I found and joined this forum because I'm sick of getting wheels stolen and could use some advice on the best way to prevent theft without having to go through too much hassle every time I leave my bike somewhere.
A little background: I ride a Trek 7000 commuter, nothing fancy, but apparently worth someone's trouble to steal parts. I've had the rear wheel stolen twice. I know I should have learned the first time but it was at an apartment without a gated area for bikes, whereas my new apt. has a gated area and I thought it would be safe. Yet, of course, somebody hopped the fence and took the rear wheel, and the seat too this time. I replaced the wheel today and just ordered a new seat. I also bought a wall rack so I can keep it in my apartment when I'm home. However, this second theft has made me so paranoid that I don't want to leave the wheel unsecured when I lock it up at, say, the grocery store etc. (I know, a no-brainer, but sometimes I have to learn the hard way 😄)
I have a U-lock. I don't like the idea of wrestling with a cable lock every time I lock up the bike. I was wondering whether an O-lock for the front wheel and a short cable just for the seat would be secure enough. That way I could just always leave the seat locked, and the O-lock would be relatively easy. Would this be secure enough? Any other options I'm overlooking? I'm not very bike-savvy, so any specific product recs would be much appreciated.