How to make an ugly bike

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 19:58:00 -0500, Jeff
wrote:
I wouldn't paint the tires. Three reasons:
1. Reduces tire grip on the road.

Probably not horribly, especially for something used at
convenience-store speeds.

2. Most likely will crack and flake off fairly quickly as you ride.

Thereby contributing to ugliness.

3. If you use the wrong paint on the wrong tire, the chemicals in the
paint may weaken the tire wall.

See my answer to #1.

--
Rick Onanian

"Gary Smiley" wrote in message
...
You're all missing the point:
Why not use a good lock- one that can't be defeated - like Kryptonite's
New York lock?
Then you don't have to screw up the appearance of your bike.
And it's much easier to do.

No such thing as a lock that cannot be defeated. If you can't break the
lock, break what it is locked to.

An attractive bike, in the right (wrong) place, day after day...will get
stolen eventually.

Pete

"Rick Onanian" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 17:18:51 -0700, Zoot Katz
wrote:
A fixed gear and the tiniest clipless pedals supposedly deters, or
failing that, at least hampers, opportunistic thievery.

m2racer Orbs would definately deter a theif -- somebody would have
to bring pedals, or carry the bike away. I can't imagine riding them
in sneakers..
http://www.m2racer.com/products.php?cat=2

Shee-it. I've seen fools riding bikes with *no* pedals, but merely spindles.
And that was a bike to ride, instead of sell.
A semi-serious thief will just toss it in the back of a pickup truck, and be
off.

Pete

Any more ideas on how to make the bike ugly?
Tom

Put a CB antenna on it. And some big wire baskets. And maybe some pix of
politicians, maybe bumper stickers. And a small license plate.
Or, you could transform it into a work of art . . . sort of like those "art
cars" where they paint 'em wacky colors and glue trashcan lids and shells
and cattle horns and pots and pans on 'em. Oh yah . . . common theives are
dime a dozen, art theives are pretty hard to come by. Plus no one is going
to steal a bike that'll be real easy to spot by cops on patrol ("Calling all
cars, calling all cars, be on the lookout for a stolen bicycle, has sea
shells superglued all over") . . .
Justa thought . . .
--Tock

On 28 Jul 2003 15:53:52 -0700, (Thomas Reynolds)
wrote:


Any more ideas on how to make the bike ugly?

Tom

Training wheels. A front basket with a pitbull sitting in it.

And Grateful Dead stickers. Lots. It doesn't get any uglier....

"Thomas Reynolds" wrote in message
m...
I am interested in making a bike ugly because I often ride a bike to
the store or the 7-11 and lock it up outside. While I am in the store
I am always paranoid that someone will steal my bike.

Any more ideas on how to make the bike ugly?

Paint it Celeste.

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 01:04:36 GMT, "Pete" wrote:

... or at the very least, lean it against the front window where you can see it.

Hi Pete

Sadly that prophylatic method doesn't always work, as I've learnt to
my cost. I could see the bike; I could see the expletive deleted as
he nicked the bike; I could see the shop assistant wildly flapping her
hands as she told me my bike had just been nicked.

One lives and learns.
James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 10:53:55 GMT, "Peter Cole"
wrote:

Paint it Celeste.

Sick, Pete, very sick :-)

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg

"Thomas Reynolds" wrote in message
m...
I am interested in making a bike ugly because I often ride a bike to
the store or the 7-11 and lock it up outside. While I am in the store
I am always paranoid that someone will steal my bike.

Put a bell on it. They sell them shaped like dinosaurs, rubber duckies, etc.
No one will be caught dead taking your bike.

(Thomas Reynolds) wrote:

A crusty veteran milk crate on the rear rack never fails to bring a
bike down visually. Not only does it look shabby, but it says "work"
instead of "play". If you affix a pair of BMX or chopper bars, you
can zip-tie a milk crate on the front too.

Thus your bike will look like transportation for the destitute, and
you'll have a convenient place to put your groceries.

Less functional, but very effective uglification can be had by
painting any part of your bike with a brush.

Gratuitous duct tape whispers of deception, but wrapped onto, say, a
cracked or torn vinyl saddle cover, it speaks of poverty and
desperation. Thieves don't like those things any more than the rest
of us.

Chalo Colina