Originally Posted by smasha

Since I personally know several people who have had bikes stolen over the last few months, this has me thinking of two things:

1. If my new bike wasn't already mostly built up, I'd consider taking the frame to an auto-body shop, and have them strip off the old paint, and re-paint it to look like rusted pipes. Any bike thief would see that with a decent lock on it, and turn away in disgust and/or laughter. My bike would be safe. Maybe it's worth the hassle to take it all apart and do this?

Originally Posted by 70sSanO

Get some cardboard to shield the overspray.

Originally Posted by rsbob

Spray paint the whole thing,wheels and all, white and it will look like you stole it from a memorial and the creepy and poor taste factor will probably deter anyone with half a brain.

Originally Posted by rsbob

Spray paint the whole thing,wheels and all, white and it will look like you stole it from a memorial and the creepy and poor taste factor will probably deter anyone with half a brain.

Originally Posted by base2

As a person who has a customer base that is mostly drug addicted, low income, no income, homeless persons, with no moral compunction against theft, I'll let you in on a little secret:

Originally Posted by SpeedyBlueBiker

That's the problem. A lot of thieves don't have half a brain to work with.

Originally Posted by indyfabz

I’ve been locking up bikes outside in Philadelphia for decades. And they have not been beaters. Guess how many have been stolen?

Guess how many times my touring bike has been stolen while I was asleep in my tent with the bike unlocked.

Proper precautions + situational awareness > irrationality

Originally Posted by smasha

To stop a thief, think like a thief…

If someone wants to steal an unlocked or poorly locked bike for convenience, they'll take what's convenient, no matter how good or bad it is. If someone wants a bike for the expensive parts/components, they may cut through the frame to take the bike.

Between these extremes are nice bikes, locked securely (with at least one better-than-average lock, used properly). They're not convenient to steal, so they're safe from purely opportunistic theft, but being a nice bike, someone might break a lock to steal it.

Since I personally know several people who have had bikes stolen over the last few months, this has me thinking of two things:

1. If my new bike wasn't already mostly built up, I'd consider taking the frame to an auto-body shop, and have them strip off the old paint, and re-paint it to look like rusted pipes. Any bike thief would see that with a decent lock on it, and turn away in disgust and/or laughter. My bike would be safe. Maybe it's worth the hassle to take it all apart and do this?
2. Since the bike is mostly built I'm thinking about just spray-painting over the make and model that's printed on the frame. That should drop the resale value of "ABC model" of "XYZ brand" to "unknown" and/or "unverifiable", which should lower the resale value enough that it's not worth the effort of busting a good lock. My bike should be safe, I think.

What does everyone else think? Any bike thieves or recovering bike thieves who can comment?

I'll also have a sticker on the bike advising that it's in a register that police have access to. I'm not sure how well that (in addition to being securely locked up) will discourage theft… I'd like to think this would discourage theft, and encourage a thief to find another target. Anecdotally, it seems that these kinds of stickers may actually reduce the chances of a bike being stolen.

Originally Posted by indyfabz

I’ve been locking up bikes outside in Philadelphia for decades. And they have not been beaters. Guess how many have been stolen?

Guess how many times my touring bike has been stolen while I was asleep in my tent with the bike unlocked.

Proper precautions + situational awareness > irrationality

Originally Posted by smasha

Don't make me guess; impart some wisdom on us all.

Originally Posted by Koyote

OP is a classic BF archetype: asks "What does everyone else think? " and then argues with anyone who disagrees with him.

Originally Posted by Koyote

OP is a classic BF archetype: asks "What does everyone else think? " and then argues with anyone who disagrees with him.

Originally Posted by smasha

No one has actually disagreed with me, in any productive way.

Originally Posted by base2

As a person who has a customer base that is mostly drug addicted, low income, no income, homeless persons, with no moral compunction against theft, I'll let you in on a little secret: Ain't nobody gonna ever value a shoddy looking bike. Period. That also means ain't nobody ever gonna come lookin' for it neither. Then, after they steal that "jalopy" they are going to add their own colors to it just in case you are in the neighbor hood. After that, they'll devalue it even more by trading any working bits to a buddy for some "good karma." The other scenario is any working bits will get themselves stolen while the thief sleeps. The rest will get broken through ignorance & good intentions in a random bored moment with inadequate/worn out tools in search of an "upgrade" whatever that means.

You have no idea how many times I've heard the same story: "It had brake pads when I went to sleep."...or a seat post, or a chain, or gears, or any other thing that can be removed by an Allen wrench set, a crescent wrench, a screwdriver, or a stolen pair of pliers. If it can be removed, a thief will take it. One customer even had his headset stolen

First rule: A commuter that is left outside should have a total value less than or equal to $100.
Second rule: The value of the locks should exceed the value of the bike by 50%
That's not really hard to do.
A U-lock for the front wheel to the frame.
A U-lock for the rear wheel to the frame.
A U-lock for the frame through whatever immovable object you are locking to. (If one of the above 2 locks can go through the immovable object too, that's even better.)
Finally, a cable lock through the saddle rails securing the saddle/seatpost to the seat stays.
Rule 3: Observe the bike rack. Is secured with bolts? Thieves will disassemble the rack. Park away from the bolts. Does the rack have duct tape applied to it? If so, thieves have already cut the rack and are waiting for an opportunity to remove the tape holding the rack together & the bike secured there.

Quality stolen bikes tend to stick around a while. Generally they get traded intact from junkie to junkie for drugs before eventually ending up at a drug dealers house or "vultured" wholesale at the homeless shelter. The funny thing is "ain't nobody saw nuthin'" & they eventually come to me for all manner of repair.

A bike doesn't need to be expensive to be a nice riding commuter. Any vintage rigid mountain bike with 30 years of battle scars will do. Then re-pack the wheel hubs. Spend $20 on a replacement bottom bracket. Add in some $13 friction "thumbie" shifters to dissuade any thoughts of "value" and you are good to go.

Originally Posted by Koyote

When you define "productive" as "agrees with me," you've kind of rigged the game,

Originally Posted by base2

Quality stolen bikes tend to stick around a while. Generally they get traded intact from junkie to junkie for drugs before eventually ending up at a drug dealers house or "vultured" wholesale at the homeless shelter. The funny thing is "ain't nobody saw nuthin'" & they eventually come to me for all manner of repair.

Originally Posted by smasha

No.

If someone wants to explain *why* an idea is wrong, and/or *why* other ideas are better, that's productive disagreement.

Instead, much of the discussion resembles bickering children, each insisting that their idea is best, and no one explaining why.

Also, I'm not convinced that my idea is the best, or even good. I'm not here looking for accolades, I'm here looking for discussion about what works and why. Maybe I'm in the wrong place...?

Originally Posted by smasha

What does everyone else think?

Originally Posted by Koyote

When you define "productive" as "agrees with me," you've kind of rigged the game,

Originally Posted by smasha

No one has actually disagreed with me, in any productive way.

Originally Posted by Troul

the idea (of sullying) is wrong if the idea is to spend money on a bicycle for the purpose of what it is to then spend more money & effort changing it in the attempt to defeat theft &/or vandalism.

Originally Posted by smasha

“It’s Not Paranoia If They Really Are Out to Get You.”

Don't make me guess; impart some wisdom on us all.

Originally Posted by smasha

Maybe reflective tape? Maybe just duct-tape?

After a few years, removing it may damage the factory paint… So a can of spray-paint may still be the way to go. And with pictures, some spray-paint can make it easier to identify, if it does go missing.