Tips to deter thieves?

ruprect

I liked the idea in the other thread of painting the frame or covering it in tape and then painting it. The tape will both protect the frame from scratches so if you do go to sell it it will look brand new once removed. But some thieves may be wise to that and strip off the tape to reveal the good brand underneath. I was thinking of painting the entire thing white, including splashes on the components to hide their names. I think a thief would not go near a bike like that, even when cycling off on it if the gardai were notified they would be spotted a mile off. The resale value would be much lower too.

Are there any other tips to deter thieves, I expect a granny basket on the front would help, or even old style mudguards. Or putting fake labels on good components to make them appear bad would also help. I am getting a new bike and have specfically chosen one that doesnt look too flash, no disc brakes, no fancy rims or spokes.

junii

Just out of curiosity what kind of bike are you trying to deter thieves from. Ill be getting a road racer soon and I know that I won't ever lock it in town or ever stray from it. I also wouldn't like the thought off locking my brand new bike up against something that could scratch it or damage it. It will only ever be in two places. At home, locked in the garage or underneath me on the road.

If your getting a new bike thats going to be dull with the possibility you may cover it with tape and you need to lock it up in town, would you not be better off just buying a second hand??? instead of forking out on a brand new one? You could pick up something decent for 50-100 euros!

ruprect

Its a hybrid bike. I do not give a damn what it looks like so am not concerned about that, I want a new one so it will run smoothly with no unkown flaws or service issues (as yet), I also got it at a very good price. It may look crap but I know it is good and thats all that matters to me.
I do lock it outside sometimes and am usually very careful where I lock it. Multistorey carparks are good spots, usually have cameras and thieves would not expect bikes to be up there. I also leave them in petrol stations near the counter, again this is near the camera and a thief will presume the bike belongs to somebody in the ship or the person at the till. Or lock it near better bikes which have poorer locks.

Scratchface

I saw three skangers in Temple bar recently, two blokes and a girl pushing a pram. They spotted a decent bike on the rack outside BadBobs, and pulled a dirty big bolt cutter out of the pram,( no baby!) and proceeded to snip the lock. Lucky for the owner, they were disturbed and shuffled off, but they're out there !

Morgan

Smearing dog sh!t on the saddle and grips would be quite an effective deterrent.

If you were going to splatter white paint over the frame and components I'd really hope it wasn't a nice bike to start out with. Better off just getting a cheap but functional bike for town.

ruprect

Morgan wrote:

If you were going to splatter white paint over the frame and components I'd really hope it wasn't a nice bike to start out with. Better off just getting a cheap but functional bike for town.

I want it for its functionality, it is not a fashion item. I got an mp3 player with good sound, some choose ipods because they look nice. There are nicer looking bikes I could have gotten for the same price, I specifically didnt get a fancy looking one, I want it to be unattractive to thieves. I would not pour paint on a rolex to stop people wanting to rob it, it is fashion item first, and functional watch second. Some people with cruiser style bikes have them as fashion items, I want mine to get from a to b.

I have considered the second bike but the longest distances I go are usually to town etc, once you get a go on a semi decent bike going back to a crap on is horrible. I do not forsee me selling this bike, if I did I would sell it cheap to a mate who knew the story behind it.

junii

I would have thought that buying a bike at this level would not be in anyway like buying a car as you can check inside all mechanical components and would immediately spot any major damage which would not be worthwhile for seller to repair or attempt to repair (at this level at least). As for gears well you can easily get them tuned.

Anyways, ive been going on the assumption all along that you were price concious. This does not seem to be the case so the way you are going seems fine.

milod

Paint it pink and put a www.gaybike.com decal on the side. It's a well known fact that skangers are homophobic, so they'll give it a wide berth...

Ghost Rider

That's a good suggestion. And I dare say a big huge dildo mounted on the saddle would contribute to the overall effect.

milod wrote:

Paint it pink and put a www.gaybike.com decal on the side. It's a well known fact that skangers are homophobic, so they'll give it a wide berth...

kinaldo

I had 2 bikes (one rubbish bike) stolen from O' Cnl St. in the space of a few months a couple of years ago. Since then I only ever lock my €400 replacement at Pearse Garda Station. With a good lock it's as safe as a house there.

ruprect

Pink! perfect!, I was thinking yellow or lime green, I could live with a pink bike, I remember one of my mates used to always buy pink lighters so nobody would nick them in the pub, and it always worked! if anybody did have one everybody knew who he nicked it from (often lighter "theft" is accidental).

I think the dildo idea would attract the female knackers though There was an email doing the rounds with such a device! it was attached to a cam so it went up and down when the girl cycled, even had photos of it in action. Maybe 2 big cocks as handlebar grips.

I think the gaybike.com would mean you coming back to kicked in wheels, if it is simply pink they will reckon a girl owns it.

Alkers

Rather than painting it pink, just strip the paint leaving it look crap, then never wash it.

ruprect

http://www.bearswillattack.com/blog.html

Thursday, March 31, 2005
Bicycle Thieves, Reconsider

You will be proud of us today, stary-eyed readers, as we have taken concrete steps to return to the pinnacle of physical fitness we once enjoyed, rather than our current doughy state. We are referring not to our recent snowboarding trip, which was clearly an anamoly, but our purchase this morning of a new bicycle.

While we are not the sporty type, we enjoy riding a bike to get places, even if those places are fairly distant. Before we became a resident of New York City, we rode a bike every day, although we often rode Edward's bike, rather than our own, since it was not such a piece of crap. It was, however, painted an unattractive shade of pink, which Edward felt would deter thieves. It worked, too, since the bike was never stolen during our time with it. This is no mean feat, either, since EVERY OTHER BICYCLE WE EVER OWNED was stolen. We are talking about dozens of bikes here.

Our new bike is shiny and red-and-silver, and we can only assume it will be stolen shortly. We considered painting it pink, but perhaps we should just leave the $100 price tag on it, which will serve to let people know that it is not really so valuable, and perhaps they should steal anther bike.

Or, perhaps, we could simply request that any would-be bike-thieves take a moment to do a web search for this particular brand of bicycle, like we did moments ago. This relatively simple exercise may also serve to prevent theft, as the top link for this bike is a recall notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The notice alerts wary consumers that the "crank" on the bicycle is faulty, and "if the crank detaches, the rider's leg can be injured by contact with the crank or the rider can lose control of the bike, fall and be injured."

Did you get that, would-be bicycle-thieves? This thing is a rolling menace. Please refrain from taking it, as you could fall and sustain injury.

http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:qsssN0A1csgJ:www.radio.cz/en/current/magazine+%2Bthieves+%2Bpink+%2Bbicycle&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=26

A Czech man has painted his bicycle a bright pink colour after having his previous four bikes stolen - and he says the shocking pink colour works better than any lock and key when it comes to keeping thieves away. Thirty year old Michal Krivohlavek who rides his bike to work every day says his patience ran thin when he has four bikes stolen within five years. "I figured a really crazy bike would be harder to sell so I bought a can of pink and gave it several coats. Now I look like a nut case but I can leave my bike anywhere - I just prop it up against a wall and I always find it there when I get back. I've also noticed other unexpected benefits - Michal says - I am much safer on the road nowadays because cars slow down when they pass me. Drivers can't resist taking a closer look to see who the loony on the pink bike is." However he may not have that advantage for long - many cyclists love the idea of spray painting their bike pink and they've planned a mass spray -painting event in Prague on September 17th.

pics http://www.radio.cz/pictures/c/noviny/ruzove_kolo.jpg
http://www.radio.cz/pictures/c/noviny/ruzove_kolo1.jpg

Morgan

I saw a Headshox equipped Cannondale mtb in town yesterday - complete with Raleigh head badge and downtube stickers . Looks like it was working - nobody was trying to steal it as I passed.