Originally Posted by
LesterOfPuppets
If I was going to be leaving a bike out in the open for 2-8 hours at a time I'd just cruise CL/thrift shops/yard sales for a crappy second bike for those commutes/errands.
Realistically, that would be my first, best piece of advice too. My daughter went to USC - - a neighborhood notorious for bike thefts. SOP there was beat-up, ugly cruisers / box-store cheapies / yard sale specials for day-to-day. College-town environments seem have a universal code: beater for daily use; good bike safely locked in your dorm/house/apartment.