The National Bike Registry

The princely fee of $10 buys you no less than ten YEARS worth of bicycle registration with The National Bike Registry. Should the worst happen and your bike ends up in say, the San Francisco Police Department stolen bike room (shown below) you've provided the police--anywhere in the country-- with an easy way to return your property--for exactly $1 a year! Four years into my current term I had my bike repainted. NBR is sending me a new "tamper-resistant NBR label" for the bike at no charge.

I've said it before: generally, I'm an opponent of capital punishment, but I might reconsider in the case of a bike thief.