Park like someone patient is watching
Thieves prefer convenience. A bicycle left overnight in a dim corner with a souvenir cable is convenience. A bicycle locked through the frame to a true immovable object in a visible place is less so. Rotate parking spots. Avoid the same hidden “safe” recess every Friday.
Remove the easy pieces: lights, cycling computer, bags, sometimes the saddle if your neighbourhood has a habit of partial theft. Annoying? Yes. Less annoying than replacing the whole bike.
Spend money where delay is created
A strong lock buys time and noise. Use it through the frame, not only a front wheel. If you have two locks, combine methods so one tool is not enough. Do not advertise the bike’s value with untouched showroom shine and unlocked premium accessories.
Security is a choreography, not a single object in a shop display.
Record the boring identifiers now
Write down the frame number. Keep purchase proof somewhere other than a bag on the bike. Photograph distinctive marks. If the bicycle disappears, those details matter immediately for police reports and insurance conversations.
Near stations and late-night areas, assume attention is higher. A cheaper weekday beater plus secure home storage for the valuable bike is an unglamorous strategy that works for many households.
None of this makes theft impossible. It changes the odds and shortens the miserable administrative aftermath. That is enough reason to treat security as part of owning a bicycle in a German city, not as an afterthought purchased the week after something vanishes.