Originally Posted by
base2
The point of my post was to have what ever "needed" thing be of inconsequential cost or deemed not worth the risk or not considered an upgrade...A low class bike worthy of respect. Thief's like seat posts & indexed shifting too. Nutted axles are a bother... Even if they have no idea what a thing is, or what it works with, they just know it's better than what they have & you didn't care enough to keep it secured against a guy with a tool set. So in their mind, it's fair game & it's your fault for having a $2000 bike in the first place. To them, "good" people don't have that kind of money. But, a stolen looking rattle-can jalopy isn't a big loss.
I think this speaks volumes. I would not leave a bike I did not want to lose unattended, even locked. Years ago, I had no problem removing the front wheel and using a U-lock to keep my bike safe; even if a Bic pen could have unlocked it...lol!
I don't fault the OP from going to lengths so that he feels he has done whatever possible to deter his bike getting stolen. I might not do the same, but if the bike were a short distance commuter, I would build it for that distance. Mis-matched wheels, freewheel, friction shifting, ball bearings in the hex bolts, and a plan to get home if it were taken. I would not build a bike beyond its basic function and leave it unattended.
John