Bike Sheds

So, you have a lovely bike and you love taking it out and splashin’ through all the puddles. Great fun, says you. However, you don’t like the inevitable slap on the back of your head that you’re partner bestows upon you when you leave your mucky bike in the hall. You my friend, are in the market for a bike shed, whether you’d like to admit it or not. Chances are that’s why you’re here. So, here is where we’ll break down all the pros and cons of the various bespoke options on the market, as well as looking at general sheds too.

We’ll look at steel, wooden bike sheds as well as general garden sheds, below. We’ll highlight the benefits and the potential snags of all the options, allowing you to pick the right one for you and your garden.

Steel Bike Sheds

Steel Bike sheds are the most popular option for storing your two-wheeled wonder. Our Steel Bike Shed is relatively inexpensive, it has three rails to store your bikes in an upright position and it’s vented, to tackle condensation. There are lots of positives to a steel unit, but we’ve also covered some of the negative aspects of them. This should help you make an informed decision.

Pros of steel bike sheds

Relatively inexpensive

Steel prices have remained relatively stable in recent years and they’ve come down from their 2021 high. This allows us to keep the prices competitive. If you’re looking for a bike shed, steel is tough to beat on price alone.

Robust

Steel is pretty sturdy, but you didn’t need me to tell you this. Steel units are secure, strong, fireproof and lightweight. They won’t splinter and they’ll take a good whalloping from those less-than-careful bike owners.

Rails

Our unit has built in rails. These allow you to stand up your bike, rather than having all the families bikes’ dumped on yours. When you’re in a hurry, when it’s lashing rain, pulling bikes off your one to get it out is no craic at all. These rails allow for some order (as well as keeping your bike in top nick.)

Little to no maintenance

Steel sheds require little upkeep. A brief look over the outlet spouts to clean out any debris and monitoring for any scratches is generally all that’s required. You won’t need to routinely varnish or otherwise treat these sheds every year. For a hands off

Cons of steel bike sheds

It’s not all plain sailing, though. Here are some of the negative aspects of a steel unit.

You’ll need a solid, level base

Steel sheds need a solid, level base. We don’t do the base work ourselves, so this will be something that you’ll need to take care of ahead of your shed assembly. That said, we do sell a ShedBase that’s considerably easier, quicker and cheaper than concrete or tarmac to get into place. Still, unlike wooden sheds which can be built up upon blocks, steel sheds need a full solid base.

Condensation can be an issue

Yes, steel sheds have vents, but that’s not always going to be enough. When the weather is particularly changeable (usually January, February) condensation can really ramp up. You will need to make sure that your bike store’s vents are not obstructed and if the weather is particularly heavy, air it out, by leaving the door open for a period of time.

Wooden Bike Sheds

Wooden Bike Sheds are the more traditional option. They’re still very popular, just not as much as their steel counterparts currently.

Pros of wooden bike sheds

Traditional Appearance

The problem that a lot of people have with steel units is their appearance. To some, they look a little industrial. Wooden Sheds on the other hand, are far easier on the eye.

Visually customisable

For the average Joe Soap, customising the outward appearance of a wooden shed is considerably easier than a steel one. There are a variety of wood paints available, so if you wanted to have a green, blue or pink bike shed, that’s not an issue. Steel sheds cannot be as easily changed.

Cons of wooden bike sheds

The Step-up

A positive of Wooden Sheds is that they don’t need any particular base, they can just be built up onto blocks. This is great, but it does mean that you’ll have to lift up your bike up into the shed. Not a problem for most people, but an huge annoyance for others.

The price

At the time of writing, the basic rustic wooden shed is more expensive than the standard steel bike shed. This is the basic wood option, which is thin and liable to damp and not really comparable to the steel option. Also at the time of writing, the deluxe pressure treated option is about 30% more expensive than the steel unit. Price is a

General Sheds

The alternative to sheds made specifically to store a bike is a general shed. These are larger and generally more expensive, however they offer the ability to store your bike – and lots more besides.

Pros of general sheds

More options

Bike Sheds are generally quite specific and as a result, there are only a few designs on the market. Opening yourself up to a general shed gives you dozens and dozens more options. There are more styles, sizes and colours available to you when you open up your search parameters.

A lot more space

Back when I was in school, our garden shed was where my bike lived. It lived there with my dad’s record collection, his tools, the Christmas Tree and a quite a bit more. For one set space in the garden, we could store everything that we didn’t have room for in the house.

Pros of general sheds

A shared space doesn’t suit everyone

Back when I was in school, I was a clumsy gobshite. I would routinely knock over things in the shed, or worse, leave it unlocked as I raced back into the house to watch Kenan and Kel. If you’re storing any important or weather sensive things in your shed, sharing the space with a bike that will be in-and-out regularly, might not be a great idea.

More space = more space to fill

If you need a shed, this is fine, however if you’re just getting a large unit because you can, you might find that it starts to fill up pretty quickly with rubbish. This is pretty common. Humans like to get their money’s worth, even when it might not be logical. More space is more space to fill.

Warning: Perhaps don’t put them in your front garden

Bike sheds are considerably smaller than garden sheds, but that hasn’t stopped some people complaining to the local councils and forcing the structure to be removed. According to the Planning and Developments Act (2001), Sheds should not be

“…constructed, erected or placed forward of the front wall of a house” 

This isn’t without precedent. A Clontarf home was refused permission to retain a bike shed in the front garden in 2022, and IrishCycle reports that another family in Cork City were also refused permission for their bicycle shed, (so they put a trailer in the driveway to store the bikes, which isn’t covered under the law). That said, there was proposals by the Green Party in 2023 to make exemptions for bicycle shed, though there hasn’t been an update in two years. The last big news about bike sheds from the government was the one that they spent €336,000 on.

In a nutshell, don’t put them in your front garden unless there’s been a change in the law. Keep your eyes on Irishcycle.com, as they seem to be up to date on all things biking in Ireland.

Summary

You can realistically, use any shed to store your bike. What will suit you will come down on what you need from it: do you need something specific, or will a general shed do. If we’ve not helped you answer that question here, get in touch and our team will talk you through your options in more detail. They can give you up to date timeframes for delivery and/or assembly and let you know if your base is suitable.

Shop our range of Bike Sheds