Originally Posted by Eggplant Jeff
I also disagree with his "the rim is hard to cut" bit, because he just said that thieves carry bolt cutters... I removed a tire and tube from a rim in ~10-15 seconds using a bolt cutter, and that was being reasonably careful NOT to damage the rim. I think a bolt cutter would go through a rim like a chainsaw through warm butter... Unfortunately I threw out my old rims so I can't test that theory. Anyone feel like trying it out?
The simple truth is if someone wants your bike, they're going to get it regardless. Someone posted a link to a video clip where a bike mechanic in New York City went around grading people's locking jobs. But one thing that he said that really resonates with me is with any lock, you're just buying time.
Any lock or combination thereof can be defeated. So then the question becomes can you lock your bike up well enough that it'll take too much time to remove the locks or make your bike undesirable to have once it's been broken free of your locks? I don't steal bikes but if I did, I certainly wouldn't want to have to deflate the tube, cut the tire and tube, then cut the rim, and then walk off with the bike. It's just a hassle. And the rear wheel is one of the most expensive parts on the bike.
Unless you're locking up a $3,000+ road bike, a thief isn't going to bother going through all the trouble of cutting through the rim. There's probably another bike close by that's not locked up very well that they can take.