The "do you lock" thread has reactivated my concern wrt theft. Looks like this problem is very significant in some areas that we may visit (Bay Area).

"Experts" say that locking is somewhat useful but that determined thieves have means that will defeat any lock within minutes. It has been suggested that the best deterrent is riding a beater, or faking it by doing an awful paint job.

According to some in this community, I got the first advice right (I ride a cheap LHT

But the idea of messing with the paint job is intriguing -- what would be a good approach? Like a removable coat that can be washed away. Or a permanent coating that has positive effects on durability.

I am not saying that I'll do it - - for some reason like ill placed pride, I tend to prefer a clean and good looking bike. But since I certainly prefer an ugly bike over a stolen beauty, I am willing to reconsider, and to pride myself in riding ugly-but-sturdy.

I have seen black electrical tape used.

Stickers!

You could cover the bike in masking tape of various colors. It'll come off easily and it'll look crappy. You could even paint the masking tape if you wanted.

A Thief will rod it no matter what so keep your pride and joy looking good and in sight at all times.

living in Montreal, a city where bike theft is a real issue, I am of two minds about this topic.
-I do certainly believe that a shiny nice looking bike will attract more attention easier or faster than a grubby looking bike, this is why in our family we have some old scratched up, tired looking bikes that get used for commuting, yet are still functionally good bikes with low to mid range parts that are 20 years old--so yes, a crummy looking bike at first glance is probably a help, but also the fact that the actual value of said bike is less to a thief, so it will get passed over for something they will get them more money actually in hand.

- that said, I see the most important thing to locking up a bike is using your spider sense for where and for how long a bike is locked up. Yes, there is always going to be bad luck that comes into play (thief walking by and noticing your bike) but certainly where, when , and for how long is a big factor.

as per the bad luck comment, last summer a neighbour of ours had her 20+ year old middling hybrid stolen at a local pool during the day, but in this case, the bike was in really good shape, so I figure the thief knew that as the bike looked so nice, even being 25 years old, it would be an easy sale-"old vintage hybrid in perfect shape for sale, perfect commuter!" sort of thing.....

in your case, doing a trip, and especially with your family, the consequences of losing a bike would really screw things up (as it would any of us on a trip) so when I have been on a trip and having to leave my bike, I put the emphasis on where I lock up my bike, and if I dont feel right about it, I have looked into other options, ie asking someone to let me leave their bike in their store or whatever.
Every situation is different and how long you need to leave your bike locked up is a factor too, but I tend to trust my instincts (touch wood) on both locations and of people if I have left my bike with them.

I figure that your idea to do a surface job of making your bike less attractive doesnt have a downside (as you say, the aesthetics are an issue) if you really do end up having to lock up your bikes in an urban setting.
It really comes down to the specific situation/conditions, a hard one to put a real answer to.

I figure also the time tested aspect of multiple locks that slows down a thief will always be a help, so if your bikes have 2 or 3 or 4 locks around them, easier pickings tend to get chosen--but then again, it comes down to the specific area, how many people are around, time of day, and unfortunately, luck.

the time I visited the Bay area, I did visit stuff by bike (aquarium etc) and my friend and I locked our bikes up together to poles outside the attractions, during the day, people around etc, and crossed our fingers. I guess depending on what you plan to do in a day, leaving the bikes in a secure location and using public transit is always an option for a stress free day from worrying about the bikes, might well be the better option sometimes, and bus, taxi it or whatever.

Thieves who are equipped with power tools to defeat high quality u-locks know what they're stealing. They aren't going to be fooled by a bit of masking tape. So in my opinion the "make it ugly" strategy is a fail.

The vast majority of bike thefts aren't committed by professionals with power tools, they're opportunist and the thief has wire or bolt cutters at best. Making your bike less easy to steal than its neighbours is still the best option, and a good u-lock plus decent cable is the way to do that. Not a guarantee, but nothing is; and I haven't lost one yet...

I have seen that quite a bit, too, but I always thought it actually made the bike stand out even more - like you obviously have something to hide. I used to recommend to customers that they put their commuter bike up against a sign post and scrape if back and forth a few times.

The three bolded statements contradict each other.

Of course they don't. The point is that most thieves will be deterred by good locks, and those that aren't will be astute enough to know what's under the masking tape, thus rendering it futile. Comprehension problems?

So it's not just me. And as for purposefully scraping it, that's not required in Philly. I commute on my LHT. Many of the decals have been scraped off due to jostling by other commuters. And don't get me started on the two different people who put their locks around my cables last year. I now carry a set of allen wrenches whenever I lock up my bike outside.

A battery powered angle grinder will be a better reminder to people to pay attention where they put their locks.

Not at all. Sure, tape wouldn't fool good bike thieves, but most bike thieves aren't good bikes thieves, so saying that the tape idea is a fail is false for the majority case. Hence why it contradicts the other two statements. Not to mention that if a thief wants to sell said taped bike, they'd have to remove said tape to sell it at the best price, requiring time and effort, othen something most thieves aren't willing to put in to try to make a "quick buck."

As an Opportunity crime Bike theft is not relying on Beauty as the selection of the victim,
since your Ugly frame can be stripped of components and all that stuff sold online .

And taking it at night from your campsite they done even have to look at it
until after they have it and You Don't

Get some really high quality, well made, HUFFY stickers, and put those on the top tube and down tube. You probably won't even need to lock it!

"LET"S ROLL, BABY!"

I never clean my bike on a tour.

If I stay at a motel or hostel I always ask about keeping the bike in doors. One motel on my last tour said no, but they said I could lock it up right outside the reception area where motel staff could see it 24/7.

I use one of those very thin cables to cable my saddle to my frame, I have heard that a sprung Brooks in some areas is a sign of high status and apparently saddles are sometimes stolen off bikes.

And always use a lock. I use a cable, preferably thru both wheels but sometimes that is not practical. I use threaded skewers instead of quick release when touring. I prefer the Halo brand. Any 5mm allen wrench can be used to remove a wheel, but I assume that most thieves are opportunists and don't carry a 5mm wrench. There are ones that take a special key, but if I used those I would lose the key.

I used to know someone that always took off his front wheel and leaned it against the bike so that he could lock up a U lock around the frame and both wheels. If a thief had to reinstall a wheel on a bike, that would certainly slow him down. I have thought about it a few times, but have never bothered to do that.

Sometimes when I leave my bike in an area without a lock, I leave it top gear. Then if a thief got on it and tried to ride away, that would slow them down slightly until they shifted it. I came up with this idea when I was about 30 feet from my unlocked bike and someone jumped on it and pedaled away, I could not run fast enough to catch him. I left it in the perfect acceleration gear.

If in an area where I am nervous, I go elsewhere.

A friend of mine a few months ago forgot to bring his lock to the grocery store, decided to risk it since he only had to run in for one or two items for a couple minutes. Came back outside, the bike was gone. Actually, not quite gone, he found it about 100 yards away from the store. He decided that the thief could not figure out the friction downtube shifters and gave up.

A neighbor had her bike stolen a couple years ago. Thief abandoned it about 100 yards away. She thought that the reason she got her bike back was that the thief had trouble pedaling it with her small cleat type pedals. (I live by a high school, it is a high theft area, but the thieves are not very smart about what is valuable and what is not.)

I took this photo in San Fransisco. I could not figure out what is going on here, if the bike was simply cabled to the parking meter, why did the thief not just lift the cable up and over the meter instead of cutting the cable. Or, did they need to cut the cable so they could ride the bike away?

A thief might be able to see past the electrical tape or stickers to know that the bike is a good one but if they're not planning on using the bike but selling it, would they really want to steal one that would require some work to make a decent sale from it?

you fail reading! that would be a step UP in the steel bike pecking order.
go back a re-read the original post!

[MENTION=9839]saddlesores[/MENTION]
- well, i re-read it. on my budget, a LHT ($1300) is not cheap! my touring bike was a gifted Specialized RockHopper. I've replaced everything but the headset and bottom bracket over time, but with used parts or Origin8 stuff.

- but since the OP did make the second comment I copied, he could very well just get a Wal-Mart bike and not bother locking it up. Feel free to take me to task on missing that.

I think my reading skills are fine, by the way. Even though English is my second language. ( I grew up in Kentucky and learnt American! )

I'm always hopeful that would-be opportunistic thieves would look at my Eggbeaters and say "Dude, this one has no pedals, WTF!!! Grab that other one!!"

When on tour I don't leave my bike. Period. I bring it into a store or I don't go into the store. Same with hotels. The rule may not be 100% but I only leave it (locked) in very rare instances when I feel 100% sure there is no problem and never do so in a big city. Keeping your eye on your bike is about the only guarantee it won't get stolen. I have, on rare occasions, resorted to removing my pedals to ensure nobody will ride away with the bike. On tour, that extra few minutes isn't generally a big deal.

I was referring to another thread where someone made that comment.

Our bikes are custom built on LHT / Troll largely because these frames get top reviews. XT 780 components, Brooks saddle and rack and panniers and no, I do not find it cheap at all.

This being said, I've received only two comments. One from the mechanic at the local coop, who warned me about theft and suggested that I get rid of the XT stickers. The other by someone who is admittedly familiar with the dark side of petty theft and commented that lucky for me my bike was a beater

not familiar with that brand. Googled and looks like it might appeal to the hipster crowd (or totally not?)

But will look at Walmart stickers

I put duct tape on it. Duct tape can be handy that way too. And I haven't washed my bicycle for a few years

If I stay in a motel I just assume that I can bring my personal belongings into the room. My bicycle is most of that. I never ask. Asking is like begging to be told no. If I saw a sign that said No Bicycles I wouldn't stay there. That never happens.

I also try not to put on a show doing it...