MY RST again

[triaesthete]

Anto beware
the Schmidt hub, IQ Cyo front, Toplight line plus rear set up is fantastic. So good in fact that if you have two bikes you use regularly you'll have to buy everything twice!

Crack for the nocturnal cyclist.

Paulson
the no logo thing does it for me too. The head badges come of easily as well, but I think this may upset readers of a delicate disposition.

Happy nights
Ian

[Danneaux]

...the no logo thing does it for me too. The head badges come of easily as well, but I think this may upset readers of a delicate disposition.

Shhh, quietly, Paul; the children are sleeping and you'll give them nightmares. I do agree the no-logo "look" is perhaps the ultimate in stealth, and another level of cool in my book. I'm aspiring, but not.quite.there.yet. Especially when it comes to badge extraction. <shudder, deprecating moue> I think I lack the nerve? commitment? to get there.

You're right about the lights. The narrow end of the wedge, for sure; jags is lost if he gets just one set.

Best,

Dan.

[Paulson]

The head badges come of easily as well, but I think this may upset readers of a delicate disposition.

Now that's interesting; is there a clean, low damage way of doing it, Ian?

[JWestland]

I quite like decals and logos actually...the indicate the time the bike was built, and in the case of Thorns UK welded/brazed (brazed on stamped metal badge) or Taiwan welded (flat logo)

The XTC logo and Reynolds labels on my second hand XTC came off sometime during it's life...still had badge and decals.

Great for tracking age of bikes on the street too, the 80s logos/colours are often good for a laugh 

[il padrone]

Anto beware
the Schmidt hub, IQ Cyo front, Toplight line plus rear set up is fantastic. So good in fact that if you have two bikes you use regularly you'll have to buy everything twice!

Crack for the nocturnal cyclist.

On our tandem (not much used of late) I have an IQ Cyo and a Seculight on the rear guard. My son nicked the B&M S6 bottle dynamo and my hand keeps on twitching at the thought of getting another Schmidt hub to build into the front wheel.  

[jags]

the badge stays i'm a bit of a magpie love bling

yeah Ian and Dan if i had the dosh i would most certainly get all my bike fitted with the dream son dynamo ,maybe one day but until then the candle in the lantern will have to do.

[Andre Jute]

I took the signage off my Kranich by soaking thoroughly with a damp facecloth and then rubbing with a soft rubber (the schoolroom type for obliterating your paper mistakes). But I suspect the efficacy of my method would depend on whether the bike is lacquered over the paint, and whether the labels are above or below the lacquer. They're often applied before the lacquer so as to protect them, in which case you can't remove them without requiring a new paint job.

[triaesthete]

Paulson
head badges are stuck on with foam sticky pads. Lifting one edge with a very small screwdriver will get it moving and the gap soon opens. Use a piece of hard platic between screwdriver and paint. It slightly bends one edge of the head badge so there is a point of no return. Feeling lucky?

Andre is right though, most of the other logos are lacquered in on Thorns.
 
I love the Q ship stealth angle  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship

Happy prying
Ian

[Andre Jute]

I love the Q ship stealth angle  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship

One of my favourite editors, the late John Blackwell, served on the Q-ships. -- AJ

[JWestland]

There is a stealth trend atm with light grey/white decals on silver bikes, dark gray decals on black bikes. See a lot of Ridgebacks, Treks etc...

If I wanted an unbranded bike I would've built it myself 

(Nah I probably would have printed a Westland decal and put it on...

Happy prying!

[Paulson]

.....click.....rrrrrripppp......gently tear......phew!!!  Total stealth now achieved.


SDC12740_edited-1.jpg by Flamme Rouge Blog, on Flickr

.....and some more shots:


DSCF0482 by Flamme Rouge Blog, on Flickr


DSCF0483 by Flamme Rouge Blog, on Flickr


DSCF0481 by Flamme Rouge Blog, on Flickr


DSCF0477 by Flamme Rouge Blog, on Flickr

[jags]

Wow man i want one of those 

[triaesthete]

"If I wanted an unbranded bike I would've built it myself." Jawine.

Yup, that's exactly what a few people on here do 

Congratulations Paulson. A man of courage and commitment. Fortune favours the brave.
I wonder if Mr Thorn the headmaster will give me detention for encouraging other first forum boys to be naughty 

Enjoy the stealth,
Ian

[Danneaux]

I wonder if Mr Thorn the headmaster will give me detention for encouraging other first forum boys to be naughty

As I recall, wrt to days when Thorns were UK-built and painted, there was a "stealth option" whereby the tube lettering, at least, could be omitted during painting. I have seen mention of this in some eBay descriptions over the years. I don't believe that was possible for the head badges, as they were soldered/brazed on.

So...one could say one was just being faithful to the heritage of the bike by going stealth.

It's a thought!

Best,

Dan.

EDIT: Having just posted the above, it does occur to me there could be a marked downside to de-labeling a bike, and that involves ready recovery in the event of a theft. It is considerably harder to recognize or lay ready ownership claim to an unlabeled bike by type or name, leaving one to squint at serial numbers from ground level in hopes of a recovery. With this in mind, I am about to label my panniers and such, just as Mom did my jackets when starting kindergarten. I'll put my name on the wheel-side of the bags so they look tidy, but wouldn't require a thief's cooperation if I needed to point out my rightful ownership to a police officer. It seems a bit..I dunno, but allows me to cry "Oi! If they're yours, what's my name doing on your bags, then?!?" And in paint! And on the wheel side! An alternative would be to mark them neatly on the reflective patches, as I have seen others do. With bikes...well, in the event of theft, it helps if there is something distinctive and recognizable to lay claim to. -- Dan.