My bike (red) and my friends bike (pink), on a recent trip to the store:


Her's has been ~$150 so far, including the bike itself + new tires, rear rack, baskets, lube, and some tape for the handlebars. It's a pink 1983 Nishiki mixte frame. No ugly stickers, but the reflective tape and baskets don't exactly make it look like a prime theft target.

Mine is the cheapest new bike they had at the bike store closest to my apartment. It's not great, but it works. I've put ~$300 into it including the bike + rear rack, baskets, slick tires, new saddle (brooks b72), lights, and a computer. I covered it in stickers as well as reflective tape. I suspect the stickers make it less likely to be stolen but more likely to be vandalized due to political content. Nothing has happened to it in the two months i've been using it to get to school and run errands though.