Chris516

I am south of Baltimore. Over the summer of last year. On one of the bike/ped trails that goes through DC. There was a bunch of teens playing the 'knockout' game on cyclists'.

Rollfast

I'm gathering that lately it's bicycle rutting season and it attracts teenagers.

Essex

These teens know some of the principles of "schooling" behavior. Much like baitfish. They (mostly males) tend congregate early afterschool (cutting), dusk, late at night & sometimes on weekends when they can get at folks with the lowest % of being apprehended, or being punched in the face by someone who can defend themselves.

Since they are rudderless - they find acts of violence intriguing / stimulating. Social media heightens their ability to advertise and to directly, or indirectly get involved in violence / stimulus. For older thugs (post 18 years) - latent/direct anger boils out into a ingrained physical acts on the helpless. Even worse, if these older thugs have a family. As long as we have teens who don't push themselves to do well in school, have minimal direct, or guided parental intervention, coupled with the lack of dedicated social programs we'll find events like this occurring with regular frequency.

I just did a quick search on this "game" and the incidences occurring in larger urban areas is anything but low. As per Baltimore and DC - the conditions of inequality and push for meaningful change of neighborhoods has not really changed in my 30 years of observation. The direct barometer for +, or - change is indicated by % of arrests and prosecution.

no motor?

I had a jr high aged kid dressed dark pants and a dark shirt ride straight at me on a skateboard in the dark once. I was riding around the MUP by the skateboard park and figured he must have been going home from there when he decided to ride straight at me. He thought it was funny until he got too close my headlight (a walloping 185 lumen Fenix L2D when it was the light to have) and started wimpering about how I was breaking the rules as I braked to a stop.

bluegoatwoods

This won't cover all situations, by any means.

...But....keep in mind that if someone is playing chicken with you they have plenty of reason to fear the collision as well. A bicyclist, at speed, will clobber them. Especially since they don't expect you to take the bait. They expect you to run like a scared bunny. Come after them and you'll put them out of their reckoning. You actually do have some power in this situation. And you can choose to use it.

Also don't forget that we are bicyclists. We are in excellent shape compared to most of the people around us. The best part is that most of the type of bully who would hassle someone who's just riding by on a bike don't think about that. They think we're wimps. You've got some power in that situation, too. And you can choose to use it.

I do realise, of course, that if six guys jump me, then I'm going to take a beating. What they don't realise is that at least one of them is going to take a beating also. Unless they've got weapons. They're going to need weapons if they plan on tangling with me and walking away unscratched.

I've only been in a similar situation once. Two guys from the left and two guys from the right came out from behind parked cars and nearly formed a cordon that I wouldn't have been able to get through. It caught me by surprise. I only barely had time to drop my shoulder a bit and to rotate my arm so that my elbow became an 'arrowhead' aimed straight at the one guy's face. He stepped back and I got through. I know that I risked a broken arm or shoulder. But he risked a broken eye socket. Neither of us had the time to think about that at the moment. But we both knew it instinctively. But had it come to that, then the police would have had a fairly serious matter on their hands and would not have ignored it. And they would have separated the sheep from the goats.

I give you my word. I'm a peaceful guy and not a troublemaker. I haven't been in a fistfight in thirty years. I'm almost literally sickeningly nice to anyone who will behave like a civilized human being. I don't look for trouble. But anyone who thinks he's going to stop my progress and then abuse me is going to get a big surprise. Unless he's got a weapon and is willing to use it.

But I won't have lost anything by trying to scare him away or stomp him.

Please don't let punks take your turf away from you. Yes, the possibility of escalation is a bit frightening. But living in fear of hoods who think that you're their stooge is even more frightening. They have already made it dangerous for you. You can hardly increase it.

You are a bicyclist. These fools have good reason to fear you. They just don't know it. You need to teach them.

Essex

The downside of protecting yourself are the legal wranglings that will inevitably arise from being hurt, or hurting others -even if you had to defend yourself. Minors are especially problematic with regards to the law. Additionally, going to court, working with the authorities and paying for legal representation (if needed) is a total drag. I know this from a occupational perspective.

If at all possible - I try not to ride in scarier areas, choose optimal times to ride, have a head on a swivel and report suspicious incidents to the police. Riding a bike, while pleasurable is not the end all for me. And certainly not worth risking a broken shoulder, or having to physically defend myself from thugs (senior and junior) who almost always carry some type of concealed weapon.

Digital_Cowboy

Marcus Ti,

I’m probably showing my age, but when I was growing up. If one was with a group of friends and one in the group did something wrong the WHOLE group was treated the same.

In your case though I can see where a plea deal might encourage someone in the group to tell the truth. As if the entire group is not only facing arrest but some serious jail time that could be the motivator needed to get the others to talk.

Digital_Cowboy

Joey,

Don’t forget that bail is typically returned AFTER the accused has had their day in court. And is typically only revoked or kept if the accused jumps bail or proves to be a flight risk.

Paul Barnard

The thread title is a little misleading.

phoebeisis

Not exactly-some has to pay-and LOSE-10-15% of the bail amount.
Yeah granny has to pay $1000 to get a bail bond company to put up $10,000
So even a $5000 bail-means at LEAST $500 out of pocket-FOREVER.
Generally $500 is a BIG BURDEN for the relatives of low lifes-
because LOW LIFES don't do this ONCE- they do it repeatedly
Unless of course they get Fergus-son-ed -strong arm some tiny person- take that to mean they can strong arm ANYONE
Not being geniuses-they take the wrong lessons from life-generalize their experiences-
and run into the right person

Digital_Cowboy

Phoebeisis,

I’m sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you. I had a friend who had a minor runin with the legal system. I posted bail for him, when he went to trial he had the option of either having the bail returned (to me) or using it to pay his fine. He had it returned to me, and I received a full refund of the money that I had put up.

KonAaron Snake 

Correct. That's not how it works...bail/bonds are a guarantee of behavior, not a fine.

Digital_Cowboy

KonAaron Snake,

Agreed, and said behavior that is guaranteed is that they will show up in court. I found it interesting that my friend was given the option of having the bail returned or having it used towards the fine. I wonder how common that is?

walrus1

I'd have cycled away from them and called 911. If you won't do it for yourself do it so another cyclist won't get hit in the head by their next projectile. That being the BCPD like the NYPD probably won't come out for anything less than a *** or maybe a knife.

Notso_fastLane

This is one more reason to ride a recumbent. I had a similar situation about a year ago. I stopped pedaling, but kept coasting. Once the skate boarder got a good look at the chainring on the front of the bike, and realized he was going to hit what is essentially a buzzsaw, he swerved.

corrado33

I agree with the bear spray. If you don't know, it's essentially a large bottle of mace capable of shooting 20-30 meters. Not to mention it's stronger than mace.

You don't want to get hit with bear spray. You could EASILY dispatch 6-10 people in a group with one can. Just make sure you don't spray it INTO the wind. They're 30-40 bucks on amazon. Not a lot for reassurance. Sure, it may provoke them, but they're not going to be able to do ANYTHING useful for the next few dozens of minutes, plenty of time for you to be far far away.

kevmk81

I bet he wasn't intending to do anything really. Most children/kids/teens don't think their actions could actually harm someone. I was riding in an area for a 5 mile 'test' to see where I was at fitness-wise. In the middle of it, a kid and his sister came into the middle of the road and he threw a branch at my head. Hit my helmet mostly. Maybe a scratch or two on my face. I finished my ride, put the bike back on the car, and drove back to the apartment complex that happened near. I parked, got out, kids were playing, saw which apartment they went into. Rung the doorbell and told the mommy how she needs to keep an eye on her little rug rats. I wasn't a happy camper. The branch was probably 2 inches thick, maybe 4 foot long. Just kind of bounced off my head. I was hauling rear... around 24 mph too. Increased heart rate + anger is not a good combo. Probably helped with my time though. lol :-/