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I was out with my gravel bike the other night and I didn't thought it would be dark before I would be back. So I didn't bring my attachable lights because its kind of big and bulky.
Is there a bikelight product which is very hard to steal or very portable ?
Do you always bring your light, or have you had situations like this as well ?
I always carry lights with me when riding. If I'm parking somewhere safe, like my garage at home or our locked bike room at work, then I'll leave lights attached.
If I'm at the shops then I lock the bike and take off all the easily-removed lights and computer etc and take them inside with me. I don't remove pedals or anything bolted down. I have one rear light which is bolted on, so that can stay on the bike.
I think your question is two-fold, I will answer accordingly:
Is there a bikelight product which is very hard to steal?
As long as common fasteners (hex bolts, philips screw, etc...) are used to attach an accessory (such as a light) to your bike, it will be relatively easy to remove by anyone with a multi-tool.
My approach to deter accessory theft is to use less widely available fasteners such as tamper-resistant / security torx bolts. This solution can be applied to any bikelight as long as it is attached to the frame with some threaded fastener. This previous question has other suggestions as well.
Is there a bikelight product which is very portable?
The Stackexchange format does not work well for product recommendations as they quickly become outdated. What does work on this website is explaining how to look for a product that matches certain criteria.
In the current case the Bike Light Database could be a very helpful resource. You could use the weight filter to search for portable lights:
I personally use a helmet which has lights built in, but I've recently noticed that the same manufacturer has released detachable lights: Lumos Firefly. They attach magnetically to a mounting plate.
(I have no relation with the company or any of its employees)
Personally, I take lights if I'm going to ride in the evening: if I'm delayed because of a puncture or other reason, I prefer to ride safe home (I also have a light mounted on my helmet).
Hard to steal lights would be permanently mounted, which may be a problem for battery powered lights. That being said, there are lights with separate batteries, that you can mount "permanently" (although they are usually mounted with hex bolts, but that's ok if you just want to avoid that it's being stolen without tool). For these lamps, you can either fix the battery with straps on the frame, or in a top frame bag (gravel bikes commonly have mounts for that now).
For the "very portable" part, it depends on your goal and what you considered to be "very portable". In gravel, I consider that 1000 lumens is a minimum (not all the time though), so if you have something too compact, the autonomy will suffer. I'm using a bike light that is 100x30x34mm, that fits easily in a pocket, while having enough power when I need to, and last long enough for coming back safely, or even to ride in the evening.
I think it's a gross mistake that bicycle manufacturers generally fail to include lights that are powered by one of the main power sources of the bike.
For non-electric bikes, this means lights powered by muscle power, i.e. hub dynamo lights. The most expensive component, the front wheel, can be stolen but you can lock it with cable and a dynamo front wheel is not that much more expensive than a non-dynamo front wheel so having dynamo won't increase the probability of theft all that much. Also for QR hubs you can use these five-sided Allen-like security skewers that are harder to steal since few people have the tool required for stealing them. (Unfortunately thru-axles have so many standards and it's very unlikely you will find compatible ones for thru-axle frames and forks.) The less expensive components, front and rear light, can be stolen with ordinary tools but they have little market value since few people are looking for a used bike light, but lots of people are looking for cheap used bikes (that could actually have been stolen). Also the factor that a front or rear light without its power source is about useless as a flash light makes theft less likely.
And in case you fear dynamo drag: a powered-off hub dynamo creates about 1 watt drag at typical speeds, and has 50% efficiency when powered on so for 3 watt light there will be 6 watts of drag. The best bicycle tires, those intended for racing bikes, create more like 20 watts of drag at speeds casual cyclists ride (at racing speeds the drag is obviously more). The drag is almost non-existent. Besides, whatever little speed you lose to 6 watts of drag is maybe 0.47 km/h (according to a simple bike speed simulator I have written). After riding 100 kilometers, 5 hours, that's about 7 minutes. How much time would you use removing the light every time you stop at a grocery store, putting it on your bag, putting it back to the bike after continuing riding? How much time would you use charging the light at home? Well I suppose if the 100 kilometer ride is one continuous ride, then it would be faster to use a battery light and charge it at home.
For electric bikes, I think it's more logical to power these lights from the e-bike battery. Typical battery sizes are 500 Wh that give about 160-170 hours of light. Good e-bike systems, when the lights are on, cut electric assist at 5% battery remaining or so, giving still over 8 hours of light for you so certainly you won't be stuck in the dark. These, too, require the power source so same considerations apply as for dynamo lights: stolen lights don't have the kind of market value that stolen bikes have.
A typical battery light, in contrast, has to be removable to be practical. It has to be removable or else if it's AA light it's probably very hard to change the batteries, if it's Li-Ion light the battery can be non-removable so the entire light has to be removable, and anyway if the Li-Ion battery is removable, it's probably much easier to remove the battery for charging if you can remove the light from the handlebars.
And even though if a battery light manufacturer has magically made a light that's permanently mounted on handlebars, not removable with tools, and has managed to make it very convenient to change the batteries, still it's useful if it can be stolen with tools, since it can be used as a flashlight.
Switch to dynamo or ebike lights. You won't be disappointed. I have made the choice that not a single of my bikes lacks lights powered by one of the main power sources of the bike.
I use some very cheap lights which rarely gets stolen because they are so cheap
Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Light-Front-Rear-Silicone/dp/B0BL7C75MH/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2QTZEN2WVYCTX&keywords=bike+lights&qid=1686638425&sprefix=bike+lights%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-9
I usually have a spare set mounted in case they run out of power, and you could put spares in a backpack in case they get stolen
It depends on your location and the local crime level but in general lights that require a screw driver or similar tool to remove are much much safer from being stolen than lights you can remove with your bare hands. From my personal experience in the US and multiple European countries: clip on lights do get stolen, screwed on lights do not.
It seems to depend on the country which kinds of lights are common and easily available but it should be possible to get the kind that requires screws to attach and remove anywhere.
On the road bike I have Trek/Bontrager Ion200+Flare RT which I have always mounted and always turned on (even during the day, they automatically turn on with my Garmin Edge and change mode depending on ambient light). They are small, light and easy to take off. You can just put them in your jersey pockets.
I think lights during the day really improve visibility, especially in tunnels and forests. And of course they are a life safer when you don’t manage get home before nightfall.
On the cyclocross for commuting I have a pretty big and heavy Lezyne Power STVZO Pro 80 (there is a newer, stronger version available now) and two big rear lights. Too heavy for the jersey pockets but usually when I use the cyclocross I have panniers with me anyway.
I have a hardshell lockable box on the pannier rack. It is heavier but holds against the rain very well. Another benefit, I can simply remove the lights that is easy and lock them in the box.
Any light which you can carry on your person would be considered difficult to steal.
Any light which is left unattended with a similarly unattended bicycle, would be considered easy to steal, as bicycles themselves are easy to steal.
Given these two things, a headlamp mounted on your helmet, or a removable handheld lamp 'flashlight type', that you could take with you when not with the bicycle, would fit your criteria.
I wrote a post listing out some locking lights and other alternatives to detachable lights on my website: Bike to Everything - Locking Lights. Here is some of the info rewritten specifically to answer this question.
You have a few options to prevent theft of your bike lights:
I love using both my Fortified lights with tamper proof screws and the Bell Radian 650 & 850 lights, and honestly I hope more companies start coming out with some better anti-theft lights so you can lock your bike with only a U-lock!
