Ugly your bikes?

Kiblams

There are many tacts to making your bike secure at work, and one of those is to make your bike ugly. The idea being that you can make a good bike look crap while it still rides like a dream.

My commuter is a very cheap bike with shifters and mechs stripped off, and I am always looking at finding ways to make it less appealing to theives.

So, has anyone sabotaged the look of their bike for peice of mind? and if so how?

whyamihere

Mine's covered in reflective tape, which is held on by duct tape. That's about all I've done so far...

Fireblade96

After having 2 bikes stolen in quick succession, I decided to get a less desirable town bike.
90s MTB in purply-pink with mudguards, rack and at the time a wire basket :shock:

It was the ultimate stealth SCR weapon ! I'm still riding it, but have removed the basket - looks a little better but less convenient for carrying beer or takeaways home.

roger_merriman

ha not needed my commute bike is very much a hack bike, and even my roadie is a old steely with the most um intresting paint job I've seen in quite some time.

lae

Spray paint your bike in brown, then matt black, then go at it with some sandpaper. It'll look like a very old rusty frame.

pst88

Cover your bike with fake scratch stickers, bullet holes and bird poo:
http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/p-jokes/bullet/index.html
http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/p-jokes/fake/car-scratch.html
Noone will want to steal it then! Especially if you go completely overboard with the bird poo stickers.

il_principe

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

Kiblams

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

I was waiting for the first person to post this and while a valid opinion; some of us prefer function over form from our commuter bikes, and leave our main bike(s) (MTB or Road) to be the beauties

Bassjunkieuk

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

Your OK already tho, I mean the Prince's frame and fork already look like they've been left in the sun to long ;-) Bl00dy flimsy carbon fibre..........

il_principe

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

Your OK already tho, I mean the Prince's frame and fork already look like they've been left in the sun to long ;-) Bl00dy flimsy carbon fibre..........

Why I oughta!

*shakes fist*

redvee

Ugly bikes makes a change from ugly riders.

downfader

In the guitar world I noticed a few years back a trend towards older bashed out of shape guitars to start making money... then people like Fender begain "relic" ranges where they deliberately caused wear and aged the components and wood. It has sprung up a who industry in music instruments..

I have often wondered if "relic'd" bikes would be an option Then I think back to my old cycling proficiency as a lad and remember the guy telling us "if a Policeman see's your bike and thinks it unsafe for the road, he is allowed to tell you to stop using it!"

I do know there are many ways to uglify a bike. Relective stickers is an obvious one and I use these to help be seen. Using dabs of acrylic paint over wear and scratches also tends to work, have had to do this a few times thanks to things flicking up off the road, off car tyres or dinlo's in the cycle shed at work.

However. Looking at the city center its like a graveyard of ugly bikes at the minute. Either they decide on revenge as they cant steal it, or they just see an ugly bike and trash it. There are bent wheels, burnt tyres and even bent frames where plebians have launched into them.

Eau Rouge

Isn't the logic a bit flawed here?
I'm sure there are discerning thieves out there fully aware of the relative merits of a Wilier or a Pinerello, but the vast majority are mearly opportunists who don't care of the difference between an Argos BSO and a Trek Madone, they see a bike they can steal, they steal it, no matter how "ugly" it might look.
Use a decent lock, and if your worried that your leaving your bike where it might be stolen, then use a bike that you don't mind having stolen to get there.

biondino

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

I agree with the sentiment of this post, but think Charges, while foul hipstermobiles, are actually prettir than, say, Pinarellos, which look less liek bikes and more like My Little Pony.

Basically, if you've got a bike that you're happy to uglify, it's already redundant cos it's inevitably ugly or cheap already.

biondino

Also, uglifying a bike is a guaranteed way to say to a thief "my bike is worth disguising".

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

I agree with the sentiment of this post, but think Charges, while foul hipstermobiles, are actually prettir than, say, Pinarellos, which look less liek bikes and more like My Little Pony.

I cannot resist rising to this dammit

Charge Plug:



Pinarello Dogma:



The Dogma is beautiful, the Charge is ugly ugly!

biondino wrote:

Also, uglifying a bike is a guaranteed way to say to a thief "my bike is worth disguising".

Agreed. The professional thieves know what they are looking for anyway - not sure disguise will fool them, and the opportunistic ones probably don't know the difference between a Colnago and a Ribble - and are prob more likely to leave road bikes alone and go for MTB's etc anyway.

Kiblams

biondino wrote:

Also, uglifying a bike is a guaranteed way to say to a thief "my bike is worth disguising".

You could say that, though a proper uglifying involves making the work you do to it look like repair work/ wear and tear. The idea is that the ugly-ness should from a distance prevent a second look from a 'proper' bike theif.

biondino

Kiblams wrote:

biondino wrote:

Also, uglifying a bike is a guaranteed way to say to a thief "my bike is worth disguising".

You could say that, though a proper uglifying involves making the work you do to it look like repair work/ wear and tear. The idea is that the ugly-ness should from a distance prevent a second look from a 'proper' bike theif.

I guess that's true - I have much more of a problem with people who think gaffa taping an inner tube around the frame is a good idea. Shabby chic maybe?

Jash, I knew you'd appreciate the chance to post Pinarello pr0n Surprised you've gone for the Dogma rather than the Prince - does this mean we can expect you to upgrade sometime soon?

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Jash, I knew you'd appreciate the chance to post Pinarello pr0n Surprised you've gone for the Dogma rather than the Prince - does this mean we can expect you to upgrade sometime soon?

I'm just so damn predictable.

If I get a fat insurance payout in the next 2 years (apparently these things take ages) then I will be upgrading, but we'll wait and see what loveliness is on the market then - perhaps something with electronic shifting...? Oh the anticipation.

biondino

God, can you imagine the carnage of Campy electronic shifting? You wouldn't trust an Italian to rewire a plug, let alone your bike...

il_principe

biondino wrote:

God, can you imagine the carnage of Campy electronic shifting? You wouldn't trust an Italian to rewire a plug, let alone your bike...

Yeah I was thinking about that the other day when DDD was asking about electronic - not something to be an early adopter with that's for sure. We'll see what the market comes up with...

roger_merriman

Il Principe wrote:

The Dogma is beautiful, the Charge is ugly ugly!

different styles as well, the frame and shape of the Dogma is lovely but to my eyes killed by going Logo tastic.

If I bought one they'd be the first things to go.

bannedbiker

Where i work is an industrial estate on the outskirts of town. when we recently had a group of travellers (read "theiving scumbag pikeys") pitch up for a month or so i decided that locking my bike up outside of work simply wasn't good enough, so I've now got an ingenious solution: I leave home early, get to work at least half an hour before everybody else, smuggle my bike into my office, whip the wheels and seat of and hide it under my desk...

il_principe

It's funny really, in my non cycling life I wouldn't dream of wearing anything covered in logos, but for cycling I tend to be covered head to toe in 'em as does the bike... prob true for a lot of us, esp those who like team kit!

lost_in_thought

*sneaks in and says, very, very quietly*

I prefer the look of the charge to the Dogma

*sneaks out*

woodford2barbican

Il Principe wrote:

biondino wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

I agree with the sentiment of this post, but think Charges, while foul hipstermobiles, are actually prettir than, say, Pinarellos, which look less liek bikes and more like My Little Pony.

I cannot resist rising to this dammit

Charge Plug:


Pinarello Dogma:


The Dogma is beautiful, the Charge is ugly ugly!

biondino wrote:

Also, uglifying a bike is a guaranteed way to say to a thief "my bike is worth disguising".

Agreed. The professional thieves know what they are looking for anyway - not sure disguise will fool them, and the opportunistic ones probably don't know the difference between a Colnago and a Ribble - and are prob more likely to leave road bikes alone and go for MTB's etc anyway.

In reality they are both ugly.......

fossyant

Il Principe wrote:

This thread is a whole new level of wrong. Bikes are beautiful, uglifying a beautiful bike is wrong. If you want an ugly bike just buy a Charge!

I agree. You spend alot of time on the commute bike, so mine has to be nice, well specced and more than up for the job. Just up your security a few notches.

roger_merriman

Il Principe wrote:

It's funny really, in my non cycling life I wouldn't dream of wearing anything covered in logos, but for cycling I tend to be covered head to toe in 'em as does the bike... prob true for a lot of us, esp those who like team kit!

True true, I don't like team kit, as I don't watch or support any.

But any how this sort of thing isn't logic based, unless you disagree with I....

jonginge

lost_in_thought wrote:

*sneaks in and says, very, very quietly*

I prefer the look of the charge to the Dogma

*sneaks out*

Not sneakily enough! :shock:

roger_merriman

lost_in_thought wrote:

*sneaks in and says, very, very quietly*

I prefer the look of the charge to the Dogma

*sneaks out*

Is it the labels as well?

Bassjunkieuk

roger merriman wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

*sneaks in and says, very, very quietly*

I prefer the look of the charge to the Dogma

*sneaks out*

Is it the labels as well?

No, she just needs to go to Specsavers! I prefer the Dogma, looks really nice in the "flesh" especially after having a good gander at the one in GB Cycles :-)