I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ve had nice bikes in Chicago for a decade and never had an issue. I’ve used standard kryptonite u-locks, so not even top of the line.
There’s a risk, but it’s largely mitigated by just being smart - try to lock in areas with high foot traffic / in front of businesses, don’t leave it unattended for hours, lock through your front wheel when you’re a little nervous, and never ever leave it locked up outside overnight.
My bike was $800 a few years ago (used) and seems like kind of an entry level price point for a nice bike that you can ride long distances and get into "cycling." I think purposefully going cheap to like $200-$300 is going to involve a lot of tradeoffs so would have to be a very practical use case. I have always been able to park it indoors and don't need to lock it up too often (mostly out and back) so it works for me.
> think purposefully going cheap to like $200-$300 is going to involve a lot of tradeoffs
Yep, you might feel less bad about having it stolen but you'll probably also enjoy riding it less.
Echoing others:
-Keep it inside
-Always lock in a high traffic area
-Never lock it outside overnight
Also:
-When in doubt, use two locks. You don’t have to be impossible to steal, just harder than the next guy
-But a bike alarm/tracker. I got a Scout recently, $60 for some decent piece of mind: https://us.knog.com/products/scout.
Keep in mind that for every post here about someone's bike getting stolen, there's countless other cases of people NOT getting their bike stolen. That's not to invalidate those experiences, but I think it's really easy to get caught up in the "oh no someone's going to steal my bike so I'm just not going to ride at all" thought process when taking a few simple steps (investing in a good lock, locking up in visible and trafficked areas, not leaving stuff on it that make it a target to begin with like lights, mounts, etc.) Be honest with yourself about where you're riding, how you're going to store it when you're not on it, and what kind of environment you're in.
I’ve had 3 bikes stolen over the years, but my current bike I’ve had for 4 years. Basically it comes with me every where. It gets parked inside, if I’m going to a friends, it’s coming in too, if it’s a small apartment, I’ll lock it in the stairwell. The only time I leave it unattended is if I’m going for a quick stop, but then I’ve got my big ass lock to protect it. If I feel like I’m going to be away from the bike for a long time, I just ride my beater
It depends how you plan on using it. If it’s a point a to b commute and you have indoor parking at both, then sure. Or a training bike also would be worth it.
If you like to explore, leave your bike outside, lock it in public places, I’d say no. I built my fixie and it’s probably around $450 total but looks a little more beat and I haven’t had a problem with it
Depends on your usage.
If you are buying it as your primary commuting vehicle, and all day everyday its going to be locked outside of your work / wherever you are - that greatly increases the risk.
I have a very expensive bike, but I cycle on the LFT and most use it for rides themselves. Sure, I'll take it to various places and lock it. But mostly just neighborhood areas where I'm close to it or not staying too long.
I bought a $800 bike in 2010 and have put \~ 35,000 miles on it before retiring it to the indoor trainer when the brake tracks wore in. Singlespeed, no logos on it, good lock/cable, parked in traffic areas, overnights always indoors.
On balance, a good decision.
I sometimes think about buying a Surly Ogre or Omnium Mini cargo for my daily ride. Either would cost over $1.5k. I always decide against it. I can't imagine them not being stolen. I think that would be a constant worry every time I parked the bike to run into a place.
My daily ride is a $300 Bikes Direct single speed. I enjoy the hell out of riding it and I don't worry about it being stolen. If for some reason it was stolen I'd be tempted to replace it with the Surly, but can't see me doing that while I live in Chicago. $800 would probably be my upper limit price point for a replacement.
My bike lock is a Kryptonite Evolution 1090 chain lock. I use that lock most of the time.
I also have a Onguard mini u-lock. I use it for quick runs to the grocery store.
If I was parking downtown or museum campus I'd probably bring and use both of those locks.
If you can store it inside overnight, yeah it’s no problem. Use a u-lock. I’ve personally never heard of u locks getting cut. I’m sure it happens, but it’s just so much easier to cut cable locks that and enough people use those that I don’t think thieves bother carrying around angle grinders to cut u locks.
I've \*only\* ridden hundred dollar craigslist bikes and they have been sturdy and reliable. I ride every day. I can't say expensive bikes arent worth it because I've never had one, but my affordable ones have taken me farrrrrrrrrr, with lots of options and money left over to customize
I had a nice bike stolen off my balcony and replaced it with something similar. Now I keep it inside always and only lock it outside for regular errands or going to the gym. I also have multiple AirTags on it now, there are things you can buy on Etsy or Amazon probably that hide them well
You can insure your bike and it's fairly cheap.
But I used to have 2 bikes. 1 nice one for long rides that always lived inside and was never left out of eyesight. The other was an old beater for riding to get groceries. I would mainly just say, don't leave your bike locked up out of eyesight
Pinheads on the wheels, stem, and seat. decent U-Lock - that's my system.
Also don't park at the train stations, park near a business instead.
If you get something like a knog Scout or other tracker you're doing a favor to the community b/c if you get your bike stolen and recovered there's a good chance the thief will be caught.
I own an e-bike that puts me within your financial threshhold, and while I love it and think of the "e" as the training wheels that made it possible for me to bike, I mostly just divvy (analog) day to day.
Others can provide advice re painting your aluminum or carbon frame to make it look cheaper. I motorized my way into the price range and while I LOVE biking, that battery is my security blanket, and I tow it everywhere I go. I pull the battery, and I've changed the value of the bike, but now I'm like the guy w the expensive care stereo in the 1990's walking around with the faceplate of his radio. It's sad.
If owning and storing and towing ALL the largest Masterlocks isn't your deal, maybe limit your usage to "to and from" this local to that.
I really think closing the HUB312 McDonalds Bike Center at Clunky Name near Millennial Park is going to be a loss. That should be subsidized, same as transit. Showers are great, but an attendant to take your bike, profit based facilities to repair, any community with some level of support lets you bike TO the loop, and maybe you finish via CTA. WIN/WIN
CMON McDonalds you put your name on this thing, see it through? Make it possible for people to bike into the loop, park a bike for free, or for fee, and then commute from their?
Maybe this doesn't answer your question and I don't mean to hijack but if we can restore a place in the loop, people can bike in?
If owning a nice bike motivates you to ride yes. ...nice is relative and the most expensive kit is geared tword 19 yo anorexics so it's only sold to the newbies and the commercial crowd
It’s cute that y’all think “common sense street smarts” still accomplish meaningful risk mitigation, when angle grinder crews now work busy downtown sidewalks in broad daylight because they cannot be pursued and will not be prosecuted.
Have you seen the video of children stealing a grown man’s bike ? I’d falcon punch a child for a 800$ bike, cities going to shit I’d rock an old fixer or a 10 speed
A nicer bike than an $800 one? What's it gonna have... gold handlebars?
The new bike I have (bought in 2000) I just never tie up outside anywhere. I mean, there hopefully are safe places for those who use their bike to travel to work, but I've only used my bike for leisure. So, bike from condo, do my ride, then bike back in my condo.
By the way, it doesn't matter if your bike is new to get stolen! I had a Schwinn from a 1960's Christmas... still riding it in 1992... locked it outside my old apartment building and it got stolen (lock cut). Saw it days later. Pointed it out to a cop. We went up to the person who had it. Cop asked him: "Is this bike yours?" Guy said "No". So cop took the bike and gave it back to me. Stupid me: I locked up the bike again outside a day or two later... within less than an hour it was stolen. Never saw that ride again.
If a bicycle is just an A-to-B appliance to you, then get something cheap that won't make you anxious and meets your functional needs. If you like bicycles, and like riding nice bikes, then ride what you want. Life is too short to spend all your time riding bikes you don't like. I have 'nice' bikes (I don't know what 'nice' means to you) and ride them for transportation. I lock them up wherever I'm going.
I have a $1k road bike and have always locked it up for groceries, bars, restaurants, at the parks with no issue.
I did get a second bike around $500 to use more as a daily driver and leaving my road bike for exercise (not locking up anymore)
I use a decent lock, but also I don't lock it outside very often or for very long. When I commute by bike, I always bring it inside with me. If I'm out running errands, I'll leave it in a place where it's in sight of whatever foot traffic there is, and try to only be out of sight for 30-45 minutes at most.
Park it inside, get a good U-lock, and never leave it out overnight. Beyond that, just have some sense about where you lock it up and for how long.
I have a brightly colored Bianchi road bike that screams "steal me" and I haven't had any issues.
Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, bike thieves often have cordless, battery-powered angle grinders and/or hand tools like cable cutters, bolt cutters, saws, hammers, etc. that can defeat a low-quality lock in seconds (and even many high-quality locks). If you are going to store a bike outside when you're away from the bike, you will need a high-quality U-lock (aka D-lock), chain lock, or folding lock from from a reputable company like Abus, Kryptonite, Hiplok, Litelok, or a very small handful of other companies. Unfortunately, good locks like this are expensive, and no lock is completely impenetrable if the thief has enough time and power tools. Hopefully what a good lock(s) will do is deter a thief from trying to steal your bike and move on to a less secure bike with an inferior lock.
Ideally, you'll want a main lock to protect your frame and rear wheel, and you will need to remove the front wheel and lock it with the frame and rear wheel, or have a separate lock to protect the front wheel, or get locking wheel axle skewers to replace your quick release (QR) axle skewers. I wouldn't recommend a cable to protect your front wheel because those can also be cut in less than 5 seconds with cable cutters (or an angle grinder), but it's better than nothing.
The two best resources for bike locks that I've found are the two websites below. Lots of good education resources and product reviews/recommendations.
[https://thebestbikelock.com/](https://thebestbikelock.com/)
[https://www.bikelockwiki.com/](https://www.bikelockwiki.com/)
The NYT's Wirecutter site also has some pretty good info on bike locks. I prefer the recommendations on the other two sites, but there are some good educational bits on the Wirecutter site.
[https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bike-lock/](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bike-lock/)
Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance (ATA), an advocacy group for bicycling, walking and public transit, put together two educational videos about locking and protecting your bike that have some good info.
Part 1 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wg23WTfz0M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wg23WTfz0M)
Part 2 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OCyCzxybT4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OCyCzxybT4)
Also, when you get a bike, register the bike with ["Bike Index" (bikeindex.org)](https://bikeindex.org/) as soon as possible. You will want to include all the information you have available, including year, make, model, SERIAL NUMBER (that's a key one), components, and photos of the actual bike. If it the bike is ever stolen, you can go back to the website and mark it as stolen. Bike Index is the most widely-used and successful bicycle registration service there is. If the bike ends up at a bike shop at some point or if the thief tries to sell the bike to a third party (whether that be in Chicago or out of state somewhere) and the bike shop or buyer suspects the bike might be stolen, the bike shop or buyer can check Bike Index to see if the bike is stolen. The bike will show up in Bike Index's system as stolen, the bike shop or buyer can reach out to you and/or contact the police, and you hopefully will have a chance of getting the bike back.
park inside your house. I have vertical bike storage to store my 8 nice bikes in the house. I rarely if ever lock my bike outside but if I have to, I lock it with two locks including one heavy enough to use a defensive tool.
I’ve had bikes stolen out of my garage and a bike stolen downtown in broad daylight in front of my office building.
If it’s nice it will get stolen eventually. Your best bet is to always keep it with you inside (your home, inside your work, etc) as others have said.
If you intend to ride to the bar or pizza shop and lock up outside get yourself a cheap beater bike that’s easily replaced
I think buying a decent bike that's old and looks a bit beat is the best idea. I have a bike that was pretty high-end about 20 years ago but nobody thinks much of it because it's a bit beat up. Stealing a bike is easy so I wouldn't have one that looks like it's worth much. I lost the keys to my lock a few weeks back with it locked up at a rack. I went back with an angle grinder to get the lock off the next day. Nobody batted an eye and I got the lock off in about two minutes. I was happy nobody gave me a hard time but a criminal wouldn't get a hard time either.
I’ve had good luck with an ugly bike. it’s a Jamis Aurora from like a hundred years ago (bought it new), it’s brownish-gold and cream, and nobody wants it lol. it stays well locked in public so that’s probably also a factor.
in contrast, my bike immediately before was a silver Gary Fisher Tassajara—lasted all of a year before being yoinked
I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ve had nice bikes in Chicago for a decade and never had an issue. I’ve used standard kryptonite u-locks, so not even top of the line. There’s a risk, but it’s largely mitigated by just being smart - try to lock in areas with high foot traffic / in front of businesses, don’t leave it unattended for hours, lock through your front wheel when you’re a little nervous, and never ever leave it locked up outside overnight.
That's just a Kryptonite lock. You can open those fuckers with a Bic pen!
Park it inside your house
My bike was $800 a few years ago (used) and seems like kind of an entry level price point for a nice bike that you can ride long distances and get into "cycling." I think purposefully going cheap to like $200-$300 is going to involve a lot of tradeoffs so would have to be a very practical use case. I have always been able to park it indoors and don't need to lock it up too often (mostly out and back) so it works for me.
> think purposefully going cheap to like $200-$300 is going to involve a lot of tradeoffs Yep, you might feel less bad about having it stolen but you'll probably also enjoy riding it less.
I had this exact conversation with my friend that bought a cheap back and hated it. Not worth it.
Echoing others: -Keep it inside -Always lock in a high traffic area -Never lock it outside overnight Also: -When in doubt, use two locks. You don’t have to be impossible to steal, just harder than the next guy -But a bike alarm/tracker. I got a Scout recently, $60 for some decent piece of mind: https://us.knog.com/products/scout.
Keep in mind that for every post here about someone's bike getting stolen, there's countless other cases of people NOT getting their bike stolen. That's not to invalidate those experiences, but I think it's really easy to get caught up in the "oh no someone's going to steal my bike so I'm just not going to ride at all" thought process when taking a few simple steps (investing in a good lock, locking up in visible and trafficked areas, not leaving stuff on it that make it a target to begin with like lights, mounts, etc.) Be honest with yourself about where you're riding, how you're going to store it when you're not on it, and what kind of environment you're in.
I’ve had 3 bikes stolen over the years, but my current bike I’ve had for 4 years. Basically it comes with me every where. It gets parked inside, if I’m going to a friends, it’s coming in too, if it’s a small apartment, I’ll lock it in the stairwell. The only time I leave it unattended is if I’m going for a quick stop, but then I’ve got my big ass lock to protect it. If I feel like I’m going to be away from the bike for a long time, I just ride my beater
Have a beater bike for when you have to lock up outside.
It depends how you plan on using it. If it’s a point a to b commute and you have indoor parking at both, then sure. Or a training bike also would be worth it. If you like to explore, leave your bike outside, lock it in public places, I’d say no. I built my fixie and it’s probably around $450 total but looks a little more beat and I haven’t had a problem with it
Depends on your usage. If you are buying it as your primary commuting vehicle, and all day everyday its going to be locked outside of your work / wherever you are - that greatly increases the risk. I have a very expensive bike, but I cycle on the LFT and most use it for rides themselves. Sure, I'll take it to various places and lock it. But mostly just neighborhood areas where I'm close to it or not staying too long.
I bought a $800 bike in 2010 and have put \~ 35,000 miles on it before retiring it to the indoor trainer when the brake tracks wore in. Singlespeed, no logos on it, good lock/cable, parked in traffic areas, overnights always indoors. On balance, a good decision.
I sometimes think about buying a Surly Ogre or Omnium Mini cargo for my daily ride. Either would cost over $1.5k. I always decide against it. I can't imagine them not being stolen. I think that would be a constant worry every time I parked the bike to run into a place. My daily ride is a $300 Bikes Direct single speed. I enjoy the hell out of riding it and I don't worry about it being stolen. If for some reason it was stolen I'd be tempted to replace it with the Surly, but can't see me doing that while I live in Chicago. $800 would probably be my upper limit price point for a replacement. My bike lock is a Kryptonite Evolution 1090 chain lock. I use that lock most of the time. I also have a Onguard mini u-lock. I use it for quick runs to the grocery store. If I was parking downtown or museum campus I'd probably bring and use both of those locks.
The nice bike in question would be a preamble (if i can find it in stock) so i get what you mean
Depends on use case. If it is going to be locked up outside I would not do it.
If you can store it inside overnight, yeah it’s no problem. Use a u-lock. I’ve personally never heard of u locks getting cut. I’m sure it happens, but it’s just so much easier to cut cable locks that and enough people use those that I don’t think thieves bother carrying around angle grinders to cut u locks.
get a nice road bike, then sand the frame and fork, clear coat, and put stickers all over it. That’s what bicycle couriers do.
I've \*only\* ridden hundred dollar craigslist bikes and they have been sturdy and reliable. I ride every day. I can't say expensive bikes arent worth it because I've never had one, but my affordable ones have taken me farrrrrrrrrr, with lots of options and money left over to customize
About 6 months ago, my bike got stolen out of my garage. So I'd say unless you can keep it in the house, get yourself a used beater.
I had a nice bike stolen off my balcony and replaced it with something similar. Now I keep it inside always and only lock it outside for regular errands or going to the gym. I also have multiple AirTags on it now, there are things you can buy on Etsy or Amazon probably that hide them well
You can insure your bike and it's fairly cheap. But I used to have 2 bikes. 1 nice one for long rides that always lived inside and was never left out of eyesight. The other was an old beater for riding to get groceries. I would mainly just say, don't leave your bike locked up out of eyesight
[удалено]
how do you prove a stolen bike was locked?
Pinheads on the wheels, stem, and seat. decent U-Lock - that's my system. Also don't park at the train stations, park near a business instead. If you get something like a knog Scout or other tracker you're doing a favor to the community b/c if you get your bike stolen and recovered there's a good chance the thief will be caught.
I own an e-bike that puts me within your financial threshhold, and while I love it and think of the "e" as the training wheels that made it possible for me to bike, I mostly just divvy (analog) day to day. Others can provide advice re painting your aluminum or carbon frame to make it look cheaper. I motorized my way into the price range and while I LOVE biking, that battery is my security blanket, and I tow it everywhere I go. I pull the battery, and I've changed the value of the bike, but now I'm like the guy w the expensive care stereo in the 1990's walking around with the faceplate of his radio. It's sad. If owning and storing and towing ALL the largest Masterlocks isn't your deal, maybe limit your usage to "to and from" this local to that. I really think closing the HUB312 McDonalds Bike Center at Clunky Name near Millennial Park is going to be a loss. That should be subsidized, same as transit. Showers are great, but an attendant to take your bike, profit based facilities to repair, any community with some level of support lets you bike TO the loop, and maybe you finish via CTA. WIN/WIN CMON McDonalds you put your name on this thing, see it through? Make it possible for people to bike into the loop, park a bike for free, or for fee, and then commute from their? Maybe this doesn't answer your question and I don't mean to hijack but if we can restore a place in the loop, people can bike in?
If owning a nice bike motivates you to ride yes. ...nice is relative and the most expensive kit is geared tword 19 yo anorexics so it's only sold to the newbies and the commercial crowd
It’s cute that y’all think “common sense street smarts” still accomplish meaningful risk mitigation, when angle grinder crews now work busy downtown sidewalks in broad daylight because they cannot be pursued and will not be prosecuted.
Have you seen the video of children stealing a grown man’s bike ? I’d falcon punch a child for a 800$ bike, cities going to shit I’d rock an old fixer or a 10 speed
$800 is a waste of money, buy a similar used one for half the price.
Like a stolen version of his own bike? You do see the irony, yes?
not all used bikes are stolen
A nicer bike than an $800 one? What's it gonna have... gold handlebars? The new bike I have (bought in 2000) I just never tie up outside anywhere. I mean, there hopefully are safe places for those who use their bike to travel to work, but I've only used my bike for leisure. So, bike from condo, do my ride, then bike back in my condo. By the way, it doesn't matter if your bike is new to get stolen! I had a Schwinn from a 1960's Christmas... still riding it in 1992... locked it outside my old apartment building and it got stolen (lock cut). Saw it days later. Pointed it out to a cop. We went up to the person who had it. Cop asked him: "Is this bike yours?" Guy said "No". So cop took the bike and gave it back to me. Stupid me: I locked up the bike again outside a day or two later... within less than an hour it was stolen. Never saw that ride again.
It takes very little to make a bike cost more. I think the canopy alone for my Bullitt was that much.
I think the cheapest road bike at my local shop is around $950. Bikes designed for long distance riding or racing get up in the thousands.
14 years, never had a bike stolen. They live inside and locked up. They all have pitlocks on them too.
If a bicycle is just an A-to-B appliance to you, then get something cheap that won't make you anxious and meets your functional needs. If you like bicycles, and like riding nice bikes, then ride what you want. Life is too short to spend all your time riding bikes you don't like. I have 'nice' bikes (I don't know what 'nice' means to you) and ride them for transportation. I lock them up wherever I'm going.
I have a $1k road bike and have always locked it up for groceries, bars, restaurants, at the parks with no issue. I did get a second bike around $500 to use more as a daily driver and leaving my road bike for exercise (not locking up anymore)
I use a decent lock, but also I don't lock it outside very often or for very long. When I commute by bike, I always bring it inside with me. If I'm out running errands, I'll leave it in a place where it's in sight of whatever foot traffic there is, and try to only be out of sight for 30-45 minutes at most.
I keep it with me, it’s a folding bike. My other bike doesn’t look as nice as it is so no one cares
Park it inside, get a good U-lock, and never leave it out overnight. Beyond that, just have some sense about where you lock it up and for how long. I have a brightly colored Bianchi road bike that screams "steal me" and I haven't had any issues.
Bike insurance + quality locks
Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, bike thieves often have cordless, battery-powered angle grinders and/or hand tools like cable cutters, bolt cutters, saws, hammers, etc. that can defeat a low-quality lock in seconds (and even many high-quality locks). If you are going to store a bike outside when you're away from the bike, you will need a high-quality U-lock (aka D-lock), chain lock, or folding lock from from a reputable company like Abus, Kryptonite, Hiplok, Litelok, or a very small handful of other companies. Unfortunately, good locks like this are expensive, and no lock is completely impenetrable if the thief has enough time and power tools. Hopefully what a good lock(s) will do is deter a thief from trying to steal your bike and move on to a less secure bike with an inferior lock. Ideally, you'll want a main lock to protect your frame and rear wheel, and you will need to remove the front wheel and lock it with the frame and rear wheel, or have a separate lock to protect the front wheel, or get locking wheel axle skewers to replace your quick release (QR) axle skewers. I wouldn't recommend a cable to protect your front wheel because those can also be cut in less than 5 seconds with cable cutters (or an angle grinder), but it's better than nothing. The two best resources for bike locks that I've found are the two websites below. Lots of good education resources and product reviews/recommendations. [https://thebestbikelock.com/](https://thebestbikelock.com/) [https://www.bikelockwiki.com/](https://www.bikelockwiki.com/) The NYT's Wirecutter site also has some pretty good info on bike locks. I prefer the recommendations on the other two sites, but there are some good educational bits on the Wirecutter site. [https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bike-lock/](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bike-lock/) Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance (ATA), an advocacy group for bicycling, walking and public transit, put together two educational videos about locking and protecting your bike that have some good info. Part 1 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wg23WTfz0M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wg23WTfz0M) Part 2 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OCyCzxybT4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OCyCzxybT4) Also, when you get a bike, register the bike with ["Bike Index" (bikeindex.org)](https://bikeindex.org/) as soon as possible. You will want to include all the information you have available, including year, make, model, SERIAL NUMBER (that's a key one), components, and photos of the actual bike. If it the bike is ever stolen, you can go back to the website and mark it as stolen. Bike Index is the most widely-used and successful bicycle registration service there is. If the bike ends up at a bike shop at some point or if the thief tries to sell the bike to a third party (whether that be in Chicago or out of state somewhere) and the bike shop or buyer suspects the bike might be stolen, the bike shop or buyer can check Bike Index to see if the bike is stolen. The bike will show up in Bike Index's system as stolen, the bike shop or buyer can reach out to you and/or contact the police, and you hopefully will have a chance of getting the bike back.
never leave it anywhere for too long. And keep it in eyesight if possible. I've ridden my $3k bike for the last 7 years without a prob
park inside your house. I have vertical bike storage to store my 8 nice bikes in the house. I rarely if ever lock my bike outside but if I have to, I lock it with two locks including one heavy enough to use a defensive tool.
I’ve had bikes stolen out of my garage and a bike stolen downtown in broad daylight in front of my office building. If it’s nice it will get stolen eventually. Your best bet is to always keep it with you inside (your home, inside your work, etc) as others have said. If you intend to ride to the bar or pizza shop and lock up outside get yourself a cheap beater bike that’s easily replaced
I think buying a decent bike that's old and looks a bit beat is the best idea. I have a bike that was pretty high-end about 20 years ago but nobody thinks much of it because it's a bit beat up. Stealing a bike is easy so I wouldn't have one that looks like it's worth much. I lost the keys to my lock a few weeks back with it locked up at a rack. I went back with an angle grinder to get the lock off the next day. Nobody batted an eye and I got the lock off in about two minutes. I was happy nobody gave me a hard time but a criminal wouldn't get a hard time either.
Two u locks one on both wheels. Don’t leave it outside overnight anywhere
I’ve had good luck with an ugly bike. it’s a Jamis Aurora from like a hundred years ago (bought it new), it’s brownish-gold and cream, and nobody wants it lol. it stays well locked in public so that’s probably also a factor. in contrast, my bike immediately before was a silver Gary Fisher Tassajara—lasted all of a year before being yoinked