Originally Posted by Sheldon
Second, cutting the rear rim is much harder than you might think. Since the rim is under substantial compression due to the tension on the spokes, it would pinch a hacksaw blade tight as soon as it cut partway through. Then there are the wire beads of the tire, also difficult to cut.
Originally Posted by dutret
This statement is wrong. He asserts that a rim is hard to cut through because you can't simply do it with a hacksaw. I could say the same thing about a cable lock. It's strong because it takes a while to cut it with a hacksaw. A hacksaw is a poor tool choice for each task and it's unlikely a thief would even have one since there is little a hacksaw is good for when stealing bikes. It is not that difficult if the thief is armed with the correct tool so sheldon's misleading statement is wrong.
I doubt you would have to cut the tire and tube away before attacking the rim just flatten them and unless you have really high profile rims you can probably just crumple the whole thing and cut it with a single snip.
My point still stands that if you are spending extra money for a fancier lock it would be absurd to use this method since it creates a link much weaker then the lock. If you have only a mini lock and can't fit it through the frame and wheel both you should forget the wheel and just lock the frame rather then locking the wheel and sort of the frame.
That statement isn't wrong. It makes no mention of bolt cutters, only hacksaws.
Those are some amazing bolt cutters you've got there, to go through a tire & rim with one snip. I'm just glancing at a set of 105 shimano rims WH-R550 on my wifes Archbold and they look to have a 25mm diameter w/out a deflated tire, certainly not aero. I've never seen -bolt cutters you could walk around with- that would do that in one snip.
Now if my plumber came along wanting my bike, his pipe cutters would do okay, the bead of the tire would slow him down but he's a very strong man.
Bolt cutters, 24" & below are a poor weapon against wheels. Several cuts are necessary, 3 at least for the rim alone, more for these 105s. Add a few cuts for spokes, add a few for tire beads.
Your point that a wheel isn't as strong a material as lock or frame, and therefore constitutes a weak link, doesn't take into account the complex arrangement of materials that is a wheel. It doesn't matter how hard the material is, only how hard it is to cut.
I'm surprised you haven't just mentioned the method I'd employ if I were a lowlife thief. Deflate, cut tire & tube, crack rim seam, & cut spokes. Without very specialized tools this has the best potential for quickly defeating a wheel. All you need are cable/wire/tin snips or equivalent