A parts bin sh*tter.

[Tsundere]

Even at work you can't leave a nice bike locked up without the chance of someone attempting to nick it.

There are more obviously appealing bikes there that an average thief would have targeted than the Roberts, modern MTBs, electric bikes etc, so I assume he, or the person who ordered it, knew what they were looking at. The scumbag failed and has been suspended pending an investigation which will result in the sack, and I consider this a lucky escape. Lesson learned I've decided not to chance it anymore. Next time they'll come armed with the right tool.

I've decided to put together a bike that won't appeal even to thieves who know what they're looking for. It needs to be as comfortable, fun and reliable to ride on my daily commute as possible, cost as little as possible, and it has to be early 90s. It also needs to be a bike that won't completely break my heart if it does get pinched, although every bike stolen is a pisser.

Had this 92 Rocky Mountain Hammer kicking about for a few years now. It's a nice steel frame, no rust or other damage, but the rattle can paintjob and non period correct decals had already been stripped.

Here it is just after I bought it...



And here it is now...


In it's unprepped state it looks like it's been in a fire and that's just fine with me. Next - part selection.

 

[JCS]

That’s a bummer about the theives.

A while ago I put together a similar rig - early 90’s steel frame that I spray painted with hammerite. Threw the parts bin at it. And… it turned out to be one of my favourite bikes. Never had to worry about it getting damaged, and could leave it anywhere.

 

[Tsundere]

And… it turned out to be one of my favourite bikes. Never had to worry about it getting damaged, and could leave it anywhere.

That's exactly what I'm aiming for.

 

[grantoury]

I want to see where this is going. Although I fear the frame is stil too nice. I have the same problem with my work bike, though. I would hate to lose it. Crime is a bit less severe here, but still.

 

[Tsundere]

I want to see where this is going. Although I fear the frame is stil too nice. I have the same problem with my work bike, though. I would hate to lose it. Crime is a bit less severe here, but still.

This was undoubtedly the work of an organized criminal gang. I was privy to some of the CCTV footage and here's the picture it painted.

The lad was seen taking snaps of bikes in the secure shed several times in the days before.

Being a secure shed you need a security pass card to enter, a girl left the door open minutes before the attempted theft, no doubt in order to prevent would be thief's pass card being logged prior to the planned theft.

Judging by these images there are at least three people involved, the girl, the thief and whoever he was sharing the images with, the 'buyer'.

Quite incredible.

 

[vtwinvince]

Happened to me ten years ago, a guy living in my building who parked his really nice road bike next to mine in the lockup moved out, and you guessed it, a couple of days later my favourite road bike was gone. To his credit, he left my S-Works 'hopper behind.

 

[highlandsflyer]

I have always used beater bikes as a theft deterrent. Generally works. That Rocky Mountain is a desirable bike, no matter what the paint state.

 

[Frankenorange]

The trick is to make the bike look uninteresting compared to its neighbour in a bike rack. Decent frames in London used to end up covered in gaffa tape and random stickers, but it really became too obvious and interesting and telegraphed to the world there was something worth a gamble on nicking.
Same goes for frames allowed to lightly rust as it can be too obvious that the rust is not being allowed to progress with linseed oil, or something. It is also now something people do to attract attention.
A degree of camouflage is required along with general grime and neglect. Just enough that a would be thief might wonder if their tetanus jab is up to date and it just looks a bit random and boring.
A trick i was told, by a rider who parked up in some pretty dodgy places, was to have methods (make your own bolt heads with custom tools) of adjusting something like stems, bars, saddles, and seatposts. Not so you can take stuff off, to stick in a bag, which is a way of giving less of a prize, but to make the bike look goofy and not at all racey i.e twist the bars round, or drop the saddle a stupid amount. Saddles are the best to totally remove as it makes the getaway a hassle.
One thing to definitely invest in is the best lock(s) you can afford. These will not attract attention as everyone knows that nobody wants to loose their ability to get to work/the pub/the train/gym etc even if it is a pile of poop.