Originally Posted by H2O_Doc

Sorry, I think something got lost in translation. I was trying to make a general point about reducing the risk of theft. I thought I conceded that much, if not all of what we do cannot be guaranteed 100% foolproof in preventing theft, but some things can reduce the likelihood of being a victim. I lock my bike at the metro, not because it is foolproof, but because it has been reasonably effective to date. I am as certain as one can be that had I not locked my bike all these years, it would have been stolen by now. Not foolproof, yet (likely) highly effective.

A significant amount of theft is opportunistic; not planned or prepared for. Modest measures that increase the time and effort to steal something can be all that is needed to get the bad guy to move on to someone else - this is actually well studied. I never intended to take particular address of whether or not wheel locks are a worthwhile investment, so your response to my post is a bit off target (but understandable if you read it strictly in the thread's wheel lock context). Investing in any form of theft deterrence is (or should be) a subjective assessment of the perceived benefits and costs and should be made with recognition that nothing is a certain 100%prevention. The frequent refrain that "if people want it bad enough they will find a way to steal it" might be correct, but maybe of only limited usefulness and that was the issues I was (perhaps obtusely) getting at. Mea culpa if I wasn't clear.

No, I don't need the wheel lock website;'I'm sure it does exist. I wouldn't specifically buy wheel locks for any of my vehicles (skateboard included). Doing an informal cost-benefit analysis leads me to conclude they are not worthwhile for my circumstances.

Your point that you can get any set of wheels off at the salvage yard is of limited usefulness, unless we assume that all wheels are stolen at salvage yards. I'd expect a salvage yard to have some pretty serious hardware that may or may not be owned by a thief on the street. Your point about the keys is a more helpful and folks investing in wheel locks should weigh their easy availability into a decision about buying wheel locks. They might also consider that not everyone with intent to steal wheels will necessarily be walking around with a big wad of keys in their pocket. Again, cost benefit with the understanding that nothing is foolproof.

Note: tone doesn't come across well in email or in a forum - not trying to be dickish here, just trying to clarify. Having said that, apparently I can be a real **** if you ask my wife, or my neighbors, or some of the people I work or probably a few other folks.