Yup, although I still find the need to make a bollocks of your own property to prevent some scumbag nicking it immensely irritating.
Show us your decent bike disguised as a crappy bike.
- Thread starter mickle
- Start date
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Yup, although I still find the need to make a bollocks of your own property to prevent some scumbag nicking it immensely irritating.
Punkawallah
Veteran
Indeed. My ‘hack’ is a 70’s frame, over-sprayed black, with 37mm tyres on 700 wheels, everything is bolted on. Cost me in total about £20 (for the tyres, second hand), so owes me nothing, and has yet to be stolen.
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I call this my "junk bike." It's an SR "Semi Pro" model from early 1980's. It's well above the department-store bikes of its day, but the name "Semi Pro" is still not appropriate at all. But unlike my OCLV carbon-fiber Trek, it allows mounting a rack, and I use it to take a box to the post office, take laptop and tools to work, etc., so usually it has a trunk bag an/or pannier on the rack, and no seat bag. I also pull my trailer with it, with a lot of tools and supplies for work. However, when I took this picture, I was using it for regular riding (hence the three waterbottle cages and aerobars) until I could get the fork replaced on my Trek after the steering tube broke, the same as what happened to George Hincapie in the 2006 Paris-Roubaix race. It's the only tube in the frame & fork that's aluminum, and that's what broke. But back to this SR, which was given to me, free, over 20 years ago: It's a dog, as its frame wastes your energy. It looks pretty bad too, with dinged-up paint and lots of surface rust on the frame and fork. I've upgraded almost all of the components though, and everything works well. I don't know if it's any less likely to get stolen than the CF Trek, but it wouldn't be as great a loss.
Attachments
Fastpedaller
Über Member
- Location
- Norfolk
I have one of these on my bike
I don't know if it's effective - But I will if it isn't
I had another thought for transfers to create my 'own make' and deter thieves - also providing some amusement for other cycle enthusiasts.....
'Doors' stickers on the frame
I don't know if it's effective - But I will if it isn't
I had another thought for transfers to create my 'own make' and deter thieves - also providing some amusement for other cycle enthusiasts.....
'Doors' stickers on the frame
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
@Fastpedaller- they're better than the commercial ones, which are for cars/vans. You could sell them ...hint 
Fastpedaller
Über Member
- Location
- Norfolk
@Fastpedaller- they're better than the commercial ones, which are for cars/vans. You could sell them ...hint
find them on Temu - IIRC it was 8 for 54p
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
I have wondered if you could reduce the chances of a bike being stolen by paiting it pink and attaching fluffy accessories and a basket at the front
I mean - it is normally morons who do it
and boys/young men are often much better at being that type of moron
and that sort of person doesn;t want to be seen witha girlie bike
and the ones who are not morons are the ones selling them - and I reckon they would see less market for it
maybe
I mean - it is normally morons who do it
and boys/young men are often much better at being that type of moron
and that sort of person doesn;t want to be seen witha girlie bike
and the ones who are not morons are the ones selling them - and I reckon they would see less market for it
maybe
FrankCrank
Old layabout
Pretty sure someone here already suggested a white saddle with a brown stripe down the middle as the perfect deterrent
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
Pretty sure someone here already suggested a white saddle with a brown stripe down the middle as the perfect deterrent
My saddleis starting to look really carp
it came with the bike and has always just be right for me
but it is padded and the top surface is starting to wear out and the attachments to the base is starting to come off
but I am staying off getting a new one because it does make the bike look worse
and as it is generally not all that clean due to riding on canal paths in this weather - it is probably a decent deterrent to theft
maybe
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
This 'thought' of having a scruffy bike triggers me ! 
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This 'though' of having a scruffy bike triggers me !
Agree. And I'm sceptical to how much difference it really makes to the risk.
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
This 'though' of having a scruffy bike triggers me !
Not to mention that photo of the SIDI shoes.
Punkawallah
Veteran
It remains ‘50/50’ - either the bike is stolen, or it isn’t :-)
Jon George
Mamil and couldn't care less
- Location
- Suffolk an' Good
I was going to start a post about winter rebuilds, when this thread caught my eye. About thirty years ago I bought a Ridgeback Hybrid that I have performed various slight upgrades/alternative set-ups to over the years, which ended up with it being a rather well-used, bike-bin parts, general bike.
After realising the chain set had reached the end of its life, I fell for the idea of just cleaning the frame, but upgrading various bits. (The new headset was rather pricy, but it's sooo smooth.) Since I've been riding a Fixed Gear for some years now, I've become used to not thinking about changing gear and decide to convert the bike from a x3 to a x1 (40T CUES FC-U6000 chainring - necessitating a new bottom bracket and spacers to get the chain line correct). The top tube pouch contains a locking cable with two long-shaft padlocks (to offer some protection from the wheels being nicked, as well as the bike) and I've added my West Riding folding lock on the down tube. The cassette is now 8-speed 11- 34, which is a great range for where I live, and there's also new brake levers, a bin-part shifter, new rear derailleur, new mudguards (an absolute pain to set up - still not right) and a new seat post.
The photo doesn't do justice to the worn areas on the frame that would clearly qualify it for this post, but it was taken in front of a my dilapidated shed, which is over one hundred years old.
After realising the chain set had reached the end of its life, I fell for the idea of just cleaning the frame, but upgrading various bits. (The new headset was rather pricy, but it's sooo smooth.) Since I've been riding a Fixed Gear for some years now, I've become used to not thinking about changing gear and decide to convert the bike from a x3 to a x1 (40T CUES FC-U6000 chainring - necessitating a new bottom bracket and spacers to get the chain line correct). The top tube pouch contains a locking cable with two long-shaft padlocks (to offer some protection from the wheels being nicked, as well as the bike) and I've added my West Riding folding lock on the down tube. The cassette is now 8-speed 11- 34, which is a great range for where I live, and there's also new brake levers, a bin-part shifter, new rear derailleur, new mudguards (an absolute pain to set up - still not right) and a new seat post.
The photo doesn't do justice to the worn areas on the frame that would clearly qualify it for this post, but it was taken in front of a my dilapidated shed, which is over one hundred years old.
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
I was going to start a post about winter rebuilds, when this thread caught my eye. About thirty years ago I bought a Ridgeback Hybrid that I have performed various slight upgrades/alternative set-ups to over the years, which ended up with it being a rather well-used, bike-bin parts, general bike.
After realising the chain set had reached the end of its life, I fell for the idea of just cleaning the frame, but upgrading various bits. (The new headset was rather pricy, but it's sooo smooth.) Since I've been riding a Fixed Gear for some years now, I've become used to not thinking about changing gear and decide to convert the bike from a x3 to a x1 (40T CUES FC-U6000 chainring - necessitating a new bottom bracket and spacers to get the chain line correct). The top tube pouch contains a locking cable with two long-shaft padlocks (to offer some protection from the wheels being nicked, as well as the bike) and I've added my West Riding folding lock on the down tube. The cassette is now 8-speed 11- 34, which is a great range for where I live, and there's also new brake levers, a bin-part shifter, new rear derailleur, new mudguards (an absolute pain to set up - still not right) and a new seat post.
The photo doesn't do justice to the worn areas on the frame that would clearly qualify it for this post, but it was taken in front of a my dilapidated shed, which is over one hundred years old.
View attachment 800363
I don't care about your old shed. I'll steal that. But I'll sell that abominable thing on the downtube on eBay for £1 plus postage. Having "acquired" that bike the said way, there will be no use for that. Please remove that reflector for me.
