(Thunder9) writes:

This requires that the seat be removed from the post before removing the post
from the bicycle. Or, alternatively, the thief could use a wire-cutters. I'd
imagine using one is somewhat more effective than not using one, and my seat
made it through two years on a college campus without being stolen. That is,
until I made the mistake of locking my bicycle to a tree.

What does locking a bike to a tree have to do with stealing a seat?

The seat didn't get stolen by itself. On college campuses, locking a bicycle
to a tree is (as I found out) a sure way to get the bike stolen. The thief
simply cuts down the tree. A bike locked to a street sign is a similarly easy
target.

Is seat stealing a common occurance? Does that happen more often than
bike stealing (ie seat stealing only vs. complete bike stealing)?

It's extremely common. Stealing a bike usually requires cutting a lock or
chain. Stealing a seatpost often simply requires opening a quick release and
putting the seat in a bag.

I think one could go a bit overboard trying to secure things on a
bike. Perhaps the best deterrent would be to make the seat *look*
like it isn't worth stealing.

On a college campus, anything that can be stolen will be stolen. I've seen
studies indicating that 10% of all bikes on a college campus are stolen each
year.

sam