Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
If the "cut" lock was sitting on a workbench, I'd guess you could rotate the shackle, and open up the "gap" between the two sections. But, if the interior of the shackle was filled by the rear wheel and a beefy locking post, it would not be possible to rotate the shackle enough to pull the bike through a single "cut".
That puzzled me for a while too. I actually went to look at my NY lock. I finally realized that yes the shackle would be held from rotating by the frame, wheel, crank arm, post, etc. But the locking cylinder is sticking out on the end and you just rotate the cylinder and the shackle is held still by all the other parts.
Just as if you put the shackle in a vise and rotated the locking cylinder by hand or with a lever.
The rust is typicall of just one day or even less. That kind of steel rusts easily.