Originally Posted by
agent pombero
But the real reason I email Craigslist posters asking what kind of lock they used is for my own curiosity and fears. I really want to know if U-locks are being defeated commonly. I have two bikes with over $2k in them each. I can't afford to replace either one of them easily which is why I never lock up except for at work (secure bike garage, keycard access, and cameras). Surlys are very popular, great bikes, and they are one of the biggest brands reported on Bikeportland as stolen. But is my fear reasonable that my bike is such a high risk target? I'd like to know if I can relax a little...and allow myself to lockup outside of the grocery store of movie and things will be okay with my kryptonite fahgettaboudit U lock, and 2 cables for the wheels and saddle. But I doubt I ever will, not sure. Might just have to cruise Craigslist in the fall/winter, when the bikes are cheaper and harder for folks to sell, to find a decent lockup bike and stop worrying about this troubling theft trend.
Let's get to the heart of this thread. OP is petrified of losing one of his beloved bikes, so he obsesses over bike theft reports and and scrounges the interwebs for corroboration that no lock is safe.
So he keeps spending money on gas, vehicle depreciation, insurance and registration because he feels safer parking his car/truck/van than a bike.
He could make an assessment of the other bikes locked up at his desired cycling destinations.
He could go and buy a bike of a value that he could stomach losing.
He could do a lot of things.
Instead, he'll send anonymous emails and post on BikeForums about his bike-loss anxiety.