that writer bought stolen bikes. he fed the problem. he also left bikes out for a long time, making them look abandoned, to see what would happen next. I think it was sensationalism.  I bring my bike indoors to park at work and home.  I lock it when I am running errands. I replace my wheel skewers with allen head ones instead of levers, on my urban bikes.  All I  have ever had stolen was a quick release wheel once.

It’s all about location: In NYC, it doesn’t matter how you’re locked up, someone will steal something if you don’t have the opportunity to take the bike inside with you. Since moving to Davis, CA 2 years ago, I’ve seen people complain about a “bike theft problem” here, but have only seen thefts when people didn’t lock their bikes at home overnight. Lock according to local risk level,and don’t be surprised by anything in places like NYC or SF.