What will determine an attack on your bike is not the lock but location. Don't use bike racks because each year without fail, we have the "My bike was stolen from a bike rack" what should I do?

I carry a lock everywhere i go. Less for locking up (i live in a "safe" town) and more if i have a change of plans or something, i can then pop the lock on and leave it.

You guys may not believe this, but one time i went to a thing very very early morning via the bus... i left my old bike unattended literally all day unlocked WITH THE HELMET HANGING OFF IT! This was a solid 14 hours later when i got back.... nothing had been moved or touched...... It was beat to hell, duct tape etc etc so maybe it didn't look appealing but...... but i would never leave my new bike unlocked like that even for 4 minutes.

- Andy

[MENTION=369902]TransitBiker[/MENTION], I believe it. As [MENTION=1775]Dahon.Steve[/MENTION] says, the location matters. I lived in a safe town in NJ and did all kinds of silly things such as "locking" my bike with a bungee cord.

I think some people here are missing the point of the thread and talking about how to lock, where to lock and type of bike.

Given all things equal. Will an expensive eye catchy lock brand attract thieves more because they assume the bike has value and ez to spot or deter them more since it is harder to break?

So a generic no-name looking bike that doesn't scream expensive is locked to a rack near others in a location with theft rate of 5% using a normal u-lock. Now, swap that lock for an eye catchy yellow kryptonite lock. Is the chance of theft higher or lower than 5%?

In general, if you make the bike look like it's not worth much, the lock doesn't matter. The fancy lock could be borrowed or a gift for all the "theif" knows.

I am very fortunate that i have a fairly unique bike that would be very hard for a theif to modify significantly to avoid it being spotted. They would lose money trying to do that. I also have the frame number and serial number and registered with manufacturer and local law enforcement database. The lock isn't really needed around here, but it gives me peace of mind.

- Andy

I don't believe it's the lock that makes a bike look expensive. You're making the assumption the ordinary bike thief knows nothing about bicycle value and more about locks. The lock is not the driver in bicycle theft.

I never assumed thieves don't know value. However, there are many different types of thieves with wide range of knowledge. A lock doesn't make a bike more expensive, but it can catch the eye for further inspection.