I'm planning a Laos > Cambodia > Thailand trip on a ~$650USD bike (150cc probably) and am trying to decide what type of bike lock to get. I know many people have done similar tours without a lock, but I'd rather not take any chances.
Since the majority of bike thefts I've heard of involved an unsecured bike, I'm not sure how beefy of a lock would be required to deter thefts. I'd like to minimize weight so the most appealing idea would be a brake disc lock, but it wouldn't prevent somebody from just putting the bike in the back of a truck. Also, I'm not sure if the bike I'm going to buy will even have disk brakes. I was thinking about a length of covered chain and a beefy pad lock, but a good quality chain costs upwards of $100. How common is it for someone with bolt cutters to come around and cut off a chain and steal a bike? Has anyone ever heard of this happening?
Since the majority of bike thefts I've heard of involved an unsecured bike, I'm not sure how beefy of a lock would be required to deter thefts. I'd like to minimize weight so the most appealing idea would be a brake disc lock, but it wouldn't prevent somebody from just putting the bike in the back of a truck. Also, I'm not sure if the bike I'm going to buy will even have disk brakes. I was thinking about a length of covered chain and a beefy pad lock, but a good quality chain costs upwards of $100. How common is it for someone with bolt cutters to come around and cut off a chain and steal a bike? Has anyone ever heard of this happening?