Originally Posted by
RubeRad
In my suburban area, I'm fortunate that bike theft doesn't seem to be a problem at all. I've given up locking my bike at work (gated facility with 24/7 security; I just leave it in a parking deck stairwell, tucked under an overhang where it's not in anybody's way), and although I do lock it up if I'm doing errands about town, I feel like I could probably get away with just leaving it in bike racks unlocked (but don't want to find out the hard way I'm wrong!)
Anyways, lights. I have a cheap but very effective
LED flashlight "permanently" mounted onto my handlebars with interlocking hose clamps. Anybody with an adjustable wrench or flathead screwdriver could get it off in a minute, but I doubt anybody around here has even noticed it's there. I feel like the car-centric SoCal culture has bike blindness.
Yup, I lived where bike theft was not a big problem, and it sure is nice. Once I went shopping in a suburban supermarket where I would use a lock. I had forgotten to bring it, so I tethered my bike to the bike rack using a bungee cord. Silly, and it probably didn't deter theft, but it certainly didn't cause one, either.
I used those generic flashlights. Some of them put out a lot of light, but I don't like the round beams they have because I have to point it down, and when I do, it forms a bright circle on the ground which attracts my eyes. I realized that for me, lights intended for bikes are best.
Hose clamps are a good idea. Right now, I have security skewers to prevent wheel theft, and they are hugely convenient. I should have gotten them sooner. I just toss my U lock over a convenient part of the frame, and I'm done.