Locking the bike en route?

In two Caminos and one Via Francigena I have never had any bike theft problems but then I have always taken a bike lock and used it so I do not know how safe it would be without one. I never worried about them locked in albergues and hotels but was very concerned at leaving them in large cities like Burgos and Salamanca in public to look at Cathedrals etc so we tended to put the bikes safely away at the hotel or albergue before we went sightseeing.

Also there were two of us so if I went into a bar to get cafes con leche etc or a sandwich there was always someone outside with the bikes.

We do much the same as William, and have not had any problem with theft. When they are loaded we are more careful about leaving them in sight of us (as well as locked), although I can remember several times when we left them with the panniers on propped up outside a Tourist Office or some other well frequented place while we went for a wander around shops or similar.

Instead of front panniers we have removable wire baskets which we like to think makes the bikes look undesirable ( they are nothing special anyway) and old-fashioned. So if we are cycling around having left the panniers somewhere we think they are even safer. Also the baskets are useful for shopping because they lift off easily! Again, we do lock if we leave them. But most locks are no deterrent to a determined thief, we are told!