I misunderstood. I like black bikes with a few accents however. I just pictured having to ride a Wal-mart bike spray painted black just so I couild ride into town. It is one of many reasons I have little use for densely populated areas because people seems to have to learn to live with crime rather than finding way to deal with it.

But the shame is how easy it is for some dirt bag to just walk off with your bike. As someone posted elsewhere even with the full support of society Denmark has a huge bike theft problem as well. I have had motorcycles and scooters and some were not all that much bigger than a bike and some were not as expensive as my good road bike but they were never taken. I didn't have to lock them to a tree or parking meter. even if a small scooter did get an extra lock through the wheel.

I guess I am just so dissappointed in my fellow man when I realize so few are trust worthy. College students can expect to lose at least one bike every year. And this in on campus with other students.

You are correct that we will do what we have to do to get around. I guess I was simply expressing my frustration with how things are in some of our bigger cities. Even in my small town I will ride my backup bike to do simple errends and my old MTB for shopping. I have yet to need anything more than a large cable lock and that doesn't bother me too much. But to let the criminals determine what I buy and how I paint it bothers me.

You are also correct that the system simply doesn't work.