defacing my bike?

Its not about the quality of your bike, its about the number of hardcore locks on it. I parked my freshly cleaned MTB outside work ages ago when my rodie was out of commission for a while. Shiny big disk brake, well use, well cared for it stood out like a sore thumb. When I got back in the evening one of my locks was broken, and the shoddy lock where the bike next to me used to be was also broken. They hadn't defeated by chain or D-lock, but had managed to take out a cable lock I had.

Buy some f**k-off big locks and leave them locked where you normally park. Wrap your bike in bar-tape if you want to cover contact points of it. DON'T re-paint black, its a crime!! lol, unless you seriously like the idea of a hammerite black Allez!

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I don't see the point in defacing your bike. In London the minute I see a bike that has been defaced, it makes me look harder to try and work out what it's worth. You might as well put a sign on it saying "steal me first".

SNAPS

Nothing you can do to stop it. There are too many pros around stealing bikes, they know which bikes are worth what and they will recognise it no matter what you do to it. Good locks or not, they go around in vans with power tool. Sadly, there is nothing that can be done.

Gold-rated D-lock and bike insurance. That way, your pride and joy will be really difficult to steal and if it *does* get stolen, use of a gold-rated D-lock will make sure your insurance coughs up for a new bike. You also won't then need to make your new bike ugly.

Sadly, this does not prevent people doing mean things like stamping on your wheels and bending them out of shape, but new wheels are still cheaper than a new bike.

<font size="1">If I had a baby elephant, I'd re-enact THAT scene from Blue Peter, with John Noakes, on a daily basis. Wouldn't you? <i>"Ooh, gerroff me foot!"</i></font id="size1">

just buy a crap bike from Hal***ds for œ60.

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If you leave them where you normally park, then either someone will super-glue the key-holes out of malice, or you will gives thieves a head start: they can come prepared with equipment specifically to defeat your lock.


If your locks are glued buy or carry a disposable lighter to melt the glue. Your lock may not recover but you'll be able to unlock it and get it home.

Not sure if this a bonkers iea or not... but I have often mused that there is a market here for some enterprising people.

Rent an empty shop, fit bike racks and charge for secure bike parking. You could even have a fixed rate per month. Maybe have a basic workshop to do basic maintenance whilst a bike is with you. I know if there was something like this in my town I would use it just for the peace of mind.. providing the cost was not to high.

Mind you, given the cost of renting some shops it is probabably not feasable uless it was suppoted.

I had my shiny allez sport stolen, and had to do something to the replacement to stop it happening again. Removing all branding and sexy paintwork does, in my opinion, make it less steable, as a theif will find an unbranded bike a lot harder to sell. In my case, the bastard who stole my bike came back, ignored my reprayed bike and took a cheaper speaialized (am I tempting fate here?). Plus I genuinly think my respray looks far better than the generic paintjob it came with, and sets you apart from all the other specilaized allez riders.
I went for a 2-tone - frame in black, forks and stays in red. Covered carbon fibre seat post and handlebars with tape (it doesnt seem to take the paint), peeled off wheel stickers, and took a black marker pen to tyres and sadddle (although this has staretd to wear off after 6 monthes).

Remove everything from the fram that you know how to put back on and cover all cables and non-frame parts with masking tape/ plastic sheet. Sand down with aluminium oxide paper of increasing grade, dry then with water. be careful on carbon fibre as it will sand v. easily! Spray on a grey primer (halfords) - 1 coat is enough. then spray on some plasticote. Make sure you do one layer at a time, even if the frame looks hardly covered on the first coat. dont get too close as it will run. stop when you get near the end of the can as the droplets get bigger and you get a matt effect.

Alternative is to send it down to Argos.

It takes some corrage, but it will still be the same bike underneath!