Originally Posted by the beef

Thanks for the advice, particularly on safety - I feel a little more reassured.

Question about bike theft, though. Would it be idiocy to build up a bike with even semi-nice parts - say, a set of Deep Vs and a Zen Messenger crankset - and use it to commute now and then? I mean, I see some pretty nice NY bikes up on Velospace and wonder how they can last on the open streets. Is it a rule that your bike look must look like crocodile shiat or get nicked?