Name Your Bike
Rick Proctor

If you are reading this, you probably like your bike and want to protect it from loss. Returning to
where you parked your bike and not being able to locate it can quickly escalate into a significant
emotional event. Seeing a bike that looks like yours in the hands of someone else can also
trigger a primal urge to confront the person. Before going into an emotional outburst, are you
sure it’s your bike? Mass production of bikes has provided lots of bikes that look alike leading to
mistaken identity. Bikes sold today typically have a unique serial number on the bottom of the
bike under the bottom bracket. This is a rather inconvenient means to quickly identify your bike
if there is any confusion or disagreement as to whose bike it is while you are out and about
having an otherwise great day.
For many years I’ve admired the professional look of the pro rider’s bikes with their names
neatly applied on each bike frame, while I resorted to the po’boy mode of using a Sharpie pen to
scrawl my name on the bottom of the bike and under the top tube. These are places “where the
sun don’t shine” and are typically not seen. I’ve found Sharpie pen ink to be permanent enough
to last over a decade and it does not wash off unless the area is scrubbed. Sharpie pen ink can
be easily removed with an alcohol wipe.
I recently found a company in Lancashire, UK, that provides name decals for the pros and
anyone else who wants them for use where someone may want to identify their property in a
professional looking manner. NameDecals.com (https://namedecals.com/) provides decals in
one standard size of 11mm tall X 63mm wide. There are choices for the text font and colors.
You can also choose a flag or logo from a lengthy menu. The website explains the difference
between decals and stickers. The price is less than $2 each with tax and air mail shipping, and
it took just under 2 weeks for them to arrive in my US Mailbox.
I had considered adding our BIKES Club logo to their menu, but since our BIKES logo is not
known to be a registered trademark, and this menu is available to the whole world, I decided to
skip adding the BIKES logo. There is a pirate flag option, among many others, to tempt your
creative spirit.
Installation of the name decals is quick and simple without water or special tools and takes less
than a minute each. A common location for names is on each side of the top tube by the seat
tube A decal can be removed by heating it with a hair dryer to soften the adhesive.
The presence of a bike’s owner’s name on a bike indicates a level of commitment to the bike
beyond casual. I like the look of having my name neatly printed on my bike in plain sight for
easy identification. A clever nickname or phrase could be used instead to make your bike
unique, but your name removes doubt. Have a great ride!