“Get a $100 lock and a $50 bike” (bicycle adage)

Bicycles frequently get stolen in New York City. In a New York (NY) Times “Spokes” blog column on June 9, 2009, Sean Patrick Farrell wrote that it’s “an old saying in New York bike circles that…one should get a $100 lock and a $50 bike.” The exact origin of the saying (where the lock is more expensive than the bike) is difficult to date; perhaps it began with a $50 lock and changed to a $100 lock in the 1990s.
   
 
Google Books
Urban Bikers’ Tricks & Tips
By Dave Glowacz
Published by Wordspace Press
2004
Pg. 52:
Spend less when you have a cheap bike. Use these charts as a guide: Really safe: $25 bike, $50 lock. Thieves probably don’t want your bike, and the lock’s hard to break.
   
Google Groups: rec.bicycles.tech
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
From: Werehatrack

Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 15:05:36 GMT
Local: Thurs, Apr 8 2004 10:05 am
Subject: Re: U-lock info
 
Well, not commetely immaterial, but the price/benefit ratio may rule out the more expensive units.  Of course, there can be instances in which it makes sense to have a $100 lock for a $50 bike.  If the bike is in use by a NYC messenger as his backup, for instance, then the price of the bike is less relevant than the reasonable certainty that it will still be present when the rider returns for it.  I’m told that they favor massive chains and WMD-resistant padlocks over U-locks, though.
   
New York (NY) Times
June 9, 2009, 7:30 am
Beater Bikes, the Cheap Workhorses of Cycling
By Sean Patrick Farrell
There is an old saying in New York bike circles that for the ultimate peace of mind for around-town cycling (and parking), one should get a $100 lock and a $50 bike.
 
OnGuard Locks
“get a $100 lock and a $50 bike”
June 11th, 2009 | Author: Matt
This quote from a recent New York Times blog post titled “Beater Bikes, the Cheap Workhorses of Cycling”. It underscores what may be the single best theft deterrent for the commuting cyclist. Put another way, the closer to 40 pounds your bike and lock weigh together, the less likely you are to be victimized.