I live in a dicey bike theft area. I spray painted the thing black and wrapped the frame in electrical tape. It looks awful.

When on tour I seldom visit a town with more than 3000 people. I figure anyone that steals my bike is not going to get far after a call to the police.

But to echo others, I roll it into the store and lean it against the wall next to customer service and ask them to watch it. They are generally more than glad to do this.

I've never locked my bike outside a Pizza Hut or a Dollar General. I would feel rather foolish in doing so.