Is it ever worth owning an expensive bike?

[Ridiculeisnothingtobescaredof]

Without the constant anxiety of having it stolen. Bike theft is so common, I've had 2 stolen and I know of several people who have.
Even the 'approved' locks can be broken if thieves have the right tools.
Recovery rate is low even if you follow the usual advice. I wish I had put GPS trackers on mine but it's too late.
I've seen half remains of bikes outside the supermarket, apparently CCTV doesn't deter them.
It takes away the convenience of being able to pop to the shops on your bike.
I only ride bikes under £50 now, second hand.

Only if its one of those expensive lightweight folding bikes so you can keep it with you

Yes absolutely it is. You just have to be very careful about where you leave it so it depends what you use it for.

I suppose some people only cycle from home & straight back without leaving them anywhere so that makes securing them easier? But yeah it puts me off too

Keep a cheap, expendable bike for short trips to the shops etc. If you want a decent bike for longer journeys, off road, etc. keep it indoors and never leave it lying around out of sight.

It depends on the usage and where it will be stored.

DP has a very expensive mountain bike but it's not used for errands so it's either locked safely at home, or he's on it. Same with DBILs expensive road bike for commuting, it's either in his garage, in his secure office parking area or he's sat on it. My bike I don't give a shit about and barely use, would leave anywhere, was £50 ex-hire.

We do live in a (relatively) safe and less theft prone part of the world though.

Well I know lots of triathlete friends who have several but they never leave them unattended. Harder if you are using them for commuting or shopping etc.

Yes, but I'm riding it, its locked in our house, it is somewhere safe and in eyeline, or it is locked and someone is watching the bikes (ie we've stopped for coffee). I adore my beautiful bike, but if I was just popping round on it then I would have a cheapy for that

I agree, OP. We are the same here, especially for kids bikes. I really want my DC to have lovely bikes for school, but cannot justify the risk. So they ride solid, reliable bikes, which they seem happy with. My DB had his very expensive (think 2000 pound), week-old bike stolen from a secure lock-up room at school. My parents made the decision to buy it for him, which I thought excessive at the time, and now as an adult with kids, I have no idea what they were thinking.

DH rides an e-bike to work. The round-trip is 30 km, so he needed a decent quality, functionally intact bike, but also one that looked unattractive. We bought a second-hand e-bike very cheaply (the battery was fine but the bike was a little rusty with paint chips), because we thought it would deter thieves. It has been great. Plus, a heavy, unattractive e-bike without the key for the motor is a nice extra deterrent 😉

All of this - my dad had his stolen outside the front of a Cambridge hospital which supposedly didn’t have cctv 😐 this is why I only go out in my road bike on my own if I’m not planning to stop

Some e bikes can cost almost £10,000 which is insane.
It's a shame we have to resort to making our bikes look ugly but what can we do.
Even 'secure' bike storage isn't safe in my eyes.
The only safe places are right in front of you or locked up in your own house/flat (unless you're broken into)