3speed

To me, other than the obvious fact that there are a ton of ****** bags out there and one of them would happily take that pesky bike off of your hands, the nervous watching like a hawk alone is worth having a lock. I used to not lock up for quick, short little stops. It just wasn't worth the anxiety. It's so easy to just lock it up real quick and relax.

And you nailed it with the "Yet" part. Every lock has been defeated in seconds except something like the massive Kryptonites. I personally like to just carry a small-ish chain lock. It's so easy to store it anywhere, and it's more versatile for locking up than a u-lock. You're basically safe from someone stealing your bike in the middle of the day, as long as it has some sort of decent lock on it. A small-ish chain lock for peace of mind is good enough for me. I'm currently using an Abus with the little number code dial. I know those aren't terribly complicated to get past, but again, mid-day, most scumbags are waiting for the sun to go down so they can go steal some bikes. If you ever plan to lock up overnight, outside, in a city or something, I'd take a substantial lock. Oh, and I use bolt on skewers. I prefer those to the special locking ones because they don't require a special tool. Just my regular bike multi-tool alan key. Not as secure, but stops quick theft. Even just seeing that they aren't quick release is probably enough to make most thieves keep walking in search of an easier target.