Survey: Would You Ugly Your Bike?

I would like to suggest a new class of crime: Crimes Against the Environment. Stealing a bike is just such a crime. As far as I'm concerned, stealing a bike is a far more serious offense than stealing a car and it should be treated accordingly.

The best way to keep your bike from rolling off on its own is to simply be vigilant and to not lock it in dodgy places or overnight. I ALWAYS lock my bike in high traffic areas or well lit areas.

My bike itself has been taped up. Flat black hockey tape on a flat black frame. No logos. Nothing that would attract undue attention to it... vs the bike next. It's also a fixed gear bike, which sometimes freaks theives out when they cant coast... and cant brake!

So who cares about resale value. Make your bike your own. Spray it, tape it... make it look like crap if you want. Because the only resale value that matters is the one that the theif is thinking up!

That being said... anything will get stolen. It's $10 and a hit of crack to the guys looking for them. Just look at Toronto, where 3000 (no typo) bikes have been recovered from a theft ring!

My bike is already ugly enough in its own way. Fenders, fixed gear, not quite Brit Racing green with reflective tape accents.

Just don't be a jerk & leave my bike alone.

Two words: Death Penalty.

If I lived in a city, I would certainly ugly up my bike. I love checking out all the bikes that have been uglied up whenever I visit Philly. No matter how ugly you make a good bike, it is still a good bike.
Unless of course you ugly it up by painting the word HUFFY on it.

I used to scratch the finish on my new ski's so no one would steal them. I think its a great idea. I haven't gotten around to doing it to my bike yet, but I probably will when I get home.

The only way to prevent bike theft is a good quality lock and some common sense. Trust the lock recommendations at your local shop. The kid selling it to you isn't profiting off the higher priced ones, s/he's just doesn't want to see you back in the next week to buy a new bike.

standard practice in nyc.

Fortunately, I've never needed to 'ugly' my bike, but I don't live in a big city either. There are a few basic rules I follow.

- Bring the bike inside if you can. If a thief doesn't see it, they won't be tempted.

- Never leave your bike unlocked in a public place. It's like leaving your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition.

- The lighter (more expensive) the bike, the heavier (more expensive & sturdy) the lock. My beater/town bike has a simple combination cable lock and my expensive mountain bike has a hardened chain and lock.

Seems as though folding bicycles may be the best answer as every other possibility will either be ineffective or use even more energy. Setting up locking enclosed bicycle bins works in some areas.

I like to think of uglifying as beautifying, with plenty of hard-to-remove stickers, etc., that make my bike very identifiable, and presumably harder to sell. Granted, I did eventually have my beloved ugly bike (and baby trailer) stolen right out of my back yard in a 'nice, quiet residential neighbourhood', no doubt by bottle-pickers who had no intention of selling it, but using it. (I eventually 'identified' the trailer 2 years later, in pieces in the trash heap of a homeless shelter that had shut down for renos. Wasn't impressed.) But my point is, locks don't prevent people who really want your bike from stealing them.

Has anyone seen Amsterdam's bike lock-up? It's mind-boggling. Watch this great video (of a slide show presentation in Vancouver):

JOHN PUCHER -- CYCLING FOR EVERYONE (80 min.)
For the best 2-wheeled inspiration around, catch Professor John Pucher from Rutgers University making a presentation in Vancouver. Incredible presentation showing clearly how to make commuter cycling attractive and safe in North American cities. Wow! http://www.sfu.ca/city/city_pgm_video020.htm

How about "my bike is already hideous?"

park and lock in one of these things- if your bike fits that is.
http://isthishouston.com/2007/11/08/lift-it-park-it-lock-it/

My best friend made my bike for me. People who know bikes stop me all the time and ask what the heck I am riding. While he was building it, he asked me how I wanted it to look.

I said "make it look rusty." He used a rust colored primer over a horrible black paint job.

I think I got the idea from a book I had read, but my bike has been "ugly" for 10 years.

This is a ridiculous survey.

Already done.

Already done.

I wish I had known about this, because I definitely would have done it. My bike was locked to a pole in my building's basement with my boyfriend's bike. Somebody who lives in the building (or has access) cut through the chain, stole my bike, and left my boyfriend's old, rusty, bike sitting there. I still had the serial number, filed a report with the police, and anxiously wait by the phone for a call from the Chicago police telling me they found my bike......

Friend of mine carved his name to the bike frame with an angle grinder. It looks totally ugly, highly personalized, it is visible to a distance and cannot be hidden with new coat of paint (unless you use bodyfillers or plasters, but if thieves would bother to go that far, they would get a decent dayjob). And in this day and age, if someone tried to sell such a bike, someone would probably look that person up in the internet and ask if the bike is stolen or not.
but this only works with bikes that have thick frametubing and don't do that to carbon fiber frames:P
I just bought a new bike yesterday and I don't have heart to carve it up. Also, it has an aluminum frame (which means its quite thick and wont rust when exposed), so I could actually do that, if it wasn't for the pesky warranty void clause...

If taking the seat off or the rear tire and putting a good lock on it are uglying my bike then, I have.