Planning my first real tour, and this thread found me.
As a baseline, I use a heavy U-lock *and* a heavy chain when I commute into "the city" and leave my bike locked up and unsupervised for about an hour or more. For quicker stops, usually just the U-lock. For "just a minute" stops and/or where I can keep an eye on it and/or where someone can't run off quickly with the bike, I may just loop one of the pannier-bag straps through the rear wheel and frame and/or use the disc-alarm.
Three pieces of lock kit I'm planning to take on tour:
- A *very* light-weight (aluminium?) mini U-lock. It looks just as tough as any mini U-lock, but weighs almost nothing
- One of the steel cables I have around here, maybe a Kryptonite, maybe a no-name, probably about 10mm; whatever's long enough and lightest
- A disc/alarm lock (motion sensing, USB rechargeable)
I'm in the habit of locking up my bike whenever I'm not sitting on it, even at home. I expect that I'll be using the disc/alarm lock even if I'm camping in the middle of nowhere.
If I need to stop for shopping or something, then the cable can wrap around a pole of some sort, and be secured by the mini U-lock which would go around the seat-stays and the rear wheel. Even if someone cut the cable, the rear wheel won't turn so they can't ride the bike away. Maybe also use the alarm lock, especially if I'm leaving bags on the bike.
Oh, and the bike also has a sticker noting that it's registered in a system accessible to police. Not sure how much of a deterrent that is, but it probably weighs less than a gram.