I use "mini" u-locks for typical neighborhood riding, and never have a problem finding a pole to lock to. A "mini" u-lock will fit around a rear wheel with a tire 35mm wide, or less, and a typical traditional parking meter pole, or typical traffic sign pole that is mounted in concrete.

Sometimes the "best" locking pole is thirty or forty yards from the shop I'm going to, but I'd rather be locked up securely, and walk thirty yards then to lock to a flimsy $30 bike rack directly in front of the shop.

In theory, a crook with expensive power tools can steal a bike that uses the "rear wheel - mini U-lock" method in under ten minutes. But, I've never seen a documented, proven case of a bike that was stolen that where the "Sheldon Brown" method was used with a "gold" rated u-lock attached to a beefy steel pole that was set in concrete.

Why does the "Sheldon Brown" method never fail in "real life"? Crooks are often dumb, but not as dumb as a rock. The majority of bikes are locked with cable locks, or with oversized, but flimsy u-locks from Wal-Mart or K-Mart. That allows those bikes to be stolen in under one minute using a silent, portable tool.

You would have to be the world's biggest idiot to ignore a dozen bikes locked with crummy locks to target a bike that combines a Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit u-lock with the "Sheldon Brown" rear wheel lockup method.

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