GeraldF

Can anyone name AAA or AA battery blinky lights, both white and red, that have some sort of hole or opening that could be used to run a zip tie through the blinky and around a seat post or handlebars? I'm looking to spend $10 to $20 per light. The only other feature I'm seeking is that I'd like to be able to replace the batteries without having to cut the zip tie off. Thanks.

FatherAlabaster

This answer isn't what you're looking for, but the Knog blinkies work great for the city, are usb rechargeable, and are so easy to take on and off that you just take them with you whenever you lock up. If I was a thief, and I wanted your lights, a zip tie wouldn't stop me for more than two seconds...

dougmc

The real reason we use zipties on blinkies isn't to discourage theft (as a blinkie won't even slow down a thief -- he'll just grab and twist and the ziptie will pop) but to keep the back from popping off on on the PBSFs.

This is the solution to blinkie theft -- a light that's so inexpensive that when it gets stolen (and any light you leave on your bike that's not integrated into the bike will get stolen eventually if you leave it out in the open) you won't get too upset about it.

jsharr

I simply take mine with me if I am leaving my bike somewhere I do not like. Most of them come with quick release mounts.

agent pombero

Much better just to take the lights with you. There is no real way to secure lights.

GeraldF

I spoke to someone in Philadelphia who has a cheap red blinky that he fastens to his seat post with a zip tie and some see-through packing tape. Guess how many times his light has been stolen in six years? ... ZERO. BTW, he locks his bike up outside on the sidewalk most nights in a "borderline" area of Philly.

Zip ties absolutely DETER theft, though they don't prevent it. Blinkies aren't something that thieves pre-meditatively set out to steal. It's an impulse theft. If all the other bikes have easily removable blinkies, but mine requires scissors or a strong use of force with ones bare hands, obviously the thief will steal a light from another bike and not mine. If a standard zip tie doesn't do the trick I'll splurge and spend $1-$2 on a stainless steel zip tie which WOULD require tools to break.

dougmc, thanks for the link to the $5 planet bike knockoff blinkies. I was unaware that there were deals better than what's on amazon.

I'll scan through and see if the link includes a model that would work with the zip tie idea.

In the winter time I don't mind removing the lights too much. I put them in a pocket of my winter jacket. In the summer, however, I'm usually not wearing a jacket. I'd rather not have bulging pockets (keys, cell phone, change, white blinky light, red blinky light), and I'm certainly not going to carry a bag with me just to carry blinky lights.

*UPDATE: I just googled dx.com and I'm finding that it's highly unreliable and they have terrible customer service. Received 1 star out of 9 reviews https://www.reviewopedia.com/dx-com-reviews I'll spend the extra five dollars and order from amazon.

dougmc

Yup, there are.

Do be aware that your zip tie idea pretty much precludes you from removing your lights manually. (Unless you want to yank it loose and break the zip tie, of course.)

You found a $10 PBSF clone on Amazon?

DX is a known entity, they've been around for years. Orders take about a month to arrive, and they get a lot of negative reviews for that. And they sell a lot of utter crap, and they get flack for that too. Their customer service is hit or miss -- I've ordered from them literally dozens of times, and had to talk to customer service twice. Both times, they fixed my problem with no grief whatsoever, didn't even want the broken/defective stuff back -- but I've heard of other people having problems.

But some of the stuff they sell is very good, and the light I mentioned is one of those things.

The light is about 95% as good as the real PBSF -- the mount is a little lower quality, but adequate -- but 80% cheaper. Personally, I bought ten of them. I've given about half of them away, used a few, and so far they're all still working fine. (And none have been stolen, by the way, but that's mostly just luck I think.)

GeraldF

dougmc, thanks for the full disclosure on dx.com. One of their reviewers mentioned something about identity theft and being asked for personal info and that's when I initially turned my back on the idea of using them. Your post has me reconsidering. I'll be sure to have very low expectations for time of delivery, etc.

I did not find a $10 super-flash clone on amazon, but there is a $10 Planet Bike light that is quite bright and well-rated.

My latest discovery is knog-like lights that are selling for $2.50 on amazon. I'm thinking I might be going with those. I can either use a zip tie or try without a zip tie and see how long it takes for them to get stolen. Only $2.50, so what the heck. Here's a link: https://amzn.to/ZCSKHI They come in white and red.