Bicycle Storage | Self Storage Blog

Tips & Tricks: How To Store Your Bicycle

Monday, July 26th, 2010

There are many different factors to take into consideration when storing your bike, such as how often you ride your bicycle, how much space you have at home and what the weather is like where you live. Here are some top tips to help you plan the way you store your bicycle and keep it in good condition.

You should always avoid suspending your bike from a single wheel rim from your garage ceiling as some wheels have ‘quick release’ which could send it crashing to the floor. The wheels aren’t strong enough to take the weight without bending and getting damaged.

Before you put your bicycle into storage it’s recommended that you keep the tyres inflated and check the pressure regularly. This can help extend tyre life by avoiding problems such as flattened rubber and cracks on the side of the tyres.

It’s best to store your bicycle indoors when you’re not using it as the sun’s rays can dry and crack the side of the tyres, especially during the winter when the weather is poor. When metal-frames are left outside the metal can get so cold that rust may form when condensation builds up inside the tubing.

To find out how you can benefit from storing your bike in our self storage units at any of our stores, visit our Quote and Reserve online page to get started.

Tags: armadillo self storage, bicycle storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, storage solution
Posted in Tips and Tricks | 992No Comments »2010-07-26+11%3A05%3A47Big+Yellow+Blogger

The Big Yellow Armadillos Take On London To Brighton (Part.2)

Friday, July 16th, 2010

As we got closer to Brighton, we noticed there were lots of families on the streets all cheering and giving out much needed energy supplies to keep everyone going! The support was fantastic, the people that lined the streets probably didn’t know it but they helped so many people throughout the day.

Everyone was dreading the final point and they all knew it would come….Ditchling Beacon! We all had heard about it but none of them really expected what was about to come. Ditchling Beacon is a brutal mile long climb to the top of the South Downs that starts at mile 47, everything else compared to this was easy. The hill was so steep that many of the riders had to get off their bikes and push them to the top simply focusing on putting one foot ahead of the other. We were amazed to see people still cycling, trying to make it to the top!

Finally there was a man shouting over the microphone “that’s it you’ve made it, you are about to reach the top of Ditchling Beacon, you are now 234 metres above sea level”. We stopped at the top for a minute to look at the views which were amazing and so beautiful. After the agony of the Beacon the last 6 miles were a joy as the sea came into view and riders flew down the hill reaching speeds of 38mph.

After a final crawl through Brighton traffic the riders made their way down to Brighton Pier and all anyone could hear were the cheers of thousands of people. Finally the Finish Line was in sight, a sprint along the seafront brought to an end to epic ride.

In total over 30,000 riders took part on the day, setting off from Clapham at different times from 6am to 10am for the worthy causes of Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation. In total staff members have raised approximately £7628 to date for Cancer Research and Big Yellow Self Storage will be matching this figure to boost donations.

A massive thank you goes to Paul Holmes for all his hard work in organising the team! We all had a fantastic time!

Tags: armadillo self storage, bicycle storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, storage, storage solution, UK storage
Posted in News | 963No Comments »2010-07-16+08%3A46%3A42Big+Yellow+Blogger

The Big Yellow Armadillos Take On London To Brighton (Part.1)

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

The annual London to Brighton bike ride on the south coast is a hugely popular event with almost 30,000 cyclists taking part and raising money for a very worthy cause. Riders begin their 54 mile journey in Clapham Common with many aiming to reach the seafront in just six hours. Cyclists range from keen enthusiasts to those taking part with friends and family in memory of people they had lost.

Our very own Big Yellow Armadillos cycling team took part. Made up from staff from stores nationwide, who raced down to Brighton weaving through Surrey and over the hills of West Sussex on Sunday 24th June to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

Join three of our riders, Jimmy Gibson, Patsy Loomes and Ardan Carter as they take on the London to Brighton below.

The sun rose over the Balham store at 7am to find 37 members of the Big Yellow Armadillos cycling team preparing for the 54 miles that was ahead of them, for the annual London to Brighton. Everyone was equipped with their yellow jerseys and numbers pinned to their shirts. The cold early morning air and warm up cycle soon had everyone awake and after a brief pause for the ‘before’ photo the team streamed from the store, as a river of yellow shirts made their way to the starting line.

As we set off on the journey to Brighton everyone was amazed to see so many riders, there were literally thousands of people riding through the streets of London. The early stages were relatively hill free and entirely painless; this perhaps set a false tone for what was to follow.

Weaving through the streets of South London eventually giving way to the leafier suburbs of Surrey the team encountered their first hill at which point the entire field promptly got off and walked! The bottle neck of bikes and riders clogged our path, whilst frustrating it gave us an opportunity for everyone to have a snack and ensured that nobody exerted themselves too much too soon.

We’d been cycling for what seemed like hours and the field began to start opening up along the roads with the Big Yellow shirts becoming a rarer and rarer sight. Some even started to think they had surely clocked up enough miles that they would be almost at Brighton by now. Their optimism was soon gone as we saw a lady on route and she cheered ‘well done, keep going your almost half way’! There was another 30 miles still to go!!!

Tags: armadillo self storage, bicycle storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, brighton, byss, Charity, london, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog
Posted in News | 954No Comments »2010-07-14+10%3A33%3A10Big+Yellow+Blogger

Learn From The Best Countries For Self Storage Solutions

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

In one of the most crowded countries in the world, space is a big issue. To put this into context, Japan is roughly the size of California, slightly larger than Great Britain, and only a little smaller than France. However, it has over double the population of the UK.

As such, innovation in storing everything from clothes to food is standard. Storage lockers are placed around the city, as are bike racks – and data storage is a large part of the country’s economy.

What can we learn from this though? Building small can be a sign of higher ambitions, and creating a small home can be an amazingly positive and creative act, one which can enhance life in surprising ways.

‘The Very Small Home’ by Azby Brown presents stunning design advances in Japan. Particular emphasis is given to what the author calls ‘the Big Idea’ – the overarching concept that does the most to make the house feel more spacious than it actually is. Among the Big Ideas introduced here are ingenious sources of natural light, well-thought-out atriums, snug but functional kitchens, unobtrusive partitions and free-flowing circulation paths.

This book puts the house designs in the context of lifestyle trends, and highlights their shared characteristics. For each project, the intentions of the designers and occupants are examined. The result is a very human sensibility that runs through the book. A glimpse of the dreams and aspirations that these unique homes represent and that belies their apparent modesty. The second half of the book is devoted to illustrating the special features in the homes, from clever storage and kitchen designs, to ingenious skylights and nooks.

Tags: bicycle storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, clean, de-clutter, declutter, energy efficient, furniture storage, personal storage, self storage, solar energy, storage solution
Posted in Features | 795No Comments »2010-05-02+07%3A30%3A43Big+Yellow+Blogger

Did you know: Bicycle Self Storage

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Did you know that in Japan, storage units look after your bicycles for you while you work or shop? Just outside of Tokyo’s Kasai Station sits a robotic monster of an automated parking facility, large enough to hold 9400 bikes. Customers ride up to the station, place their bike onto a small platform and the system will move it into an underground parking unit. When they return, the machine only takes 23 seconds to retrieve it again. The parking system costs 100 yen for a single use (about 60p), or 1,800 yen (£12.00) for a monthly pass. Similar facilities exist for cars and can be found in major cities around Japan, but this slick garage takes the cake. Self-storage can be a great solution for bicycles, motorcycles or other forms of bulky transport you just don’t have the room for. Big Yellow’s solutions range in size and shape, and even though we haven’t quite mastered those robotic employees yet, our units could be perfect to create some extra space.