granto

I'm moving to NYC and thinking about new ways to prevent bike theft. "Get yourself a good lock, be smart about how you lock it, my grandma's locked her bike in NYC for 39 years without a problem by being smart" yeah, yeah, I know. But really, everything gets stolen there.

I was thinking about JB-welding some 1" metal letters to spell my last name onto the sides of the top tube. No amount of spraypaint can fix that. But I worry that if I just glued it to the original frame they could just pry them off and the paint would come off with it- would it be worth it to strip the paint and then do it? Think it would be a deterrent (combined with being on a 1980's road bike)? It would be really sweet if I could find letters attached to a flat piece of metal that could wrap around the frame. Anyone tried or considered something similar? Maybe I need to write up a patent and make them.

DX-MAN

You can make the frame as unique, singular, or even as crappy as you want to; parts are still parts, and are half the bike's worth on the 'black market'. Gonna do something to every part?

I guess it's just my morbid curiosity, but what's motivating you to move from Pitt to NYC? Job? I personally wouldn't move to NYC for anything less than a guaranteed lotto win in eight figures.

granto

Haha. Yeah, Pittsburgh is such an amazing city. I just finished my PhD here, and, like most students here, will be moving on. I scored an incredible postdoc at Rockefeller University in the Upper East Side. Not exactly 8 figures but it will open a lot of doors (maybe some in PGH ). With university housing right next door it will be semi-affordable/tolerable. Still, I'm originally from New Mexico, so the gobs-of-people-everywhere issue will indeed be pretty difficult to cope with.

fietsbob

So this is not in Mechanical Engineering I assume. ..

Get a Folding bike and bring it inside with you. You have office space .., right?

just dont leave it outside un attended.

Artkansas 

+1 I have a Hard Rock of the same vintage, and used to have a Pro Tour, both sweet bikes. Get a foldie or a throwaway beater like a Next or something. Save your good bikes for when you don't have to leave them to the streets.

Northwestrider

+1 the Folder idea

granto

Always an awesome dude there to remind me why I hate asking questions in forums.

wrong.

I'm talking about a bike used for errands, etc., not so much my commuter. I have a nice bike that I can probably lock up indoors at work/home. At any rate my question was specifically about adhering the letters to see if anyone had tried this, and I specifically requested that people don't give me unrelated advice. I do not want a folding bike. The bike I want to use for errands is a 1980 Fuji Monterey in good condition. The components are worthless, I just don't want someone taking the bike, which they might if I leave it outside for any period of time.

If anyone has actual advice on how to best permanently adhere metal letters onto my frame, please respond, otherwise, please don't.

fietsbob

have them silver soldered on (stainless steel) and then masked off before the frame is powder coated.

and spend a lot of money on hardened security chains and locks.

cheap bike , expensive locks is the key in a high theft area.