From the Chicagoland Stolen Bike Registry, a project to help understand patterns in comes this unfortunate report: "I locked my bike up very well to a metal pole/street sign in front of my friend's house... When I came out at midnight, the pole had been sawed through and thrown into the alley and my bike was no longer there." (Note: if you own a Specialized, be careful. They seem to be very "hot" lately with thieves.)