Apartment living - where do you keep your bike?

dayshah

Hi, I'm about to start a new job in Dublin and am looking for an apartment. I will cycling at the weekends (and possibly to work) so I'll be bringing my bike with me.

I just wonder where do those with an apartment keep their bike? In the flat, basement storage, underground parking, outside?

I'd like to find a flat where there is a safe convenient place to keep my bike (ie I don't want to haul it up stairs everyday). Is there much availability for such apartments in Dublin?

TinyExplosions

In the cupboard in the spare room, and a few in the common areas downstairs (technically not allowed, but there's only 6 units in my block so on one minds)

It's rare to find good underground facilities (certainly I've yet to see one where I'd leave my good bike!), as all they end up being is somewhere quiet and safe for a ruffian to manhandle your pride and joy

helimachoptor

in my second bathrom

kennyb3

Live in duplex so not too bad. Keep it in the hall to the financee's disgust. Not technically allowed but have had no hassle. Wouldn't risk leaving it in the common storage area

Plastik

Spare bedroom at the moment

Joeyde

Good facilities in underground parking in my place, kind of stand up racks. I leave the commuter down there but I keep the racer in the hallway or in the storage cupboard. Alot of apartments have a storage cupboard and you might be able to fit it in. Maybe standing up...but I have a 54cm so its quite small and fits in. Not really allowed but I carry it in anyways as its just early morning or weekends when I take it out so its quiet.

Its pretty good downstairs but I still wouldn't leave it down there!

TheNah

be careful leaving it in the underground carpark. I have one stolen from the underground carpark in the apparment block about 8 months ago - the feedback i got from Gardai and bike shops was that there had been a spate of such robberies recently with thieves specifically targetting underground carparks, where once they are in they are relatively out of the public's gaze, and i think often people have a false sense of security about underground carparks so perhaps are not as keen about their bike security.

I keep it in the bed with me now;)

Piercemeear

At the end of my bed. It kind of fits between the bed and a chest of drawers. Sometimes my toes brush it when I'm going to sleep.

My girlfriend seems a bit put out, but I've caught her touching it too.

TinyExplosions

TheNah wrote: »

i think often people have a false sense of security about underground carparks so perhaps are not as keen about their bike security.

+1, the way I see it is that the more people who have a key, the less secure it is. All it takes is one person in the complex to leave the shed door open, and it's a potential field day for thieves

langdang

Ya, I went with in the bath for the good bikes. (we had an ensuite for showering). The crappy bike went out on the balcony under a sheet of plastic, but it didn't do much for it only make it crappier....

The good thing about the bath is it's easy to clean. Road/oil/brake grime after a wet cycle on carpets is not good.

One_Time

Hanging from the ceiling in the spare room - my gf's is in the living room though, 'cos it's pretty

Nedermeyer

Out the back, in view of my kitchen window, locked up to the purpose installed bike rack.

The car park that it's in is all walled in and locked up aswell.

Only a wee small development of apartments, and everyone is quite security conscious.

Tis all good.

Rofo

In the storage cupboard, standing on its rear wheel

Tonyandthewhale

Good bike at the end of the bed, ****ty commuter locked up outside. If the gf or whoever doesn't like bikes in the house find a more cultured gf or whoever. Also beware of apartment management companies who don't like bikes.

happytramp

I usually keep it just in front of my girlfriend.

tassajara

I used to keep my bikes in my walk-in wardrobe and the hallway in my apartment. It was fun trying to explain to my mum why her daughter was keeping bikes rather than clothes in the wardrobe.

Thankfully I have since moved to a house with a garage and space for a bike workstand.

MREGAN

My Kitchen is more like a bike shop.

Diego Murphy

I keep the carbon in my bedroom and the aluminium one just off the living room. I think it looks nice and adds to the ambience.

scrotumologist

Screw a bike rack to the wall beside the balcony and hang it their, Usually their a clause with those apartments that you can't put up sat dishes and ariels but they don't mention bike racks!!!!!! If you on the third or fourth floor at least no one will get to it!

Cookie_Monster

spare bedroom

LaHaine

At bottom of the bed. Priorities!

DonVincenzo

In 2nd Bathroom, in the bath, 2 bikes on 1 of these -

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=50398

Bonzer!

MREGAN

Thats a good job there I might look at one of them

Civilian_Target

Behind the bedroom door - fits nicely. Carrying it up 3 floors is not so great though

Lemag

A poll was created here for this a few months ago. Link

buffalo

In my bedroom, on the turbo.

I'm not sure what the policy is, but until someone knocks on my door and tells me it's not allowed, I don't care. Someone on the first floor keeps a half-decent bike on their balcony. I wouldn't risk that, let alone the underground car park.

Dandelion6

In the underground carpark with two good locks. There are enough poorly-locked bikes there that, fingers crossed, mine won't be the one the thiefs go for.

Lemag

Dandelion6 wrote: »

In the underground carpark with two good locks. There are enough poorly-locked bikes there that, fingers crossed, mine won't be the one the thiefs go for.

But can you sleep at night knowing that there might be some bike thief out there who relishes a good challenge?

FatSh!te

We keep the good bikes in the living room.

However in the last month the management company has put up signs saying "No Bikes In Apartment Building":mad:. Saying it's due to damage to communal areas i.e. the halls and corridor to the entrance - which is total bollix.

We've also had the maintenance guy/grounds keeper hassle us as we're bring them in. Pretty annoyed initially - but will be ignoring totally in future.

The development has racks outside beside the bins which aren't secure or covered & most of the bikes left there are knackered. Theres about 4 racks in the basement where we lock one of the commuting bikes up.

I've heard of one or two apartment developments being similar.

Trollhammeroon

I have a similar problem in my building, since I moved in (about 8 months ago) I, along with most other people, have been leaving them in the stairways as pretty much everyone uses the lifts and there is plenty of space to get around them anyway, so didn't think they caused any hassle.

But yesterday the building management put up a notice that all bikes must be removed from the communal areas and put into the bike area at the back of the building by Monday or they will be taken away.

They put up a single rack in the back of the building a while ago which in no way could accommodate all the bikes in the building there are only about 6-7 spaces most of which are full of rusting, battered bikes already and I can see at least a dozen others around the building.

In addition it isn't secure and its just off the street so anyone can walk in and make off with our bikes and has no shelter so if it doesn't get stolen it will probably rust.

I know there is probably no law requiring them to give us a bike locking facility but if they are forcing us to use one surely they have to make it accommodate the number of bikes needed and provide some basic form of security and shelter?

I would actually prefer to leave my bike there as its a pain bringing it up and down in the lift but without room, security or shelter its just not worth the risk or am I just expecting too much?

QueensGael

FatSh!te wrote: »

Saying it's due to damage to communal areas i.e. the halls and corridor to the entrance - which is total bollix.

We've also had the maintenance guy/grounds keeper hassle us as we're bring them in. Pretty annoyed initially - but will be ignoring totally in future.

I had the same argument with the janitor in my building. I argued that prams/buggies can cause the same type of damage, and no-one is banning them. He's obviously not happy with my answer, but unless he comes to me with an eviction notice, I'm going to just continue keeping my rothar in the sitting room

cdaly_

Trollhammeroon wrote: »

I have a similar problem in my building, since I moved in (about 8 months ago) I, along with most other people, have been leaving them in the stairways as pretty much everyone uses the lifts and there is plenty of space to get around them anyway, so didn't think they caused any hassle.

But yesterday the building management put up a notice that all bikes must be removed from the communal areas and put into the bike area at the back of the building by Monday or they will be taken away.

Have to agree with building management here. If the bikes are blocking the stairways they're presenting a fire hazard.

OTOH, I wouldn't use the outdoor parking either.

FatSh!te

QueensGael wrote: »

I had the same argument with the janitor in my building. I argued that prams/buggies can cause the same type of damage, and no-one is banning them. He's obviously not happy with my answer, but unless he comes to me with an eviction notice, I'm going to just continue keeping my rothar in the sitting room

Thats the way I'm playing it too. Also will mention wheelchairs and the like!

I'm tempted to try and point out the problems with the policy to the management company, but don't think it is worth the effort. Maybe get my TD to write to them:D, that'd be pretty funny.

Trollhammeroon - maybe just bring them into the apartment for a few weeks. It they are in there they can't touch them, then move them back out (with agreement of your neighbours) when they've forgotten about it - but would agree that maybe the landing isn't too suitable for them in terms of emergency exit routes etc.

TinyExplosions

FatSh!te wrote: »

Trollhammeroon - maybe just bring them into the apartment for a few weeks. It they are in there they can't touch them, then move them back out (with agreement of your neighbours) when they've forgotten about it - but would agree that maybe the landing isn't too suitable for them in terms of emergency exit routes etc.

That's pretty much what we did. The management company complained about bikes and buggies etc under the stairs (not blocking access to anyone at all), and so we moved them up for a couple of weeks, then back down and no one has said anything since

Trollhammeroon

FatSh!te wrote: »

Trollhammeroon - maybe just bring them into the apartment for a few weeks. It they are in there they can't touch them, then move them back out (with agreement of your neighbours) when they've forgotten about it - but would agree that maybe the landing isn't too suitable for them in terms of emergency exit routes etc.

Ya that's pretty much the plan, even though I do actually agree with not blocking the exits, but not really a lot of choice, apartments are small enough.
But I would actually like to see a proper locking area, if they're going to do something do it right and not half arsed. It would be a much more permanent solution and I know most of the other residents will do the same thing and we'll be back in the same situation in a few months time.

DaveyDave

When I lived in an apartment, there was a bike shed in the secure car park behind the apartment block and I kept it locked there until kids started messing around. The car gates to the car park were always left open or broken and all the kids in the neighborhood knew the code to get in the pedestrian gates, so there was always a bunch of kids hanging around in the bike shed which was next to the bin shed so I don't know why they did because it smelled...but none of them lived in our block.

I ended up having a set of €60 lights robbed, the bike pushed around and the air let out of my tires a number of times, so I took it upstairs to either the balcony or the living room. Tell ya one thing, if I caught one of them at my bike they would have wished they never messed with it. And this was with my old Raleigh, I wouldn't even dream of leaving something like my Lapierre out there.

Fortunately I live in a house now, so it stays in the kitchen

MungoMan

My roadbike is not fantastic, it's aluminium, Carbon forks, Sora, very basic, but much better than the guy riding it. Might cost 600 to replace it. Its eight years old.

For the first few years, I always lugged it up to the apartment, and kept it in the hallway, I was afraid it might get stolen if it was outside.

Then a couple of years ago, I thought, who would want to steal it, it's not the cleanest prettiest bike to look at, although it is mechanically perfect.

So now I U lock it with a good lock which cost 80e to a bicycle rack outside, locking the wheels with a cable lock.

Sure enough, nobody has robbed it, and I'm sure they won't.

One of the advantages of not having a good spec bike is that people are less likely to want to rob it

seamus

MungoMan wrote: »

One of the advantages of not having a good spec bike is that people are less likely to want to rob it

That really depends on where you're locking it. Somewhere off the beaten track, like a housing estate, scrotes will first come in looking for stuff to rob, then come back later on equipped to do so. So they'll really only come back if there's something of value.

But out on a city street where you have passers-by, the dirt will quite literally steal anything that's not bolted down, regardless of how good it is.

I live in a duplex, so no common areas, but no garden shed either. The bike is chained to the railing outside my front door. I'm not that concerned about the bike getting stolen because the layout of the place means it would be practically impossible to get in and take the bike without drawing a lot of attention to yourself.

Though I am getting more paranoid about my chain approaching five years old, so I'll probably replace it with one of these

DaveyDave

Even if it's 'only' €600 to replace, that's still a considerable amount of money. Sure it's not the €2,000+ of some of the fancier road bikes out there, but €600 is still a decent bike compared to the hundreds of €100-200 bikes that the majority of people ride around on.

My Lapierre cost €600, it means the world to me and I'd be gutted if it was stolen, which is why I'm kicking myself I haven't gotten around to getting decent locks. I only lock it at college and nobody can wonder in and start messing around as there's lots of people passing the rack it, still, going to spend a €100+ on locks when I can as I don't fancy being stuck on a €100 bike from Halfords so someone can sell my Lapierre on for a bit of gear for the day.

The plus side of a bike being expensive is it means a lot more to me, so if I was to catch someone messing around at it it'd give me more joy when I dance all over their face