Making your bike theft-resistant

After my recent experience having my bike stolen (read http://www.londonfgss.com/thread26323.html for the details), am building a new bike and trying to make it as theft-resistant as possible.

I was thinking of doing the following - does anyone have any other hints:

1) Recording the frame number and registering it on http://www.immobilise.com. However, from my previous experience in Brick Lane, most of the thieves file away the frame number - would the ImmobiTag avertised on immobilise.com be worth it?

2) Engraving my phone number on the wheelset and cranks. However, worried that this will hurt the resale value. Anyone have any hints or alternate suggestions?

3) Buying 2 locks. One a Kryptonite U lock for the frame and back wheel, and a chain for the front wheel and frame. Any more lightweight solutions?

Cover the frame in duct tape and/or stickers.

Never leave it locked up outside and even in your house chain it to something. I have known far too many stories of bikes being stolen or mates who have been offered them for sale within 10 mins of them being stolen.

I think Tynan sells an anti-theft paste you can use on all components, you'll have to buy your own rubber gloves though.

Make it look like a beater, cover in stickers and then don't wash it, take the stickers of the wheel set and secure a chain (in some inner tube) around the seat stays and saddle rails.

If i;m leaving my bike for a while I take the front wheel off and use the Krypto to secure it to the frame and back wheel. It only take a minute to remove and replace. You don't need a cable lock for the front wheel.

Ball bearings glued into your allen-bolt holes.

If someone wants to steal your bike that much then they will. However I do the following to try and make it as hard as possible - I hope I never had to suffer the pain of losing a bike.

1. Insurance (I use Butterworths)
   
2. Photos of my bikes along with detailed components on immobilise
   
3. Pitlocks on the front wheel, seatpost and headset
   
4. ball bearings glued in allen nuts on stem
   
5. Two locks at all times. two mini evo's if i'm local and in a relatively low risk area. NY lock and FUG Chain if i'm soho/hackney or anywhere central
   
6. Never leave the bike anywhere overnight (except my flat)
   
7. Lock it somewhere public or where I can see it if poss
   
8. Xena disc lock alarm on chain ring as an extra fuck off to thieves.
   
   

All this has cost me quite a bit of money, but I love my bike and its worth it.

why not just create a special force of super heroes and kill a few of them thieves?

That's next on my list..

Any more lightweight solutions?

Write some details on a piece of paper and stick it inside the bars or seat tube. I read that on here last year and thought it was pretty nifty. Not sure how much it'd help in real life (IRL) though..?

Not sure how much it'd help in (IRL) though..?

Leave Ireland out of this, it's got nothing to do with this guy's bike possibly being stolen in the possible future; possibly!

Tynanize™ it.

I think Tynan sells an anti-theft paste you can use on all components, you'll have to buy your own rubber gloves though.

I'm doing a spray these days, not as thick but you get better coverage than the paste.

why not just create a special force of super heroes and kill a few of them thieves?

If they can't steal it round here they just kick the shit out of the wheels.

You just can't win with the fuckers!

Make your bike look crap and not worth anything, if thieves don't think they can sell it hopefully they'll leave it alone.

Or get a dangerous dog and tie that to your bike whenever you lock it up.

Don't worry, it will be harder to kick the shit out of the wheels now Tynan has invented the paste version.

If they can't steal it round here they just kick the shit out of the wheels.

You just can't win with the fuckers!

I only use my fixed Dahon in the city and take it everywhere in its naty little bag - nobody even knows I have a 19 lbs bike in it. Also I do not have to carry all those locks or get indigestion wondering if it will still be there.

Leave Ireland out of this, it's got nothing to do with this guy's bike possibly being stolen in the possible future; possibly!

haha (lol)

Apart from the sensible suggestions there are other options.

Wire it up so that anyone who touches it is electrocuted. - Might leave you open to lawsuits.
Use those exploding paint things that banks use. - Not great on a bike with a nice paintjob
Build a GPS/3G communication device which is welded inside the frame. - GPS doesn't work inside though
Weld it to street furniture. - Time consuming.

Saw this, dunno if you have one already http://www.gumtree.com/london/56/42730956.html

Also worth considering, after adding up the cost of various locks, pitlocks, insurance, etc. it might work out cheaper to put together a £50 beater that you don't really mind losing if you want to cycle somewhere that you are considering locking overnight/dodgy areas.

Secondly, making the bike look as shit as possible seems to have worked for me in the past, badly, and I mean really badly, gaffer tape and electrical tape the frame, different colours if needs be, gaffer on the saddle so it looks like a scuff cover up job, random sticky stuff like price tags and beer bottle labels. In short a trash bike.

Thirdly, in my opinion if you want to go with a shitload of locks I would say Kryptonite NY3000, Kryptonite Fahg and Abus steel-o-flex as a mnimum for overnight locking should be a pretty good deterrent/challenge to any chancer thieves. Unfortunately, as stated if a full on bike thief crew really want your bike then they will have it no matter what.

Yeah, or shit on it every time you lock it up

Never rule out a good shitting.

These are good too, £3.99 a pack - you can probably make your own.

http://www.dominicwilcox.com/stickers.html

numba 1 ! gimme !

http://static.londonfgss.com/memberpics264-albums635-picture4083.jpg

You should see the diet He has to follow to be able to get it into the aperture at the top of the tube!

I'm assuming that Tynan's product is still biodegradable?