Anti-Theft Bike Painting

This is how to "uglify" your bicycle to prevent it from being stolen. I purchased a new bicycle and it was stolen 6 days after buying it! And I had to buy a second one. It was stolen because it "looked" like it was expensive with bright blue stripes and chrome even though it was pretty cheap. This instructable will show you how to paint your bike to give it an unique look as well as deter thief.

Step 1 Get Supplies

For this step you need:
1 bicycle
1 roll of masking tape
1 can of flat black spray paint
1 can of florescence orange paint

I used Krylon Flat Black Spray Paint, Valspar Orange Fluorescent Enamel and Scotch Masking Tape for a total of $13.63 with tax.

Comments

[deathsmileyinc]

i live in holland and here its save to assume that a bike that is painted is stolen. they are painted so the original owner wont reconize it.
i believe there are more bikes than people in holland so most people stopped caring and started buying stolen bikes or steal them by themselves

[FuriousWolf777]

Happy Holidays e 1!!! I am a Newbe here...Wow i think i have found my new home lol. hmmm , really doo smile. ok here we go! Throwing out the thought, lets see if i get any bites. Thinking...Transmitter, micro...maybe motion detect...huh locator? you see where im going? Just thought i would toss it out there....I was Aircraft elect Air force, and trouble shoot repair guy (cal state lottery machines). Not sure if anything along those lines are out there but would luv any feed back....Huh easy now lmao remember im new here lol...Thanks all!!!!

[recordmasta001]

wooo, you should sand that down first, i bet that paint scrapes off easy!

[sikey]

wow, "uglify" to prevent theft. now you're riding a stupid looking bike! if you invest in a good lock you wouldn't have had to buy 3 bikes and paint them ugly, right?

[Phoghat]

Just buy a good lock. Preferably a motorcycle chain lock. Remember to lock it every time. No theft

[ebutler3]

I suggest you just keep quiet. You're completely ignorant about the state of bike theft.

[sberge]

I am currently working on a unique bike with my teenager, a wknd project, so far we have the handlebars done, the frame needs to be colored and taped and the forks have been colored and taped already, then were doing the sproket, our color schemes are (handlebars)- black/hot pink, (frame)-white/black, (sproket)- lime green/white, and (forks)-lime green/hot pink... which you see in picture used painters blue tape, to give it the zebra effect we just rip strips of the tape and place variously along the peices, finished project is gonna be amazing, by the way I love your colors of you bike as well.. looks awesome, hope you enjoy our sharing of our project ;)

[firepup104]

HOW BOUT THIS LOCK YOUR BIKE UP

[ParacordJedi]

Listen up, a $500 bike + bad paint job = $500 bike that would have repainted whether or not it looked crappy

[TheGavinch]

I would recommend "prepping" the surface that's going to be painted by using sand paper or another rough surface to rough it up. It helps the paint dry even.

[evajosie87]

I think this bike looks cooler now than when you began!

[Phoghat]

1. Buy a cheap bicycle tube
2. Slit down the middle and remove valve
3. wrap frame with tube
4. Profit

[rocco]

I don't get it - what problem does wrapping your frame with a tube solve?

[Phoghat]

If you have a nice new expensive bike, it disguises it to look like an old beater. A lot of bike messengers do this here in NY.

[rocco]

Gotcha - thanks!

[GroundingStick]

I used to wrap my bike in reflective duct-tape. They can try to remove that, but then they have all that stickyness all over... eeew!

[2 stroke]

wd40 can remove stickiness man

[theRIAA]

what kind of lock are you using! Go to the store and buy 2-3 feet of the thickest chain they have and wrap it in fabric/rubber. Chain it to your bike with a padlock, thicker than the chain. Make it easier to cut through the city's bike rack then your chain! The only comparable lock to this one costs over $100. Just go buy thick chain for cheap! don't get "U" locks, they can be opened with a car jack or just a hammer. don't get "cable" locks, those are the worst. If they cant just cut through them with heavy duty snips, they can pry the ends of the cable out of the crimping on the end with 2 long metal bars or vice grips. I use a super small cable lock to lock my seat to my frame, that's all I trust it to do. The only thing they can do to a chain and lock is cut it or pick it! This is too much work for most thieves!!! Never buy any bike lock you wouldn't trust to hold your weight if someone threw your off a cliff! nice instructable and nice bike. I always like a custom paint job, it not only deters thieves, it makes your bike feel more like your own.

[2 stroke]

rap it with bike inertube thats what i use

[flio191]

not the thickest chain, but made with HARDENED STEEL, cause even the thickest chain made with non-rust metal can be cut through. i use two types of locks, one Onguard pitbull U lock and a cable lock to secure the front wheel. But i guess this also depends on where you live...

[Furball_Fidelis]

I have anon Guard U lockand it's great...and I got a On Guard Cable to go with it...unbreakable...and the cable is made of twisted cables on twisted cables upon more twisted cables so bolt cutters don't work...

[Houdinipeter]

i just keep mine in a public space so when someone goes to break the lock a passerby stops them. Only really applies to daylight though.

[noahh]

[Sounds4cc]

WOW, Love it!!! Thanks for showing me where to get FREE electricity (light pole plug), is that common?

[noahh]

I think so, but they're probably mostly locked.

[criggie]

Hector the Protector ?

[Phoghat]

Absolutely. You've got to use case hardened chain.

[theRIAA]

lol, I always rush to the already-rusting chain, yes! I used that at my college on an old rusty road bike with suicide shifters and a green plastic basket in back. The campus was filled with $1000 road bikes locked up with either shoelace-thin cable locks, or that thin, twisted, non-welded chain made for hanging florescent lighting. Also full suspension mtn bikes (good ones) locked only through the front quick-releasable wheel. or my favorite! A mtn bike electric hybrid with expensive looking battery pack locked to our big rebar upside-down "U"s sticking out of the concrete... except the lock doesn't go through the "U", just around the outside... yes it depends on where you live.

[futeng]

You should make an instructable on this. Just a suggestion

[dyly]

on stealing bikes???

[futeng]

By talking about how he steals bikes, he can help others prevent their bikes from being stolen

[dyly]

well based on that video, any bike can easily be stolen, unless you keep it with you at all times - or lock it inside your office or an inside room.

[CaseyCase]

Spray your bike with 3M spray adhesive and then apply pubic hair and fingernail clippings onto the bike. Winner!

[it_dont_work]

that looks pretty awsome i'd probably steal that

[pimpyourstuff]

 Nice paint job.  One man's ugly, another's loot.  Yep, I'd steal yo' bike!

[zeroemission]

that's an old NYC bicycle messenger trick. they'd buy a $1,000 bike, paint it a couple times with cheap paint, & scrape it up to make it look like old junk.

[GabrielMellan]

Just had a rusted-30, 20 yr old bike stolen from my back yard. It looked like zip-ties, rust and duct tape with some old wheels. It was locked up with a 60$ lock.

Custom painting will just make it more of a target here.
It's all about the area dude.
DC requires 2-3 solid locks.

[blackserpent]

As a matter of fact, I wouldn't steal it. Well, finger up for your hard work...

[bartmonkey13]

Yeah, I would suggest this to my sister's friend who had his bike stolen, but I think the people at Princeton would call this beatiful instead of ugly. 

[Madrias357]

Note to self: spray entire bike lime green. This method will prevent theft, be a fair color, and will be distinctive...