anti-theft idea

Reminds me of this story

Good sign! --- Martin Pion said:

To: [email hidden] From: Martin Pion <[email hidden]> Subject: Re: [STLCM]
"Ex wife got car" rear sticker Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:16:17 -0500
=

Quoted message said:

Hi Dan,
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Quoted message said:

This is an amusing piece, and maybe even worth trying (just for fun, mind): a
"bumper" sticker to affix to your helmet or bike to ward off aggressive
motorists (identified by the cyclist below as NRA members et al.).
=

Quoted message said:

The winning slogan was:
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Quoted message said:

"EX WIFE GOT CAR"
=

Quoted message said:

That's enough to get you sympathy from all those over-hormoned angry males out
there. (I assume there are no angry females?) I'd better check this out with my
wife before trying it though, in case it becomes a portent. (Come to think of
it, my present wife has the one reliably running family car now, and I have to
check before borrowing
it. I can't complain though. She usually says yes.)
=

Quoted message said:

Best regards, Martin.
=

Quoted message said:

P.S. It occurs to me you'd need an illuminated version, maybe a neon light, for
nighttime use. Or perhaps it could be created with reflective tape. Here's
an opportunity for an entrepreneur....
=

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

from yesterday's Boston Globe

boston.comFrom Hull to the Hancock+.sht=Open ↗

ml

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ALTERNATIVE COMMUTES

Quoted message said:

From Hull to the Hancock

Trying to get a four-wheeler's respect, on a bike

By Joe Berkeley, 6/8/2003

s a commuter cyclist who frequently makes the bone-chilling ride from Hull to
the Back Bay, I do what I can to protect myself.

I purchased a headlight system with optional flashing taillight. A neon-green
jacket also increases my visibility.

However, I had a problem beyond visibility: How to be liked by motorists.

While most of my fellow travelers behave in a professional and predictable
manner, a minority do not. Some become enraged that I occupy up to 18 inches
on the far right side of the lane. Drivers of trucks, commercial vans, SUVs --
even compact cars toting four to five hormonally driven youths -- have all at
one time or another hollered at me, uttered oaths that couldn't be repeated in
a family newspaper,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the enthusiasm of a lynch mob.

I theorized that if I proved to this group of angry motorists that I am

not some freak clad in spandex, but a regular guy, just like them -- someone
who shares their pain, understands their challenges -- I would extend my life
expectancy. But how? Finding an American flag on a roadside one day, I
fastened it to my rear rack and started pedaling madly. The theory of this
experiment was ''You, Mr. Chevy SUV driver, are an American, and I am an
American. We have a lot in common. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the
oceans . . .''

The angry drivers were just as angry, just as nasty, just as likely to
question my patriotism. Down came the flag.

Having spent an enormous amount of time riding past vehicles that later pass
me on the commute, I have observed the following stickers on the back windows
of those most likely to yell at me:

''I am the NRA''

''Go Sox''

''Semper Fi''

Using my desktop publishing skills, I mocked up similar signs to fit on the
back of my bicycle. Before posting them, I showed them to a noncyclist co-
worker named Kevin.

We decided that the ''I am the NRA'' sign could lead to a shooting incident.
Mounting a shotgun rack on the back of my bicycle would add an air of
authenticity, but the added bulk would be problematic.

The Red Sox approach was also complex. When the Sox win, sure, I could be
given a bit more respect on the road. But what about when the Sox lose a close
one? One bad bounce and I could be driven off the road. Until the Red Sox win
a World Series, this idea was on the back burner.

''Semper Fi'' appeared to be a strategically sound approach. Everyone loves a
Marine, so that's good. Marines know how to kill people who mess with them, so
I could inspire fear. However, what if a real Marine saluted me inbtraffic? I
would be a fraud. Back to the drawing board.

I knew I had a winner on my hands the second I penned
it:

''Ex wife got car''

''Yeah,'' my co-worker Kevin said, nodding his approval. ''Pickup truck guys
are always mad at their wives.'' One Friday evening, I tested my inspiration,
affixing it to the back of my bicycle. Guess what I got: an abundance of
knowing smiles from my core audience -- angry men driving pickup trucks,
hormonally enraged young men traveling in packs while crammed into small cars,
homophobic van drivers, as well as petite women in gargantuan SUVs.

I got plenty of thumbs up, too. And nods of approval.

One morning, a plumber and his sidekick rolled by in a rusty pickup. The
sidekick rolled down a window, nodded sagely, and said, ''Yeah, and I bet
you're still paying the insurance.''

Other men have said, in family newspaper-speak, ''I have been similarly
imposed upon.'' And a few women have actually pulled over -- not to hit me,
but to hit on me.

Most importantly, all of the drivers who can actually see where they are
going are giving me another inch of room on the road. You can't ask for more
than an inch.

Drivers who can't see where they're going, like those helming the Grand
Marquis Presidential editions or Cadillac Broughams, just keep steaming along
as if I didn't exist.

You do what you can in this world.

Joe Berkeley, a creative director at Hill, Holliday, always wears a helmet
while riding. He says his wife is not amused by the sign.

This story ran on page 1 of the Boston Globe's City Weekly section on
6/8/2003. =A9 Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

ken said:

=

Quoted message said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of getting your bike
stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on your frame , covering the TREK ,
CANNONDALE, etc. I'm not sure if these are sold in bike shops, but I suppose
you can make one up on the computer
=

Quoted message said:

THe downside of this is that you look like a dork, to some people who think
you ride a HUFFY. I haven't tried this myself, as it is just an idea. What do
you think?
=

Quoted message said:

Ken

In article <[email hidden]>,

(ken) said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of getting your bike
stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on your frame , covering the TREK ,
CANNONDALE, etc. I'm not sure if these are sold in bike shops, but I suppose
you can make one up on the computer

THe downside of this is that you look like a dork, to some people who think
you ride a HUFFY. I haven't tried this myself, as it is just an idea. What do
you think?

I've heard many people express their belief that it is the ease with which a bike
may be stolen, rather than its intrinsic worth or appeal, that is usually the
deciding factor in whether or not it actually does get stolen. I agree with them.
Even Huffys get stolen.

I think it's better to make a bike hard to steal, than undesirable to steal.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats
[curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

In article <[email hidden]>, ken says...

Quoted message said:

What do you think?

I think there's 2 kinds of ppl.

1) Who steal all bikes
2) Who steal brandname bikes, and know them when they see them

Either way, you bike with fake stickers is gonna get stolen.

--
"There's a fine line between an attitude problem and thinking clearly."
d.B. ICQ: 138579247

On 5 Mar 2004 21:45:29 -0800, [email hidden] (ken) wrote in
message <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of getting your
bike stolen:
Place a big HUFFY sticker on your frame , covering the TREK ,
CANNONDALE, etc.

Standard practice on bikes left locked at stations is to brush-paint
the bike with Hammerite so it looks like a pile of cack.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

(ken) said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of
getting your bike stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on
your frame ,

I think a better option would be to place a spring-loaded,
barbed harpoon ("The Shaft [TM]"😉in the seat tube. The Shaft
(TM) would be tethered inside the bike by a thin, ten-foot
Kevlar cable attached inside the tube down near the bottom
bracket. You'd place an unobtrusive key into the seat tube
to disable it when you were riding it, and take the key out
when you park it.

Any weight placed onto the saddle would begin the process of
arming The Shaft (TM). In the absence of the key, few turns
of the crank-arm would release The Shaft (TM) through the
saddle and impale whatever was riding it at the time.

An audio alarm would be optional, and would loudly announce
in a computer-generated voice: "The guy with The Shaft (TM)
up his ass is a THIEF!" at ten-second intervals until the 9V
battery went dead.

Even in a built-up area, it shouldn't be too hard to find
your stolen bike; you'd just follow the trail of blood and
diarrhea. It wouldn't be too hard to cut the cable. You'd be
out a new saddle, and since The Shaft (TM) is inexpensive
and disposable, you'd be able to replace it cheaply and
conveniently.

Quoted message said:

THe downside of this is that you look like a dork, to some
people who think you ride a HUFFY. I haven't tried this
myself, as it is just an idea. What do you think?

The upside would be seeing their faces when someone riding a
HUFFY passes them like nobodys business and laughing at them
the next week after they went out and bought actual HUFFY's
to try to keep up with you.

Just zis Guy said:

On 5 Mar 2004 21:45:29 -0800, [email hidden]
(ken) wrote in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of
getting your bike stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on
your frame , covering the TREK , CANNONDALE, etc.

Standard practice on bikes left locked at stations is to
brush-paint the bike with Hammerite so it looks like a
pile of cack.

Hammerite appears to be a brand name. Which of their
products would you recommend for this practice?

TIA, Steve
--
Steven O'Neill [email hidden] "Your search for bike cack
returned 0 results"

"ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > Place a big
HUFFY sticker on your frame , covering the TREK ,

Quoted message said:

CANNONDALE, etc.

Ken: around here, putting a Huffy (or Schwinn, Murray,
Infinity, Dunlop, Mongoose etc.) set of stickers on your
bike will increase its chance of getting stolen. Why? Most
bike thefts are by drug addicts who sell them for a few
bucks. Small-time thieves and their cohorts in pawn shops
only know these brands.

Put two identical bikes out with Pinarello and Huffy
stickers on it and the Pinarello will be left alone. This
situation played out here in which an unlocked $4k Klein
road bike was moved on a bike rack so they could work on a
locked $200 department-store mountain bike.

On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 14:48:31 +0000 (UTC), [email hidden] (Steven M.

O'Neill) said:

Hammerite appears to be a brand name. Which of their
products would you recommend for this practice?

Any of them - the fake hammer-finish blue rust-inhibiting
paint seems to work quite well, as it's obviously
Hammerite :-)

Hammerite used to be made by a firm called Finnigan's
IIRC...

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Zippy the Pinhead said:

On 5 Mar 2004 21:45:29 -0800, [email hidden]

(ken) said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of
getting your bike stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on
your frame ,

I think a better option would be to place a spring-loaded,
barbed harpoon ("The Shaft [TM]"😉in the seat tube. The
Shaft (TM) would be tethered inside the bike by a thin,
ten-foot Kevlar cable attached inside the tube down near
the bottom bracket. You'd place an unobtrusive key into
the seat tube to disable it when you were riding it, and
take the key out when you park it.

Any weight placed onto the saddle would begin the process
of arming The Shaft (TM). In the absence of the key, few
turns of the crank-arm would release The Shaft (TM)
through the saddle and impale whatever was riding it at
the time.

An audio alarm would be optional, and would loudly
announce in a computer-generated voice: "The guy with The
Shaft (TM) up his ass is a THIEF!" at ten-second intervals
until the 9V battery went dead.

Even in a built-up area, it shouldn't be too hard to find
your stolen bike; you'd just follow the trail of blood and
diarrhea. It wouldn't be too hard to cut the cable. You'd
be out a new saddle, and since The Shaft (TM) is
inexpensive and disposable, you'd be able to replace it
cheaply and conveniently.

Hey! I proposed this years ago! I knew I should have
patented it.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the fact
that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife
beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive
there's something wrong with him." Art Buchwald

In article <Vzn2c.723726$ts4.597223@pd7tw3no>,

Dave Mayer said:

"ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > Place a
big HUFFY sticker on your frame , covering the TREK ,

Quoted message said:

CANNONDALE, etc.

Ken: around here, putting a Huffy (or Schwinn, Murray,
Infinity, Dunlop, Mongoose etc.) set of stickers on your
bike will increase its chance of getting stolen. Why? Most
bike thefts are by drug addicts who sell them for a few
bucks. Small-time thieves and their cohorts in pawn shops
only know these brands.

Put two identical bikes out with Pinarello and Huffy
stickers on it and the Pinarello will be left alone. This
situation played out here in which an unlocked $4k Klein
road bike was moved on a bike rack so they could work on a
locked $200 department-store mountain bike.

Are you for serious? Where did that one play out?

All my bikes have fancy-pants name brands (Kona, Pinarello,
Bianchi) but look like [censored],
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden]
sfu.cawiredcolaOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio
Mazzoleni Fan Club

This device should included with a Cutout Seat and
suspension seat post, with the impaling instrument inside
the seat post and tube. Lock would be a locking pin over the
seat post. The seat would have the regular male/female
cutout with additional disguised by the padding. upon
activation, you only need to replace the mechanism and the
seat cover.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

Zippy the Pinhead said:

On 5 Mar 2004 21:45:29 -0800, [email hidden]

(ken) said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of
getting your bike stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on
your frame ,

I think a better option would be to place a spring-
loaded, barbed harpoon ("The Shaft [TM]"😉in the seat
tube. The Shaft (TM) would be tethered inside the
bike by a thin, ten-foot Kevlar cable attached inside
the tube down near the bottom bracket. You'd place an
unobtrusive key into the seat tube to disable it when
you were riding it, and take the key out when you
park it.

Any weight placed onto the saddle would begin the
process of arming The Shaft (TM). In the absence of the
key, few turns of the crank-arm would release The Shaft
(TM) through the saddle and impale whatever was riding
it at the time.

An audio alarm would be optional, and would loudly
announce in a computer-generated voice: "The guy with
The Shaft (TM) up his ass is a THIEF!" at ten-second
intervals until the 9V battery went dead.

Even in a built-up area, it shouldn't be too hard to
find your stolen bike; you'd just follow the trail of
blood and diarrhea. It wouldn't be too hard to cut the
cable. You'd be out a new saddle, and since The Shaft
(TM) is inexpensive and disposable, you'd be able to
replace it cheaply and conveniently.

Hey! I proposed this years ago! I knew I should have
patented it.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the
fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a
wife beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't
drive there's something wrong with him." Art Buchwald

Springfield, IL took recovered bicycles not claimed, painted
them yellow, and put them out for anyone to use. They did
not last very long.

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <Vzn2c.723726$ts4.597223@pd7tw3no>,

Dave Mayer said:

"ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > Place a
big HUFFY sticker on your frame , covering the TREK ,

Quoted message said:

CANNONDALE, etc.

Ken: around here, putting a Huffy (or Schwinn, Murray,
Infinity, Dunlop, Mongoose etc.) set of stickers on your
bike will increase its chance of getting stolen. Why?
Most bike thefts are by drug addicts who sell them for a
few bucks. Small-time thieves and their cohorts in pawn
shops only know these brands.

Put two identical bikes out with Pinarello and Huffy
stickers on it and the Pinarello will be left alone.
This situation played out here in which an unlocked $4k
Klein road bike was moved on a bike rack so they could
work on a locked $200 department-store mountain bike.

Are you for serious? Where did that one play out?

All my bikes have fancy-pants name brands (Kona,
Pinarello, Bianchi) but look like [censored],
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden]
sfu.cawiredcolaOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio
Mazzoleni Fan Club

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Schwab said:

Springfield, IL took recovered bicycles not claimed,
painted them yellow, and put them out for anyone to use.
They did not last very long.

That's a classic "yellow-bike" program. They seem to work
better some places than others.

One idea that does seem to work better is where the yellow
bikes have a lock with a common key. You join the bike
collective, and get a copy of the key.

This can be quite reasonable on college campuses; I believe
UBC in town has a working program:

ams.ubc.cap&y.htmOpen ↗

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden]
sfu.cawiredcolaOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio
Mazzoleni Fan Club

in article [email hidden], Tom Keats at
[email hidden] wrote on 3/6/04 1:36 AM:

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

(ken) said:

Here's an idea I came up with to lower your chances of
getting your bike stolen: Place a big HUFFY sticker on
your frame , covering the TREK , CANNONDALE, etc. I'm not
sure if these are sold in bike shops, but I suppose you
can make one up on the computer

THe downside of this is that you look like a dork, to
some people who think you ride a HUFFY. I haven't tried
this myself, as it is just an idea. What do you think?

I've heard many people express their belief that it is the
ease with which a bike may be stolen, rather than its
intrinsic worth or appeal, that is usually the deciding
factor in whether or not it actually does get stolen. I
agree with them. Even Huffys get stolen.

I think it's better to make a bike hard to steal, than
undesirable to steal.

My local police claim that the main bike thefts occur in
my area for
- ease of theft
- a quick ride to get someplace

They claim that less than 10% are thefts that involve
extensive efforts to get the bike and/or to re-sell a
quality bike.

This is a little off topic but in the same anti-theft vein.

I read that a guy that had his laptop stolen many times countered the theft by changing his laptop bag.

Instead of the usual black ballistic nylon shoulder strappy bag, he now puts his laptop in a used nappy (US read Daiper) bag.

He claimes that he can leave the bag unattended for hours and no one will come near it let alone attempt to steal it.

Can some bright spark come up with a similar cloaking devise for a bike.

Dominic Sansom said:

Instead of the usual black ballistic nylon shoulder strappy
bag, he now puts his laptop in a used nappy (US read
Daiper) bag.

Can some bright spark come up with a similar cloaking
devise for a bike.

Hang dirty diapers on the bike, especially on the saddle and
handlebar.
--
Rick Onanian

Dominic Sansom said:

This is a little off topic but in the same anti-
theft vein.

I read that a guy that had his laptop stolen many times
countered the theft by changing his laptop bag.

Instead of the usual black ballistic nylon shoulder
strappy bag, he now puts his laptop in a used nappy (US
read Daiper) bag.

He claimes that he can leave the bag unattended for
hours and no one will come near it let alone attempt to
steal it.

Can some bright spark come up with a similar cloaking
devise for a bike.

--

What worked for me all through college was taking off the
handlebar tape, and covering the frame with duct tape. I
didn't have the fanciest components, but if yours are
expensive, I'd try covering the labels. Anyway, I used the
flimsiest chain for years and it was never touched. Very
ugly, though.

Mike

Bicycle are not stolen for their "cool factor" In fact. the
frames are usually scrapped, unless the serial number can be
succesfully altered.

It's much the same as with auto chop shops. The bike is
stripped of it's components, which are untraceable, lacking
SN's of their own. They are what's then resold.

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear
for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗