NYC vs Chicago vs. Your City
I moved to NYC about 7 months ago, and i've been kind of bummed to see that bike theft is so out of control that nobody locks nice/clean bikes up outside. ..this is to say nothing of the fact that there's virtually nowhere to lock them up in the first place. i'm guessing that the rate of bike theft seems to be fueled by the restaurants, who buy stolen bikes from people who stole them for drug money. the restaurants throw their delivery guys on the bikes, ride them till they fall apart, then replace them.
this might be an over-generalization. but i can't remember seeing a nice bike locked up anywhere, and the ones that are locked up have 10lb Kryptonite New Yorks, etc.
contrast this with: i've been in chicago for the past week - the area west and north of grant park. there are bike racks EVERYWHERE, and plenty have nice bikes locked up *all day* with relatively tiny locks. i wish NYC was like this.
so, is your city bike friendly? if so, what do you attribute it to?