Singletrack reviews the Access Plus for 29ers

Singletrack review the Access Plus "super secure" bike shed

Posted: July 2015

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Once again, Singletrack reviews our Access Bike Storage range, opting to build and test the Access Plus bike shed for 29ers. Made from galvanised (weatherproof) steel, the Access Plus is an 8ft x 4ft shed designed for 4 bikes and features double door access, a lift-up lid and an intergal base. Take a look at how Singletrack found the shed installation:

"There we have the finished product, it took about 1.5hrs [to build], and the tools we required were an electric screwdriver - indispensable, an adjustable spanner, and a socket set for the hinges. That was it, about an hour and a half, cup of tea, shed, bike in it, super secure, job done. Bosh!" 

Singletrack's Access Plus bike shed review:

If your house is small and has no garage then you are pretty much restricted to storing your bikes in the house. If you have a garden or rear yard then you could get a shed but the majority of wooden sheds are designed for storing your gardening tools and not generally for storing bikes worth many thousands. But then there’s Asgard sheds.

I've got one of their large 6 bike, walk in storage sheds a couple of years ago and it was one of my Editor’s Choice products of the year. There’s nothing tougher you can store your bikes in short of an actual shipping container – and even one of those doesn’t have 5 point locks on the doors. It’s already fended off at least two attempted screwdriver attacks judging by the scuff marks around the door handle but beyond a slight scratch and some flakes of paint there’s no real damage. I can imagine the scummy thieves desperate faces turning to disappointment as they realised that they just weren’t going to get in through that door.

If a 6 bike shed is just too much then there’s this smaller, ‘lean to’ style of shed, made out of all the same stuff they make the big sheds out of. It’s just as tough, just smaller. It comes flat packed and delivered by Asgard’s own drivers. You can pay extra and they’ll build it for you. We didn’t. Here’s us building it.

The lid lifts up like a car boot, with the same car styled pneumatic rods. Once the lid is up the front swing doors can open and you can literally walk in. The lid locks the swing doors shut and the clever way the lid overlaps the doors and side walls means it’s next to impossible to lever the lid up – there’s just nothing under the lip of the lid to lever against. The hinges at the back are protected too by welded plates so there’s no weak spot there either. The lid locks down using two very burly padlocks that have just enough room in their steel loops to pass through the shielded eyelets and to further increase the frustration of any tealeaf the whole padlock is protected by a welded steel shield that provides a slot just big enough for you to get the key into and nothing else. The beauty of the whole locking system is that once locked up you can’t even see the padlocks

Building it took around an hour, and like the rest of the Asgard range, there’s a huge number of screws that needs to be inserted. If you don’t have an electric screwdriver then expect to double or even triple that build time. Beg, steal or borrow one if you don’t already have one – You really will need it.

Using two padlocks means locking and unlocking is a bit more of a ‘procedure’ compared to the simple, single yale lock of the full sized shed but the protected nature of the locks means they are kept out of the weather and in over 6 months of use they still work smoothly and like knew. The base must be set level. Even a few mm out and the locking eyelets won’t line up properly and you won’t be able to lock it. There’s a big bag of wedges provided though so you can level out any issues with your patio or concrete base.

Overall, there’s nothing more secure on the market. It’s like having a bike sized safety deposit box in your back garden.

Review Info

Brand: Asgard

Product: Asgard Access Plus 29r Shed

From: Asgard

Price: £475*

Tested: by Mark for 5 months

*Correct at time of writing