alanbikehouston

There has NEVER been a proven, documented case of a bike being stolen where a "gold" rated u-lock was correctly fastened around the rear wheel and a beefy steel pole set in concrete. And, the reason is simple: doing so, with the tools that "street" crooks carry and use, takes far more time and effort than any crook is willing to invest...especially given that 95% of the bikes on the street are incorrectly locked, or use cable locks, Master lock "pretend" u-locks, or a locked to flimsy racks that come apart with a few seconds of effort.

Try this: correctly lock a bike using the Sheldon Brown method to a parking meter in your city. Then, try to steal that bike using portable, non-power tools. You are in for a long, sweaty afternoon of hard work. When you are done, you will have ruined the rear wheel. You will have to walk down the street, carrying your loot. And, no pawn shop in town would buy such a bike. Sweaty work, CARRY the bike down the street, and then not find a pawn shop to buy it? Three reasons the Sheldon Brown method has never failed out on the streets.

Yup, there are power tools that can rapidly cut parking meters, "$100 locks, and a rear wheel. But (thank goodness) those are not the sort of tools street crooks carry and use.