Question: I’m considering taking up biking around LA. While I’ve done this on my expensive road bike many many times, I’m pretty certain if I just rode this bike to the supermarket, I’d have no bike left when I came out, even with proper locking techniques.

I’ve been looking through the many LA bike related sites, but I can’t find anyone who has tips on what to look for in a bike that is good for riding around the city but does not flash “Steal Me.” Maybe the steal me part is unrealistic, but I’d rather not worry about my >$1000 bike. Do you have any suggestions about where to look for tips on buying a city friendly bike? Sara

Answer: Having briefly dated a guy with a similarly expensive bike — which’d force us to either sit outside (so he could keep an eye on the bike) or deal with his fretting about theft when we went out — I’m glad that you’re taking this proactive step to find a stress-free, theft-repellent bike. City bikes should create freedom, not stress and worry!

The short answer on how not to get your bike stolen: Have an ugly bike.

MAKE magazine put together a guide on how to camouflage your bike as a piece of crap while keeping it a first class ride. I’m assuming you won’t want to do this to your current expensive bike — but perhaps it’ll be something you’ll be willing to do to your get-around-the-city bike!

I suggest getting a bike you find decent enough to ride around in via Craigslist or even Freecycle — used = more eco + less expensive — then ugging it up at your nearest bicycle co-op. If you’re handy, you might even just buy ugly components of a bike and cobble together a really really ugly bike. The Bikerowave’s even giving away some free used bike bits right now, to get you started. Or if you’re not willing to put in ugging time, just look specifically for an ugly bike when you do your Craigslist shopping.

That said — While bikes that look like they cost more than a grand are definitely going to be a thief-magnet, your ride doesn’t necessarily have to look like someone paid you to take it away in order to deter thieves. I think my pink Townie’s cute, for example, and despite the fact that I only use a simple cable bike lock, it’s never been stolen in the 3 years I’ve owned it.

Granted, my theft-free record may be helped by the fact that I live in Santa Monica — but friends of mine with more expensive, light and speedy bikes have gotten theirs stolen in this town. My lackadaisical bike-owning ways — I pretty much never clean my bike, and I don’t really care if it gets banged up, so the townie’s gotten pretty scratched up — probably also encourage would-be-thieves to leave it alone.

Which is to say — Your success at deterring thieves will certainly depend on where you live, what lock you use, how you treat your bike, and how lucky you are — but in general, the less attractive and less expensive your bike looks, the more thief-repellent it’ll be.

Image via MAKE

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