Originally Posted by practical

I simply lock the bike to the rack. I know that the straps could easily be cut and the bike along with the rack could be gone. I have a nice enough bike but not a multi-thousand dollar bike that a professional thief would bother with. I figure locking the bike to the bike rack will eliminate an "opportunity theft". If I'm travelling with my bike, I bring the bike (but not the rack) into my motel room.