Originally Posted by contango

If someone can only afford a very basic BSO to get around should they wait until they can afford two, in case the first one gets stolen? In principle I'd agree with the approach of not buying something so expensive (whatever "expensive" means based on your specific financial circumstances) that you'd be ruined if anything happened to it. That said the problems of having a bike rendered inoperable (whether it's stolen, critical parts are stolen or it's vandalised or otherwise damaged) are often far beyond the financial cost of replacing or fixing it. Not least because it leaves you away from home with your transport home removed. Where I live that would just be annoying as I could take the train home, and the station is barely a mile on foot from home. For those in more rural areas it becomes a much bigger problem.