Light mount which actually screws on properly - metal?

[carconcerns]

Hi all,

My son cycles to school and now winter is coming I would like to get him some lights. We have bought a few sets previously but they have fallen/been taken off. (the small rubbery ones)

He has to leave his bike in a bike shed but unfortunately some of the children can't be trusted to not mess with other peoples belongings!

Basically, I am wondering if anyone knows of a set which is metal/hardwearing and actually needs to be screwed on with a screwdriver as most of the sets I have seen online seem easy fit with just a large plastic screw for the mount. It is fine if the actual lights are easy to remove/rechargeable as he can just take them off and pop them in his bag.

Thought I would ask on here as it is driving me madd zooming in on photos and reading millions of reviews! Thanks in advance,

Most cycle lights are easily removable so that the rider can take them off and put them in their bag until they need them again

Look here

https://www.wiggle.com/searchresults?descriptionfilter=Cycle%20lights

An easy thing first - can you put cable ties on the lights to ward off fidgety fingers? You can get reusable cable ties which come on and off a bit more readily, if that's a good enough solution.

Unlikely, but if your son's bike has a rack then these are fab: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/busch-muller-toplight-view-permanent-rear-light/
(there are cheaper versions available). Or you could use an adaptor like this: https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/light-spares/1948-cateye-rear-rack-mount-bracket.html

I quite like the Cateye lights with twiddly mounts. One of my sons used to fiddle and lose everything, but this sort took a bit longer to twiddle and lose: https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cateye-EL-135-Front-OMNI-5-Rear-Battery-Light-Set_66807.htm?variations=colour:Black
The nuts have a tendency to go missing, but I used to write to Cat Eye and they'd just post a few.

The expensive but guaranteed-to-work option is hub dynamo and lights. You get the front wheel built up with a different hub, which powers lights front and rear. It's an expensive option though, probably around £150 all in. You can save money by getting a (good!) bike shop to build the wheel, then fitting everything yourself - it's not difficult. I tended to do this for bikes from year 6 up, when the kids slowed down growing and they were cycling in the dark more. It's a lot of money upfront but I found it was worth every penny - no need to worry about kids' lights ever again!