Asgard Motorbike Shed - my review

[Jacobyte]

Not having anywhere safe or dry to store my bike I searched around a bit for solutions and found the Asgard Motorbike shed.

Lots of good reviews so after much deliberation, I decided to go for it. I spent a couple of weeks looking on eBay and Gumtree for someone selling 2nd hand but could only find one and the guy was looking for too much so I made the plunge and ordered myself the 9x5ft version direct from the manufacturers website. It’s expensive at £999, but hey so’s the bike, and I figure the shed will see me through for many a year to come. Incidentally you can get it for £949 if you look for the £50 off voucher on their website.

So, the detail:

Ordered online with no problems and was given a delivery date. I was actually looking for it a bit quicker than the 2wks they offered so I sent an email asking if they could improve and pretty quickly I received a reply. The reply was “no”, but they were on the ball and I wasn’t left hanging for days wondering if they’d read my email.

A couple of days before delivery I received a call from the delivery driver to confirm he’d be at my place between 9am and 10am. Sure enough when the day arrived, so did he, and on time too.

So far so good..!

I’d read the assembly instructions and watched the video online from the link on their site and everything looked straight forward enough, but easy enough for me and my 82-year-old dad to build?

The instructions received with the delivery were a bit basic (more on that in a bit).

We followed them stage by stage, first laying the floor section and then rear and side panels. The build quality is really very good and the delivery guy told me, “if there’s a screw hole then you put a screw in it and that’s as hard as it gets”. Almost true, but not quite (more on that in a bit).

3 floor sections, 2 rear sections, 2x3 side sections, and 3 roof sections later (+about 200 screws) and we had a metal box that was really very sturdy and good looking.

This is where I realised my first mistake. When I tried to hang the first of the two door panels it became obvious that we were out of line and after a quick check with a spirit level I could see that one corner was lower by about 20mm more than the other. Operator error on my behalf because the instructions did say, “make sure you’ve got a flat base” but it clearly was too subtle for my inexperienced self and I didn’t realise the significance. I really wish they’d had a big bold sentence pointing out that the doors wouldn’t hang properly unless the base was absolutely flat. Anyway, they do provide some spacers (packers) with the kit so we set about lifting a corner and packing it to fix the problem. Sheeze, what a pfaff but we got there in the end and the doors ended up opening and closing with no problem.

Next was the roof shroud and joints and this is where I got really confused. Roof joints had two screw holes in the ends and I just couldn’t figure out how to screw them to the shed. All the 200 or so screws used so far were from the inside of the shed (for security reasons) and I was stumped on how to fix the joints so I had to get back on to the web chat app and ask for help because the instructions gave no clue. They gave me a customer service phone number and I called only to get a voicemail. Damn, Friday afternoon I guess that’s me scuppered but no, again another example of their good customer service because Neil called me back within 5 mins and after a quick chat he had me sorted. Seemingly the 2 roof joints are the only items with holes that don’t actually take screws – using the sealant that comes with the shed you simply stick it to the roof under the main shroud.

So, that was me almost done. There’re a few additional panels that are fitted inside and are purely cosmetic to hide many of the screws from showing but it really adds a finishing touch.

Overall I was impressed with the service from ordering to delivery, to assembly support and ultimately, I am really impressed with the build quality and security of the shed. There’s no way that someone will break in without making an absolute racket and frankly I think anyone other than a dedicated thief will just move on and go elsewhere.

The locking mechanism can’t be easily tampered with from outside and the door hinges are secured in a way that it’s impossible to tap out the pins from the exterior.

I went for the 9x5ft one and it’s big enough for my bike with room to spare. I’m 6ft2’ and can ride into the shed with my lid still on although I have to stoop a bit when getting off the bike. I really do like the shed – it’s exactly what I was looking for and I’d recommend it to anyone who was thinking about getting one. There’re several accessories available from hanging pegs to full-length shelves, although I didn’t bother with anything extra.

PS. The manufacturer estimates about 90 mins assembly time and I have to say that I think that’s a stretch unless you really know what you’re doing before you start. I reckon we spent about 9hrs or so on it over the course of 2 days. The odd detour from the instructions probably accounted for a few wasted hours right enough…

I’ve still got to sort out the entry area with a bit of packing and the paving slabs in the turning area but that’ll wait until spring when the weather gets a bit less raw but here are some before and afters:

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag32/Grimwell1/Bike%201_zpshkb2haxy.jpg

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag32/Grimwell1/Bike%202_zpsweknmev3.jpg

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag32/Grimwell1/Bike%203_zpsz687w6ps.jpg

[Mawsley]

Given the amazing prices sheds fetch, this does seem to be worth it if you need an armoured shed for your bike. Do you get a discount on insurance now?

[Jacobyte]

The site doesn't go as far to suggest that discount is available despite claiming accreditation from various agencies, but for sure I'll chance my arm when it comes time for renewal and see if it's possible.

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