[walrus01]

In any major city really the solution is to never lock anything up in public that is worth more than $400 or so. I have two road bikes, the insurance replacement value of each would probably be $3000, and I wouldn't even dream of buying a lock. I literally don't even know where my lock is. The last time I saw a lock was when I put it in a box of stuff on a shelf in my garage 10+ years ago.

If you have a nice road bike with very clean tires people generally will not mind you bringing it into places with you consistently.

No matter how good your lock is, if somebody REALLY wants the bike (for the value of its components) they'll just saw the frame in half.

[Godel_unicode]

We definitely mind, we're just too polite to tell you. Knowing your friend spends thousands (plural) on their bike makes you feel bad about not wanting their "clean" tires, which definitely didn't roll through dog turds and cat pee on the way there, on your floors.

[walrus01]

To clarify I did not mean taking a bike into peoples' houses, but commercial establishments that already see a high volume of foot traffic. The tread pattern and grip on any shoes collects far more feces and other dirt from sidewalks than a smooth treadless 700x23 tire.

[taneq]

On the plus side, multi-thousand-dollar bikes can be lifted with one hand and slung over your shoulder if you're a courteous rider.

[mkl]

Not most e-bikes. They're heavier than normal bikes. I just use multiple heavy-duty locks, through the frame and both wheels.

[walrus01]

Yeah an ebike can be considerably more heavy. What I had in mind for my description was something like a full carbon road frame and fork, Shimano 105 current generation components or the sram equivalent, and a good quality lightweight wheelset.

[bagacrap]

yeah I definitely don't ride my bike through dog turds, and if I did you'd find evidence on my shoes before my tires (from which it would have already been rubbed off)

[brian_cunnie]

I've managed to keep my bike locked up outside OVERNIGHT in San Francisco (Washington & Polk St.) for a year now. How I did it? The short version: one very good lock (Viro Euromonolith + Peewag security chain, $175), a second good lock (kryptonite, $90), and an okay lock (Abus, to keep them from stealing the basket, $60).

I've also had 3 bikes stolen, the rear wheel stolen, the basket stolen, the front brake stolen, the seat stolen, but now with all the locks there is much less stealing.

[walrus01]

If I may ask, what is the specification/purchase value of the bike? Is it cheap enough to not look like a juicy target?

[brian_cunnie]

The bike was around $700-$800 new (I bought it used for $500). It's a Public bike, and their closest current model is the PUBLIC M7i, which retails for $799.

It's a target, but it's certainly not a "juicy" target like, say, a $3k mountain bike.

The bike thieves continue to steal the small stuff, notably the rubber attachments which hold my bike lights, but haven't been able to steal the big stuff (frame, wheels, basket, seat) in a long time.

One of the strangest things that was stolen is the yellow electrician's tape I used to "dog" my seat with—they painstakingly peeled off the tape, but left the seat.

[blackrock]

Geez, they stole your front brake? What the hell are they going to do with it?

What is the cost of it? A few bucks? I can’t even be bothered to sell my used crap on eBay.

[walrus01]

A stolen front v brake / rim brake? They're going to trade it along with a few other choice bike parts they've collected for $15 worth of meth, crack or synthetic opiates.

[blacksmith_tb]

Not sure I follow, I take it by implication you have renter's or homeowner's insurance, in which case your replacement cost is the deductible - and $400 is a common deductible. Now, getting a bike set up the way you had yours is a pain, granted. I think it's pretty unlikely that even desperate thieves would saw through your frame, they want to be able to resell as much of the bike as they can, and the frame is a fairly valuable component...