OP checking in.

This was never intended to be a discussion about how to avoid having your pedals stolen! Mine cost about fifteen bucks, so they are not an issue.

Also, I fully realize that a bike with any kind of value will be hauled away in a flatbed truck before it is ridden away. I guess I should have been clearer in explaining that I was thinking about a way to protect an average bike (like mine) against a simple ride-away theft, in which, perhaps, the thief is more interested in the thrill of getting away with it than in cashing in on a stripped frame or its parts. When I do overnight rides and need to stop at a 7-Eleven to pee, I mostly worry that some idiot will hop on my junker and take a joy ride just to express his disdain for bicycles and the tree-huggers who ride 'em.

If there's a way to keep that from happening, it might be worth a small investment.