Pepper spray? Knives?

Now if you lived in a Free state, oh, let's say, Texas, instead of a state which allows cops, politicians and movie stars to protect themselves but denies ordinary citizens the right to keep and bear arms, you'd dispense with such ineffectual defensive measures and move up to something on the order of a compact 9mm to deal with any "issues" that nighttime, or for that matter, daytime riding might bring up.