Originally Posted by
Nightshade
All this jabbering about this lock or that lock is nonsense since we all know no lock will save your bike if the thief really wants it. The best thing to do is to insure your bike for full value on either your renters policy or your homeowners policy. The bike may be gone but the money you had in it won't be.
Of course the insurance company is planning to make money on the deal, so this is only cost-effective if you have reason to suspect that your bike has a greater than average chance of being stolen. Plus you're still faced with the inconvenience of getting home without your bike, filing insurance claims, and having to buy a replacement bike. I don't like to deal with insurance companies so I take the opposite approach - take the highest possible deductible to lower my premiums and accept that I won't be able to make claims on most thefts.
The problem with the really good locks is that they're so heavy you'll be tempted to leave them home on many rides, counting on always having the bike within sight. Of the recent bike thefts I'm familiar with personally only two have been due to a thief cutting poor quality locks. Three have been cases of unlocked bikes stolen while they were within sight of the owner - but they were outsprinted by the thief. And two others were stolen while inside a locked house or garage. I'd go with something light and convenient enough to always carry on a ride and also have a heavier lock to be used for situations where the bike will be left unattended for a longer period or in a questionable area.