The paradox of having a good bike

[1982john]

Pleased to see some good discussion on this though I'm not really sure we are getting to the heart of the dilemma. It's not so much that the bike will be stolen while I'm there it's more that idiots will mess about with it (I've had people screwing with the gears even on my boring bike).
Secondly, someone targetting me as I'm unlocking it. Ideally, like someone suggested, I can find a better place to keep it. I'm working on that but it might multiple health and safty forms completed in triplit as well as buying security guards sever bacon sandwhiches!

Someone also suggested getting a good bike which doesn't look flashy. That also something i'm looking into.

[AdamS]

Did you consider the suggestions to find somewhere else to park your bike? If this is a workplace it can help to make friends with the building manager, security etc. who might have somewhere you can store it indoors.

If you're going to leave a bike in a public place, sooner or later little tinkers will fiddle with stuff like gears. I've found it happens much less on bikes with modern integrated shifters than older ones with downtube shifters or thumbies, I think because these have a very obvious control to fiddle with. I don't think the value of the bike makes much difference to this problem.

As for muggings, it is easy to worry too much about rare occurrenes when we are aware that they have happened to some people. If it might put your mind at rest you could ask the police how many reports of these incidents they actually receive. Unattended bike theft would be a bigger concern for me.

[bagpussctc]

For years I had a "Hack" bike . Cheap and cheerful ,bought second hand out the local paper , the tip and Police auctions Used for getting to work on and winter riding .
Then something happened to the second hand market or should I say pre owned
Retro / vintage became popular and in some cases even clunkers sold,sell for stupid prices . However it is still possible to build a "Hack" on a buget,and fun as well .
The local shop window have turned up some cheap bikes for me . Even Gumtree . Careful checking of any source is a must.
Hope I have not gone to far off topic.

[crazydave789]

buy an old 'expensive' bike to commute on and as mentioned tatty it up a bit. or pick an unsexy colour which seems to be the norm for touring bikes now.

retro is quite popular at the moment - cheap too.

[hondated]

Some years ago now I found myself having to commute from Croydon to Staines five days a week for work. As the station was a fair walk from my office I decided to buy an old bike to leave at the station to cycle into work.
That felt great but only lasted a week !
No it didn't get stolen but rather I hated the thought of it getting damaged or at worse stolen so it ended up back at home and added to my collection.
Old or new I cherish my bikes too much to leave them anywhere for some idiot to damage or steal them.
Yes get that nice bike you desire as its great to ride a quality bike but as others have suggested seek out somewhere you can leave it and know its going to be secure.

[Moodyman1]

I have a long commute and have nice bikes that I commute on. But workplace is very secure.

I have a hackbike that I use for local errands and for shopping. It's a bit nice for a hack (late 90s Marin MTB), but I wouldn't miss it if someone cut through the cheap cable lock.

There's a certain freedom in cycling on a good, but cheap bike. Bit like running an old car and not worrying where you park it.

[LuckyLuke]

Pleased to see some good discussion on this though I'm not really sure we are getting to the heart of the dilemma. It's not so much that the bike will be stolen while I'm there it's more that idiots will mess about with it (I've had people screwing with the gears even on my boring bike).

Hi John, how about a fixed gear / single speed / hub geared bike? The former two lack gears to be fiddled with. With the latter the gears can be shifted back to your desired gear when stationary.
I also like pitlock security skewers / bolts for stopping parts going walkies.

Secondly, someone targetting me as I'm unlocking it. Ideally, like someone suggested, I can find a better place to keep it. I'm working on that but it might multiple health and safty forms completed in triplit as well as buying security guards sever bacon sandwhiches!

That is worrying, sounds like a very dodgy area if this is a concern. Can you lobby someone for CCTV / better lighting?
As you mention below, a nice bike that isn't flashy would hopefully deter muggers in the first place.

Someone also suggested getting a good bike which doesn't look flashy. That also something i'm looking into.

+1.
I 100% agree with wanting an enjoyable cycle commute. Most of my miles are done cycling to work.
I agree with the 'wolf in sheep's clothing' approach described upthread, and running a bike that's superficially less desirable.
I speculate that new bikes, big brand-name bikes, bling bikes,9,10 or 11spd bikes, suspension mountain bikes and bikes with disc brakes have more of an appeal to thieves and for resale.
I assume shabby, older bikes with no name components / low to mid range components; old steel frames; hub gears / downtube shifters, ?drum brakes to be less appealing.
Fortunately I think the stop-start nature of a lot of commuting means the marginal gains of a better bike are not essential, even though I still tell myself otherwise...

[Abradable Chin]

How can I make tyres look like cheap and shabby? These always give the game away that the bike is loved. Especially the balloon semi-slicks I like.

[mjr]

How can I make tyres look like cheap and shabby? These always give the game away that the bike is loved. Especially the balloon semi-slicks I like.

Get gumwall or coloured wall ones and smear what you clean off the chain onto the side walls. Maybe some light-coloured rubbish would have a similar effect on black sidewalls.

[AdamS]

Paint over the huge labels tyre manufacturers now like to splash all over the sidewalls

[Vorpal]

How can I make tyres look like cheap and shabby? These always give the game away that the bike is loved. Especially the balloon semi-slicks I like.

Take a white china marker or paint marker and circle or 'X' in a few places. They will look like you bought factory seconds.

[Debs]

Speak to your employer about a secure place to park your bike somewhere inside the workplace domain.
Especially if you have any interesting ideas of work space that could be utilised for bicycle parking.

Apparently many avant-garde employers are becoming more sympathetic towards their cycle-commuting employees [...or should be!]

Ref: Cycling Plus magazine Issue 333 November 2017

Cycling to and from work, research reveals, ensures employees are less stressed, more punctual, physically fitter, and financially better off.
So why aren't more of us doing it? Cycling Plus examines how UK bosses are looking to seize the benefits of having bike-friendly offices and how employees are leading the way...

[Roadster]

A "secure" area provided by an employer can itself be a target for thieves, and I personally know two people whose bikes have recently been attacked in such supposedly safe areas.
The first is a young lady who works for and is in fact the designated cycling officer of the local council. She had a £1,000 MTB (bought on the Ride-to-Work scheme) stolen along with several others from the locked compound behind the Town Hall where she's based.
The second is a male critical care nurse at a Manchester hospital whose Genesis Croix de Fer was damaged by thieves trying to steal it, again from the supposedly secure compound provided at the work premises. Others weren't so lucky (or had less effective locks) and lost their machines altogether.

[mjr]

A "secure" area provided by an employer can itself be a target for thieves, and I personally know two people whose bikes have recently been attacked in such supposedly safe areas.
The first is a young lady who works for and is in fact the designated cycling officer of the local council. She had a £1,000 MTB (bought on the Ride-to-Work scheme) stolen along with several others from the locked compound behind the Town Hall where she's based.
The second is a male critical care nurse at a Manchester hospital whose Genesis Croix de Fer was damaged by thieves trying to steal it, again from the supposedly secure compound provided at the work premises. Others weren't so lucky (or had less effective locks) and lost their machines altogether.

Security is one of those things which can be counter-intuitive. Staff cycle parks and hospital cycle parks are often pretty high risk when thieves can reasonably expect bikes placed there to be left unattended for hours on end, such as where all staff work similar hours not staggered shifts. Not quite as bad as a one-train-per-hour station or a cinema not near any bars, but not good. The lowest-risk busy cycle park is probably a well-lit shopping centre cycle park under CCTV next to a cafe with people coming and going all the time and possibly people who will notice and challenge people messing with bikes.

Were those places actually secure (Secure By Design or similar, possibly with staff and CCTV) or "secure"? A compound hidden behind a Town Hall doesn't sound like the sort of place that would meet the Secure By Design requirements.

[Roadster]

Those two places were obviously not actually secure but merely pretending to be. I suspect that most site managers who are not cyclists themselves simply don't realize how prevalent cycle theft has become and seriously underestimate just how determined and "professional" these predators are commonly prepared to be. As a result, there may well be an element of naivety and/or tokenism in the provision of security for their employees' bikes.