Originally Posted by Expatriate
A lock is a lock. If a determined thief wants your bike, he'll get it. If not for the complete bike, a hacksaw will go through any frame in 30 seconds or less. Don't kid yourself.
Back to location. It's far more important where you lock the bike up.
The correct way to lock a bike is with the lock around the rear wheel. Cut a rear wheel in 30 seconds? Good luck with that. Gotta get through the rim, the inner tube, and the tire. And then, the crook can't ride off on the bike. And, he has destroyed the single most valuable component of the bike. Ever try to pawn a bike that lacks its rear wheel? The next bike stolen by cutting through the wheel may also be the FIRST bike ever stolen in that manner.
Park only at "safe locations"? That might work in "Friendly Village". But, I live in a high crime area in one of the crime capitals of America. I ride to the store, to work, to the movies, to the clubs. My bike is locked up in public places more than 300 days each year, and often at night as well. I lock my bikes in neighborhoods where the police are afraid to patrol alone. And guess what? In twenty-five years of using Kryptonite locks: zero bikes stolen.
The folks at the ART Foundation, Soldsecure, and Cycling Plus have tested locks that have been proven to resist a skilled crook using power tools for ten minutes minimum and (for several) up to an hour or more. There is no rational reason for anyone to still be using "pretend" locks that can be broken by half-witted dopers in thirty seconds.