Originally Posted by
Kevindale
In the Netherlands this is surprisingly typical. Either it's an "omafiets" with a lock on the seat stays that locks up the rear wheel (and no lock anywhere else) or it's a setup like this. This kind of locking system seems only effective against joyriders, but you see bikes locked up this way all the time. And of course there's a massive bike theft problem, and even crappy bikes get taken.
The O-lock on the seat stay will do in the country side. In cities you need to lock it to a tree or a pole too with a chain or cable lock, but in Amsterdam 3 locks is normal. You don't want your bike to be the one with only two locks between all the other bikes. A stolen bike is usually sold for 10-15 euro's, so the thieves have to work really hard for a day's addiction.