Clybourn Metra station bike thefts

I feel obligated to post this, to warn others who might take the Metra from the Clybourn station and think about taking any shortcuts with locking their bikes...

I've been parking my bike there during the day for less than two months, and had the rack stolen off my bike (it was bolted on, no quick releases to make it easy) and today was the second time that the person parked next to me had their rear wheel (unlocked, quick release skewer) stolen. The other time someone's wheel was stolen someone also tried to steal one of mine (the front skewer was undone) but apparently after doing that they realized it was locked with a u-lock so they weren't able to steal it. I've also seen other bikes that might be getting their wheels stolen, but since they weren't parked right next to mine, it's possible the rider just took it with them for safekeeping.

Anyway it seems to me that the thieves are targeting the easy stuff - unsecured items with quick releases. The person next to me today who had her wheel stolen had the frame and front wheel secured with only a basic cable lock, so the thief just took what was easy to grab and go.

So, if you lock your bike there, take the extra time to secure anything that's removable. My personal strategy (after my rack was stolen and I realized that it was only a matter of time before my bike disappeared) was to get a cheap used bike to use for my commute, as opposed to using my normal commuter which I actually like and don't want stolen or messed with again. But I still use a good u-lock and a cable lock that I run through my seat, rack and rear wheel (which also doesn't have a quick release). So far so good, except for the unobservant thief who tried to steal my locked front wheel.