Montreal is definately the bike theft capital of Canada and although I sell a lot of U-locks to people buying hybrids up to $600, I don`t recommend them to anyone buying anything over $800.

The logic is pretty straight forward. Here you can`t park an expensive bike outside for an extended period of time without parts being stripped off it - locked or not. Some people are just creeps. So just for a stop-off at the store - a solid cable lock is good enough and thats all I own myself.

An expensive machine needs to be kept inside in a secure environment. Some people have reported expensive bikes stolen from third story balconies with no outside staircase! An inexpensive bike is rarely worth the bother of stripping for parts and a good U-lock will discourage theft of the whole bike. But not vandalism if some idiot decides that if they can`t have it - you can`t either.

And the real issue is that most bike owners don`t record their own serial numbers so even when a police report is filed - its impossible to identify stolen bikes and convict thieves. Whats it like where you live?

Would you be able to provide the police and your insurance company with the serial numbers of your bikes?

Not for insurance since I have a high deductible that's more than the value of any of my bikes.
But I do have the serial numbers recorded in a file on my PC and also in my cellphone so I'd be able to immediately provide it to police.

The other question is whether your police department is actively doing anything to combat the problem.

Bike theft is climbing in Denver. Just got a Kryptonite chain. I may opt for the insurance, even though my bikes are more entry/mid level. Do the thieves really know the difference between an "entry level" GT vs a high end one???v

Yes, however so far have not had to, but then my bikes are not the expensive kind

I prefer a U-lock over a cable lock.

This is why when I leave Japan, I'm just going to sell my bikes.

My bikes live outside in plain sight, no locks. One is a titanium dura ace, the other a fairly expensive tourer. During festivals I just lean them on a tree and take a walk away with nothing more than a cheap cable lock around the frame and front wheel so nobody takes it for a joy ride. During travels they stay on the car rack overnight, visible from the street.

I'm on the deep north. I heard that down in Tokyo things are not as nice.

I have serial numbers, photos and receipts for upgrades for all my bikes. I actually keep a couple different sets of records.

Bike theft can be a problem around here and the police appear to care less. I have lived in this general area for the past 40 years and have had several bikes stolen and managed to recover only one. And I recovered that one and had to fight the police to keep it. FWIW the bulk of my bikes have been stolen out of locked buildings, two were stolen off bike racks, at least one was locked with a Kryptonite lock and their insurance doesn't cover anything if the lock is missing along with the bike...

Aaron

Yup, all my bikes are registered with police and insured. Not that I expect to get it back, but insurance companies like that.
I leave my commuter locked outside when I'm at work, but wouldn't leave it on the street overnight. Touring bike is for tours, and only left outside if I can see it. I never see super expensive bikes locked up on the streets, nobody really does that in Toronto.

Where I live, bike theft is only really an issue if the bike isn't locked. Bikes left downtown overnight with a cheap Target lock won't be stolen.

However, they might be vandalized...which might include taking seats or front wheels attached only by QRs. (I call this vandalism b/c the parts aren't taken to keep or resale; they're just taken because they can be.

I have one of those On Guard cables securing my saddle on my Hardrock. On my Seek I don't because it's seat clamp isn't a QR, it's secured with an allen wrench. And because I carry both a U-bolt as well as a cable lock when I lock my bike I run the cable through both wheels and use the U-bolt to secure the bike to a post or fence or anything else that it can't be lifted over.

I go one better; high-res photos of the BB shell with good side lighting to really bring out the SN and any other markings there. That way, if anybody wants to argue about whether a poorly stamped character is an 8 a B or a 3, I can lay out the photo. Also, photos of any component markings that might be useful.

I keep all the info on my bikes on the innerwebs cloud that's readily accessible anywhere and on my iphone. In addition, I can also spurt out the parts spec of each bike by memory - yeah I'm that obsessive.

And I'm going to use my U-lock and extension cable (for the front wheel) to lock up my bikes which range from a cheap folder to a pricey FS mtb, whether in the city or in the small town I live in.

There are only two locks that work for me. My hand and my butt. Providing either of them are on the bike then it makes it difficult (But not impossible) for the bike to get stolen. At home the bikes are kept in an alarmed shed. One alarm for door entry and the other is a sensor alarm. Have many bikes and I use a kryptonite lock and hawser through the frames of the bikes locking all 9 of them together.

Bit difficult to remove all 9 bikes at once and the lock and hawser would take some time to cut. They may get the wheels etc. but I doubt that they could stay in the shed with 130 dbs in their ears for long.

I am not paranoid about having my bikes stolen but I don't give thieves much opportunity.

Pretty much agree with the OP, I lock my more expensive bike up with a serious 5 lb cable lock since the cable lock is more versatile than a U lock, and this is only for short durations in nicer areas.

For anywhere else or for times that I have to have a bike left unattended for long durations, the cheaper easily replaced beater bike comes into play, but I still use a cable lock, though it being a lighter version one.

I don't need a lock for my expensive bike, I never leave it anyplace. It's either beneath me or secured inside my house.
If I am riding my SS ($370 @ BD) I don't get too bent up about it but rarely leave it anyplace... maybe leaned up against the window @ the convenience store while I grab a gatorade or something... nothing where it is out of sight for more than a few minutes...

I have a pitlock for my front wheel, but it's still handy using a cable to lock the bike as it allows me to lock around larger objects.

That's kind of inconvenient for grocery shopping, though. Unless you can ride through the store...which would be quite convenient, actually.

I keep my bikes in my garage at home. They could still be stolen of course - but so could my car, and anything else I own, really - but that's where the homeowner's insurance comes in (albeit with a $500 deductible).

Get a folder and never leave it alone...

Aaron