PhattTyre

Lately i've been more worried about theft. My around town fixie has new wheels and is bright red. While it's no show bike, it looks good enough that I'm nervous leaving it locked up places. I don't want to rattle can it a different color because the factory paint, even beat up, will be more durable than a rattle can job. A professional paint job is out of my budget. I was thinking of the classic electrical tape job to make it inconspicuous or just plastering the thing with random stickers to make it ugly. I figure the stickers will make it pretty unique and identifiable, and inturn, make it less appealing to thieves. Any thoughts on this? What kind of cheap techniques do all of you use to make your bike unattractive to thieves?

think5577

Well unless you keep it looked up somehwere outside over night, then yeah. I make it a rule to never leave my bike outside all night.

As far as the paint goes. It depends. Is the frame new? Are you attached to the frames look or can you F it up (for a good cause) to make it no so theif prone?

Also, get a good lock, double lock it if you have to. Depending on the lock, that would be cheaper and maybe even better then destroying your frame for those a-holes who like to take things that are not theirs.

ostro

The trully sad thing is, today, they will take anything. Pedals, cranks, bars, stems, and saddles. The best thing would be to have a bikelock shelter!

Damn theives!!!!!!

nocoins

I use stickers and Blue Painters Tape on the tubes. It gives it a nice color that I can then put stickers over, but it wont ruin the paint underneith. I kinda crapped up my bike when I first got it because I was afraid of theives, but since I dont leave it out overnight, I have been pretty lucky.

na975

theives are smart,they can tell the diff bet a suzue basic hub & promax. theres probably afew theives on this board gettin an education !

iamjberube

i went to college in eugene, and for a while it was second only to nyc in bike theft. be careful. i lost two bikes there.

Ken Cox

I'd like to know more about why people steal bikes.

Supposedly, here in Bend, professional thieves come through town periodically looking for new high-buck bikes, which they then truck to another community and sell, while they steal another set of bikes there.

I think some thieves steal for parts, and so disguising the bike wouldn't help.
I guess if a person had a really high-buck frame he could disguise that, and perhaps then it wouldn't attract the attention of parts-thieves so readily.
Still, I imagine an experienced parts-thief can scan a whole rack of bikes and just see the parts.

I have a modest commuter, but I have expensive lights on it (expensive for me, on my budget), and I come out of stores and appointments fully prepared to see them gone.
Before they do disappear, I should come up with another, more thief-resistant system.

ofofhy

Probably can insert any word for bikes and it is all the same reason... To profit off of someone else's hard work.

I don't think the whole duct/electrical/painters tape does a thing to stop thieves. I mean I have seen absolutey stripped Huffys and Quasars locked up to a parking meter. They don't seem to be too discriminatory.

lala

It's true, it doesn't matter what it is, it will be stolen if not secured. Avoid quick release anything and be a wheel-locker. Lights, computer, wedge bag: it's all up for grabs. If you can replace it, don't sweat it, but if you don't feel like feeding others' habits, lock it down.

icithecat

I have visited both cities Oxford and Cambridge in England. Both are bicycle cities. In Cambridge I talked with a guy in a shop. He told me all the bikes stolen in Cambridge are sold in Oxford and vice versa.

Mr_Super_Socks

I live in NY, and have had numerous bikes stolen. Including a pretty crappy looking one - and I alway lock up with a kryptonite NY chain and hardened lock. Don't know if anything really helps, but bright red is definitely eye-catching. To the extent you are inlcined to use electical tape, I would suggest an alternative:

get some old tubes and split them open. then wrap those around the frame like handlebar tape. then you just tape the ends and dont have to clean all the electrical tape goo when you remove it. It definitely protects the finish and probably makes it less conspicuous. buy the best lock you can and always lock it and hope for the best.

also I have heard drop bars are less coveted, but I lost a CDALe with drop bars too, so whatever. . .

PhattTyre

I like the tube idea. That would protect the frame pretty nicely against banging it into racks and poles. I like this bike a lot because it's the first bike I've built from a frame only, including the wheels. I used a lot of parts from my parts bin to build it, so replacing the bike would cost more than building it the first time did. The bike does have an old stem, bb, and crankset that was my dad's and I would miss very much, so I'm in the process of swapping those parts out. Everything on the bike is bolt on, no quick release at all. I have a couple cheap lights mounted to the bike, but I take them off every time I go inside. It does get left outside over night, but my apartment complex has a lit up locking cage around the bike parking. It has been broken into before, but they repaired it and it seems ok. I use a Kryptonite combo u-lock. It seems ok. I always try to lock it near a nicer bike with a crappier lock.

Thanks go all the advice. i'll give some of these suggestions a try.

justin79

This is probably not too common, but I have a friend who locked his bike with a NY Krypto and someone just cut his frame in half and left everything. How f'ed up is that?

isotopesope

i've heard stories now of bike theives locking up your bike with their nyc chain, so they can come back when they please and as often as they need until nothing is left...

how often and how long is your bike generally locked up somewhere? i'm happy i can leave my bikes inside at home and work.

andygates

That Oxford-Cambridge thing is true. They used to come by in a big Transit (US:EconoVan) and hoover the saleable bikes up from the big bike racks on St Giles. Lost my 531c Townsend that way, dammit.

Insurance traded me up to an Alan though

ultra-g

I think if someone's going to steal your bike, they're going to steal it, stickers, paint job, whatever.

If you're really worried, get a cheaper (used or something) beater to lock up and keep your nice bike just for working out and stuff.

ZenNMotion

i'll mention it only because nobody else has, yet. You can Krylon over a factory paint job, it's a better protecting base coat than a stripped down frame with a krylon base coat. So you have your factory protection, and krylon ugliness. Of course, you could just commute about town with a bike that won't break your heart if you lose it. My 70s fixed gear Schwinn for instance... it could be replace for less than 50 bucks, and I still like to ride it. The only thing of any value on it is the rear cog ($20)

pgoat

my two cents:

definitely lock both wheels and remove anything not nailed down (you can prolly leave the $5 bells and horns, etc). The frame and wheels are the most expensive parts - next is prolly the crank, which is tough to remove.

for seats, I always use TWO bike chains (always the same type as the chain on the bike - usable in case the chain breaks), one around each seat rail and the frame. Also replace the QR with a bolt if possible. Handlebars are harder - I try to drip candle wax into the allen bolts (I have tried solder but that is a ***** to remove; the soft bolts can get destroyed when heated up.), and then some electrical tape over that. Looks purty ghetto, but what the hey.

I like to use a 4' chain (From St Pierre, quadra chain with built-in lock), goes thru both wheels and frame on a road bike, and I use an additional American padlock (the 700 model with 2" long shackle) to take up the slack and give a theif an extra chore.

But the BEST advice I'd say is to NOT lock your ride up in the same place day after day. Even if you make it tough, if they know what they need to pick/pry/etc they'll be back at their leisure if you make it too convenient. If you commute for instance, try to keep moving your spot around.

Finally, advocate for indoor and better street parking - we deserve it!! Can't hurt to ask......

pgoat

Re: the inner tubes, imho:

*yes, they protect the paint nicely
* they are easy to remove and clean up is a breeze compared to the crud left by taping the frame.

some caveats:
* don't kid yourself that a theif won't know there's prolly something nice hidden by all that rubber.
* if you're overzealous you are probably adding a few pounds to your bike's weight.

and finally - any thoughts on what all that rubber does regarding rust on a steel frame? I've had tape and/or rubber on my bike for years but I am thinking of just taking it off now that it's old enough to be less of a theft magnet. Kinda scared about what I'll find inside or out in terms of rusting......

mr_tom

Buy a big lock and some insurance. It's worth paying someone else to worry about it for you.

Mouton

excel sports sells a 3m scotchcal (scotchguard?) kit that gives you enough protective film to do your major tubes. Put that stuff on there and then go sticker crazy for camoflage. The 3m stuff means youll be able to get your nice looks back later if you want them. A fountain of youth if you will.

redfooj

i agree.. in my town, usually the thieves are bums who dump off the bike for some food and booze.. i've friends who've had absolutely craptastic bikes stolen..

so i'd 1) never debase my bike or 2) lock it outside

boots

if you decide to go the electrical tape route, which i highly recommend (it's cheap, it protects the frame/paint pretty well, and with a variety of colors you can get a nice piece-of-****/custom look), wrap your frame with cling-wrap first so that the tape comes off clean when you want it to.