Bike I.D.

[powinc]

What's the best way to positively identify your own bike?

I engraved my son's name on his BMX underneath the bottom bracket and on the head stem, but I feel this may be a bit harsh on my new roadie.

Are there more astatic ways of marking one's own bike??

powinc

 

[amirm]

Just a couple of ideas (not sure if feasible):

1. Security companies use a special pen to write info like the driver's licence on goods. The writing is almost invisible but the ink will light up with UV.

2. HSV uses a similar technology (I think) on their cars. They call it DNA.

Hope this provides some clue to start with.

Cheers,
Amir.

Originally posted by powinc
What's the best way to positively identify your own bike?

I engraved my son's name on his BMX underneath the bottom bracket and on the head stem, but I feel this may be a bit harsh on my new roadie.

Are there more astatic ways of marking one's own bike??

powinc

 

[cfsmtb]

Originally posted by powinc
What's the best way to positively identify your own bike?
I engraved my son's name on his BMX underneath the bottom bracket and on the head stem, but I feel this may be a bit harsh on my new roadie.
Are there more astatic ways of marking one's own bike??
powinc

A personal fave of mine is to make your bike as weird or unappealing as possible to thieves.

Another alternative is to contact your local neighbourhood watch, who should be able to engrave a license no. prefixed with a state letter under the bottom bracket.
http://www.neighbourhoodwatch.com.au

If you check the above website for Victoria you will see its "Mark it in March" month.

 

[TNA]

http://www.datadotcentre.com/retail/howtorder.asp?id=128

"powinc" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What's the best way to positively identify your own bike?
>
> I engraved my son's name on his BMX underneath the bottom
> bracket and on the head stem, but I feel this may be a bit
> harsh on my new roadie.
>
> Are there more astatic ways of marking one's own bike??
>
> powinc
>
>
>
> --

 

[ftf]

Originally posted by powinc
What's the best way to positively identify your own bike?

I engraved my son's name on his BMX underneath the bottom bracket and on the head stem, but I feel this may be a bit harsh on my new roadie.

Are there more astatic ways of marking one's own bike??

powinc

I saw something in this month's Bicycle Victoria magazine that was basically some sort of transmitter that you put down the seat-tube. Im not sure how its activated but the idea is that you can identify your bike (and im guessing here but possibly find out where it is) through this transmitter.

It's not heavy and it wasn't expensive... I will look up the details tonight if i remember... unless anyone else knows what im talking about?

Cheers,
Troy

 

[C3]

What about some sort of medium-powered transmitter that
sends a specially-coded beacon on a certain VHF/UHF
frequency? Send it using code division to enhance the range
of the device.

It could be designed so that if it hasn't received an
"unlocking code" from a device that you carry with you, for
a certain number of hours (12? 24?) then it starts
transmitting its signal, which should be detectable.

Have it installed inside your frame so that it uses the
frame as an antenna, and possibly have it inductively
powered by your pedalling to charge a battery.

This is all hypothetical...

cheers,

C3

 

[Hippy]

"powinc" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What's the best way to positively identify your own bike?
>
> I engraved my son's name on his BMX underneath the bottom
> bracket and on the head stem, but I feel this may be a bit
> harsh on my new roadie.
>
> Are there more astatic ways of marking one's own bike??

People are talking about EPIRBs and transmitters... but...

Do you just want to get some custom stickers for it or
something? Depends if you want to mark it for ID after theft
or if you just want your name on it to make it easier to
find in a crowd?

Paint some parts of it a strange colour, get those custom
stickers made, i.e. your name on the top tube, maybe make
some stickers that look like they are supposed to be on
their but ID you somehow.. "POWINC STAYS" or something
equally "marketable"

- POWINC CRANKS -
20% More Power / 10% Less Effort

Oh, you could try marking the frame "under" some other
part - seatpost clamp, inside the dropouts, under the
headset caps...

hth hippy

 

[John Doe]

"C3" <[email protected])> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What about some sort of medium-powered transmitter that
> sends a specially-coded beacon on a certain VHF/UHF
> frequency? Send it using code division to enhance the
> range of the device.
>
> It could be designed so that if it hasn't received an
> "unlocking code"
from
> a device that you carry with you, for a certain number of
> hours (12? 24?) then it starts transmitting its signal,
> which should be detectable.
>
> Have it installed inside your frame so that it uses the
> frame as an
antenna,
> and possibly have it inductively powered by your pedalling
> to charge a battery.
>
>
> This is all hypothetical...
>
>
> cheers,
>
> C3
>

How big are those E-Purbs. Surely someone could get
something like this in the space of a seat tube. They are
small but squarish but tubes are long. Would work better
than an ordinary transmitter.

 

[Graeme]

ftf <[email protected]> wrote in news:W%L3c.28$r34.22
@fe09.usenetserver.com:

> I saw something in this month's Bicycle Victoria magazine
> that was basically some sort of transmitter that you put
> down the seat-tube. Im not sure how its activated but the
> idea is that you can identify your bike (and im guessing
> here but possibly find out where it is) through this
> transmitter.

I've got one of these in my bike which I bought when I lived
in the UK. The one I have is a DataTag <www.datatag.com>. It
is unpowered but emits a radio signal with a code when the
relevant equipment is held close to it. I think the problem
here would be the "relevant equipment" part, apparently all
UK police forces have the right stuff (probably supplied by
the manufacturer) but if Australian police don't have it
then the DataTag is effectively useless.

There's a mention of them here <http://www.nrma.com.au/pub/nrma/motor/car-
research/secure-car/secure-valuables.shtml> in reference to
protecting cars, but the price is much higher than I paid
for the bike version. I paid around about $70.

Graeme

 

[Graeme]

"John Doe" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> How big are those E-Purbs. Surely someone could get
> something like this in the space of a seat tube. They are
> small but squarish but tubes are long. Would work better
> than an ordinary transmitter.

Yes, but EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating
Radiobeacons) are only for use in emergency. I think if you
used one to track a stolen bike you'd end up with a
seriously p*ssed off rescue service and with luck, a very
large bill for wasted time.

Graeme

 

[John Doe]

"Graeme" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "John Doe" <[email protected]> wrote in news:uDU3c.98017$Wa.43434@news-
> server.bigpond.net.au:
>
> > How big are those E-Purbs. Surely someone could get
> > something like this in the space of a seat tube. They
> > are small but squarish but tubes are long. Would work
> > better than an ordinary transmitter.
>
> Yes, but EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating
> Radiobeacons) are only for use in emergency. I think if
> you used one to track a stolen bike you'd end up with a
> seriously p*ssed off rescue service and with luck, a very
> large bill for wasted time.
>
> Graeme

Sorry. I was sort of thinking outside the box. I meant the
idea of one not actually one that calls for emergency
response. What I mean is something a little better than a
vhf transmitter.

 

[C3]

I suspect that some form of modulation on the VHF band
would be ideal, since the signal can travel further than
higher frequencies. It doesn't have to be identical to an
SES beacon.

I used the word 'beacon' loosely.

cheers,

C3

 

[C3]

Personalising your bike may identify it to you, but it's not
really going to be enough if you want to legally recover it.
Unfortunately, I don't think there's an easy answer to all
this. Any determined thief can remove/destroy the
transmitter or unique markings.

cheers,

C3

 

[hippy]

Originally posted by C3
Personalising your bike may identify it to you, but it's not
really going to be enough if you want to legally recover it.

Why wouldn't it be enough? How else do you get stuff back?

"Yes officer, it's the one with HIPPY written down the side and the picture of the semi-naked chick on the toptube". If the stickers are still on it after the bike is recovered - why wouldn't stickers be acceptable to ID the bike?
It's not like bikes are like VCRs, where every one of the same model will be the same (barring that incident with the yoghurt and the leaky garden hose...)

hippy

 

[cfsmtb]

Originally posted by C3
Any determined thief can remove/destroy the
transmitter or unique markings.
cheers,
C3

Yes, but you haven't seen my bikes. Like my lovely little road bike for short/medium distances, why steal something with 150mm cranks & cotter pins?
Have different bikes for different purposes, don't leave the expen$ive ones on display or out of sight too long for potential thieves to tamper with.

Timely story from CNN:
GPS bicycles used to bait thieves
Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Posted: 11:58 AM EST (1658 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/03/10/bikes.gps1.reut/

AMSTERDAM, Holland (Reuters) -- Amsterdam police will use bicycles equipped with hidden GPS transmitters to bait thieves and track them down in the latest effort to stamp out rampant bike theft, a police spokesman said Tuesday.

 

[Drs]

C3 <[email protected])> wrote in
message [email protected]
> Personalising your bike may identify it to you, but it's
> not really going to be enough if you want to legally
> recover it. Unfortunately, I don't think there's an easy
> answer to all this. Any determined thief can
> remove/destroy the transmitter or unique markings.

Yes, but those POWINC cranks are pretty unusual...

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
http://www.bettybowers.com/melgibsonpassion.html

 

[Jose Rizal]

Graeme:

> I've got one of these in my bike which I bought when I
> lived in the UK. The one I have is a DataTag
> <www.datatag.com>. It is unpowered but emits a radio
> signal with a code when the relevant equipment is held
> close to it.

This is more of an ID system than a locator system, is that
right? How close does the scanner have to be to detect the
transponder?

 

[John Doe]

"C3" <[email protected])> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I suspect that some form of modulation on the VHF band
> would be ideal,
since
> the signal can travel further than higher frequencies. It
> doesn't have to
be
> identical to an SES beacon.
>
> I used the word 'beacon' loosely.
>
> cheers,
>
> C3
>
>

Yes well that I wouldnt know as I have no idea about these
kinds of things. I assumed (obviously incorrectly) that
those types of beacons were made to have an excellent range
(funny how misconceptions grow). Food for thought though.
Since I like canyoning and the like I was always thinking of
buying an EPIRB or whatever they are called but if there is
something with better range that uses VHF then it sounds
like a waste of money driven by media hype.

Cheers Pete

 

[ftf]

Originally posted by Graeme
ftf <[email protected]> wrote in news:W%L3c.28$r34.22
@fe09.usenetserver.com:

> I saw something in this month's Bicycle Victoria magazine
> that was basically some sort of transmitter that you put
> down the seat-tube. Im not sure how its activated but the
> idea is that you can identify your bike (and im guessing
> here but possibly find out where it is) through this
> transmitter.

I've got one of these in my bike which I bought when I lived
in the UK. The one I have is a DataTag <www.datatag.com>. It
is unpowered but emits a radio signal with a code when the
relevant equipment is held close to it. I think the problem
here would be the "relevant equipment" part, apparently all
UK police forces have the right stuff (probably supplied by
the manufacturer) but if Australian police don't have it
then the DataTag is effectively useless.

There's a mention of them here <http://www.nrma.com.au/pub/nrma/motor/car-
research/secure-car/secure-valuables.shtml> in reference to
protecting cars, but the price is much higher than I paid
for the bike version. I paid around about $70.

Graeme

The ones I saw were being distributed here in Oz (of course, I didnt remember to up the name) and were around $40. Must remember to look over the weekend.

It seemed like a great idea but like you say, it all depends on how available the "relevant equipment" is...

Cheers,
Troy

 

[C3]

Unfortunately, the device I described in my original reply
to the parent was completely imaginary. I am only proposing
what I think a good bike beacon would be like.

Or at least as good as I can think of, with the technology
currently available. If there is a market for this, it may
be designed by some company, and sold. I suspect there isn't
enough demand to make this sort of device profitable.

cheers,

C3