I thought I did eveything right to discourage thieves. I bought a old Schwinn World Sport bike from the seventies for fifty dollars. I cleaned it up and added only new tires-nothing else. The black paint job had very little rust on it (I left it alone on purpose). I locked it during the day using a combination of heavy U lock to the frame and a cable lock to wrap the wheels and saddle to a heavy iron fence embedded into concrete, in a busy shopping center with heavy amounts of pedestrian and motor traffic, in front of the Kentucky Fried Chicken with large windows. And guess what? Someone still tried to smashed the U lock for a old bike! He/she used a heavy object (possibly a brick?) to do the job. My father took a over an hour to slowly work the damaged lock off. No one stopped to question what he was doing. He turned to me and told me that this is not working, get another bike. So I turned to folders. At least the bike is with me at all times. It may not be 100% theft proof, but it is close.