Working on our lifestyle products here at Trek, one of the biggest requests we get is "can you just make the bike black? I don't want to stand out." The thing about that statement is that it's not totally true and no, we can't make an entire line of black bikes. Yes, some people may not want to "stand out" but everybody wants to be at least somewhat noticed. If that statement were true, there'd be no reason to make the Trek District. And then there would be no trekdistrict.com. The underlying truth is that the requestor is probably scared that somebody will rip their bike off and they'd rather not see their investment in the hands of bicycle miscrients.
Well, now there's a way to deflect the attention from your sweet ride without haveing to actually sacrifice the paint.
UK-based desinger Dominic Wilcox has come up with a solution that is simple but seemingly effective. Dominic has come up with some super-realistic scratch and rust decals that can be slapped over a nice paint job to give the appearance of "shabbyness". You can deflect thieves while keeping a clean aesthetic for only £3.99 (which is only, like, 74 US dollars). While Dominic makes no guarentee as to the effectiveness of his decals, he has seen some success with his own bike in London. Capital idea! Check him out here.
BTW: While these are a great idea, I'm not guarenteeing they will work. You want to keep your bike? Buy a big lock.
I would not want to sacrifice losing a good bike to a thief. I'd rather not park good bicycles in public places but ride them from home and back. There are great inexpensive Trek bikes good for commuting and parking in public places that are not too expensive. Nevertheless, all bicycles should be locked and secured solid.
Merrill
Posted by: Merrill Cassell | May 14, 2009 at 03:22 PM
You listed the stickers at £3.99, which is odd since many prices are rounded up in the UK (part of the culture.)
The conversion of £3.99 into American dollars
£3.99 = $6.40, depending on the mood of the currency exchange market.
Watch your conversions. Don't be like that NASA Mars probe that burnt in Mars Atmospheric Entry. They mucked up on conversions too.
I hope that you didn't hire those particular engineers. Then again, it might explain why my Bontrager wheel split in half, just outside of the recall period.
Posted by: lee | May 27, 2009 at 09:29 PM
Instead of theft concerns, it could be the cyclist just doesn't want to stand out. Maybe he wants to be a bike ninja. Or maybe he just doesn't like flashy loud colors.
I'm not a big fan of black bikes (I had a black Trek 1000 that I thought was hideous), but I do prefer subdued over flashy in my bikes.
Posted by: Richard Masoner | May 28, 2009 at 01:48 PM
Something to keep in mind when selecting a color: visibility. In this instance, black sucks. If you're a commuter, for example(which I am), in a place that isn't super bike-friendly, it's important that you can be seen by traffic. In this regard, white/gray/silver frames, which are just as low-key, offer better visibility, especially during early morning and late evening hours. As far as theft goes, I'm with the article. Buy a big lock. Or two.
Posted by: Brad | June 04, 2009 at 05:27 PM
These stickers would look cool on a carbon frame.
Nothing like a rusty carbon frame to scare off thieves.
Yup - they won't touch it.....
Posted by: Dan O | June 08, 2009 at 05:35 PM
You can also just take a dremel and sand off some of your paint and then cover it up with some clear enamel.. and then if you want to resell it, just dremel it again and paint it over with some patch paint.
- T
http://MostEmailedNews.com
Posted by: Tim | July 16, 2009 at 03:10 PM