, so a thief who gets in still cannot simply wheel the bike out.

For more garden storage, sheds and garden building advice, visit Best Garden Room.