Introduction: How to Make Your Bike Look an Ugly Discouragement for Thieves

By bikelightsuk
About: Adam Jackson is the owner of Bike Lights UK which is a leading seller of all kinds of bicycle lights throughout UK and Europe. Prioritizing the safety and comfort of the riders Adam formed the Bike Lights UK. …

Bike theft is one of the most common troubles in UK like most of other European nations, moreover, the locks don’t put much resistance against tech savvy thieves. Take a look at this video “Bike Theft” on Youtube by the Neistat brothers. It’ll convince you that a determined thief mostly carries all the tools he needs to cut any sort of bike lock.

So, you need to think out of the box and think beyond just physical locks and try some subtle psychological deadlocks. Not all will find this suggestion adorable, but if you love the ride more than the looks of your bike, then definitely, you’ll enjoy it.

So, here is a combination of different methods in steps to make your bike look ugly, ridiculous, and piece of junk to discourage thieves even to waste their time to cut the lock.

Step 1: No One Steals a Rusty, Deteriorating Bike

Rust is the worst enemy of any bike. Oxidation has comes in the disguise of faux finish. It’ll not take more than 10-15 minutes to do that, but be careful while choosing the brush. The toothbrush splatter technique will do the best job. A double coat will worsen the looks and support your purpose.

Step 2: Stupid and Ridiculous

Bikes come in cool shades and stylish designs, but it won’t take more than a few hundred ml of paint to spoil that. For example, imaging a stark yellow or orange brown colored bike or whatever that stands in against the traditionally associated concept of a bicycle. Again, a little to spend on pain and just 5 minutes to spray it can do the job for you.

Step 3: Ugly Worn Out Seat and Accessories Adhered With Duct Tape

It’s very simple. Just tear the seat or just make it look like a torn one. A few cuts and poorly applies tape is all you need. You can do the same with other accessories as well.

Step 4: Let’s Not Make a Quick One for Thieves

The quick release button with a bike seat is an aid to any thief. Replace is with common bolt and switch out all the bolts with Torx heads – the fully Allen key. It’s a surprise as rarely a toolbox keeps this tool.

Then, you can tighten a hose clam to hold the wheel quick release tight to the frame. That’s buy some extra time for you. Obviously, not everyone will love the idea of pulling their front wheel off every time they lock the bike, but still, it’s a good option.

Step 5: Create Repulsion With Lot of Silly Stickers

While the options for making a bike look ugly are endless, we can only figure out which one is most effective and repulsive. Stickers are one of them. Make the thief think how much time it would take him to remove all that crap, and avoid attention while taking it away. All those idiotic stickers will make it like an antique piece that can be identified with its owner by anyone who you see you ride it daily. Try putting Huffy stickers on your Serotta or monkey-puke green duct tape.

Step 6: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Bike-Lock

Whatever you do, never underestimate the power of a bike-lock. It’s stupid to conceive the very idea of stealing an ugly looking bike with strong lock.

There are a lot of tips to make your bike the ugliest discouragement for thieves even when it’s not locked, however, we have discussed the best ones. Rest is up to your own exploration capacity. Good luck.