I'm new to cycling and just spent $600 on a new Jamis Coda Sport and of course the couple of hundred in "necessary" accessories to go with the bike. I plan in part to use the bike to commute between some evening activities and my home. The bike will be parked on a college campus for some of these evening activities. I've been told by the LBS that the theft rates on that particular campus are something to take heed of.

In response, I ended up buying a Kryptonite New York FAHGETTABOUDIT U-lock in addition to an Onguard Bulldog DT keyed U-lock/cable combination (no separate lock for the cable).

The Kryptonite shackle is too narrow to thread through both the rear wheel and frame. I plan to use this lock to secure the bike to the bike rack (preferably) or parking meter. I looked at the Sheldon Brown website where he simply slides the lock through the rear wheel in the rear frame triangle. I could do that, then lock the bike to the rack. Or I could use the Kryptonite lock to lock the top tube directly to the rack, then use the Onguard locks for the rear/front wheels (and locked to the rack as well). The seat post quick release has already been replaced by an allen nut and once I'm totally comfortable with the height I may end up using some red locktite for extra security. I'll of course take my lights with me since those are just easy targets.

But, what are bike racks made out of? I can't imagine they're using the same super-high quality steel in an Kryptonite lock for the rack. The same goes for just about any railing, etc. Why attack the lock when the "solid" object may be the weak point in the locking strategy? Why doesn't an industrious thief simply saw through the rack instead of wasting time with the lock itself? I guess that makes the Sheldon Brown method more effective because even if the thief gets the bike off the rack he still can't ride it away. I know none of these methods stand a chance against someone with power tools and a van but I figure if I make my relatively inexpensive bike a pain to steal he'll go after something easier.

Sorry if this question has already been answered before but I really did try to search for the answer in previous threads.