Originally Posted by
giantcfr1
Here in Japan maybe 95% of bikes use them, but we don't have the theft problems you guys have. They are basically useless because the bike can be tilted onto the front wheel and wheeled off. So many people loose there locks here and it's too common to see people wheeling their bikes home. I'd doubt anyone there in the States would blink an eyelid if they saw someone wheeling a bike down the street as they'd assume the same as us...the person lost their lock.
The only they are good for, is to stop drunks from riding your bike home because they don't have taxi money.
Get a decent lock and lock the bike to something.
But I don't live in the States. Worse: for me it's an investment. Safety and hopefully I am going to migrate the locks to the next bike when this breaks down. I asked about the frame lock as an alternative to some light wires. It's a kilogram and 30€ instead of 300grams and 12€, but it does look more impressive once you see it. The area where I live people leave the gates open over night. Probably some still don't lock the doors, I don't most of the time. Cars are left unlocked and, in the Summer, the parking lot where I practice riding the new bike had quite a few cars with side windows down so the car will not stink when the driver comes back at the end of the day. I've seen bikes left overnight with quick release for both wheels and seat and only a cheap chain and lock linking the frame to a streetlight. Why, next to my place there is a school. In front of that school there was locked a bike with a twisted front wheel and locked to a bike stand with a, I guess, 10mm wire lock with cipher. It stand there about 2 months unmoved till it started showing signs of vandalism. At the end of the Summer holliday, another two months later it was only the frame locked and I assume somebody from the school asked the frame removed because I haven't seen it since.
I also have a big mean ulock, but the frame is particularly large so I either turn it into another frame lock or just link the frame with some bike stand. Right now, my front wheel is still unlocked.