Hi Tom:
A good bit of it is bike selection. As you've already built up your
son's, it's too late to note that at my alma mater I just noticed that
old Raleigh Sport 3 speed, secured only by the front wheel to one of
those low wire racks, right by a dorm, is still there after about ten
years. Maybe the decayed Brooks saddle scares off the thieves.

On the other hand, as there are some pretty steep pitches between
that mesa-top campus and the nearest grocery stores, I believe a three
speed is counter-indicated.

Robert Leone

Tom Nakashima wrote:
My son enters college this fall, so I put together a bike for him by
salvaging spare components and a frame that I wasn't using. Suggestions on
making the bike inconspicuous?
Maybe disguising the bike isn't worth the effort for today's thieves?
Suggestions from college students.
-tom