Ed Holland

RazorWind

Where would you even put a handgun on a bicycle? In my lycras, I can't say any sort of holster is likely to be terribly comfortable, and you can forget about concealing it.

Zeuser

Cell phone and digital camera (video mode) with a few spare SD cards.

Cops took my 4GB SD card to get the video evidence of a hit and run I caught on video. I got the card back... formatted!

PHVK !!!!!!

Ed Holland

Mrs H already complains that nothing is properly concealed in these shorts


Just threaten to drop the lycra, they'll turn and run I guarantee...

Lake_Tom

What the "rednecks" did was criminal menacing. It is a degree of an assault. He should surely be concerned about people who were threatening him.

Consider how you would feel if you were being mugged, for that matter
You're not just trolling to start a fight on the internet, are you dobber???

Machka 

And I ignore it and move on .... and move on with my life too.

They didn't actually do anything to him ... and this happened years ago.

Ed Holland

Agreed. Much the best approach is to ignore this behaviour. They soon get bored... unless you give them a reason not to.

Machka 

And I figure he's quite fortunate. He was yelled at once in "years". That's great! He must live in a wonderful place.

I live in a pretty good place for cycling, and I still get yelled at a couple times a year. <<shrug shoulders>>

Ed Holland

About the same here vis-a-vis comments towards me as a cyclist, and similar in the UK. There's no accounting for some people. Then again I was ridiculed from the occupants of a jeep for driving a small classic car and having long hair the other day.... in California?

cudak888 

Could you relate the account of that story, by any chance?

-Kurt

P.S.: An ideal comeback conceived for all idiots:

"Hey, buddy, you know what this is?" (Hold up seven fingers)
"No."
"A week's worth of this." (Flip the bird)

chipcom 

My fav is the old gong show schtick...

You like sex?
You like to walk?
Good, then take a F'ing hike!

Hill-Pumper

Actually, I do live in a good place, the fact that I have not been yelled at while riding is that I am just getting back into it after quite a few years. Also, I have not thought about this incident in years, but I was riding in the same area that it happened at and I got to thinking about it. If you read my first post, you will notice that I was not upset about them yelling at first, it was them making a second round at me,and then blocking the road. I just posted this to get other ideas of how to handle it if something like this ever occurred again. If nothing more, it has brought to light differing options and opinions that other riders might be able to use. Please also note that I said that I thought better of the the gun idea and was asking for OTHER options. If I did not make that clear in my first post, then I apologize. I meant this to be a discourse on how to deal with harassers, but it looks like I may have failed on that mission.

cudak888 

Ah, so you remember that one too . Everything is an old joke, ain't it?

-Kurt

ATAC49er

Not going to pack a gun on the bike or my body...too much temptation to use it when I shouldn't.

But, with all the gas about gas prices, and someone bringing up the possibilities in the future of bike-jacking, well...let's just say my 3' krypto chain is gonna have more than one application....

buzzman

I'm with those that carry common sense.

I suppose a pepper spray might do little harm to carry. My guess is, unless you're pretty hotheaded or really unlucky, you'll never use it on a human being but it might serve you on a particularly aggressive dog if you get in a tight spot.

A gun? There are endless threads in BF by bike weight weenies reducing frame and component weights at considerable cost and there are thousands of threads questioning the efficacy and necessity of wearing a helmet but talk about something that you could carry on your bike for a lifetime and never use and is just a lot of extra weight?- a gun might be at the top of the list IMHO.

My guess is that the chances of the gun coming in handy are about as good as winning a $300 million Powerball Lottery but people sure buy a lot of those tickets and eventually somebody wins, so as remote as the chances are logic and reason often lose out over fantasy and emotion. What's ironic is that if you think it through rationally there isn't much reason to carry a firearm on a bike ride, which means that rational people don't carry them. But if you subscribe to inflated fears, are highly imaginative, paranoid or tend to get into inflamed situations with motorists (or other cyclists?!!) a gun "makes sense".

So for those who think they'll need a gun by all means carry one around and maybe you'll get "lucky" enough to be glad you have it.

Dchiefransom

About the same time we decided if was more appropriate to run away than confront criminals.

Ed Holland

How many pages would you like


that's funny, and not too clever that it's impact should pierce the densest skull.

BikingGrad80

If it is just yelling ignore them or flip them off. If they menace you or try to run you off the road then it is time to use your cell phone, pretend it has a camera even if it doesn't. Or if it is happening frequently get the Action cam and start turning them into the police.

Rex G

Two things I see with the original post: First, the guys in the truck displayed rudeness and immaturity, but I saw nothing mentioned that rose to the level of a threat that would justify using any level of force in defense. Second, they left the area, which makes this a one-time event; harassment generally means a pattern of activity.

Moreover, the original poster, to his credit, did not take their bait. Suggestions of giving them the finger are advocating escalation, and once one has escalated an event, he has largely abdicated any right to claim self-defense if the other party then escalates in return. Incremental escalation is not seen in a good light by the legal system. "Reasonableness" is what we seek. It can be entirely reasonable to respond with force, sometimes even deadly force, but using force too soon on the threat/force continuum can land one in prison, where one learns the real meaning of harassment.

OC spray, a.k.a. pepper spray, can be effective, but as with chemical warfare through the ages, mind the wind direction! Back-splash/back-splatter is no fun, but happens. Mace? A mace is a weight, often spiked, mounted on a long stick/handle, used in medieval times as a weapon for smashing one's armored opponent. Chemical mace was developed in the 20th century, and has largely been eclipsed by OC spray, with the latter being generally more effective and easier to decontaminate from one's own clothing and body. Think if it as hot pepper sauce in an alcohol-based carrier.

I welcome the new member to Bikeforums, but must advise that in my humble opinion, your user name is perhaps not the best, especially when coupled with the original post in this thread. Joining a forum with an immediate agenda is not seen as the way to do things on just about any forum.

Lastly, I am not a lawyer, but do wear a badge, as is made clear in my member profile. I do not work for my hometown's PD, but for that of another jurisdiction. I must maintain a cloaking device around my full identity, as my employer does not like me to dispense advice on self-defense, weapons, laws, and such, while being identifiable as a member of the agency, unless it is filtered through our PIO. I am a believer in the Second Amendment, and the right of self-defense, but also support the "reasonable man" concept.

dobber

Being yelled at is hardly criminal, let alone menacing. If you're that scared, you better stay on the front porch.

There is a big difference between running away and simply ignoring them.

Lake_Tom

1. You are not an attorney or law enforcement
2. You are a troll

Treespeed

If you feel a need to carry a firearm with you everywhere you go there is something seriously wrong with you. The reason being is that eventually you'll feel the need to use it and as Chip pointed out such force is almost never called for.

chipcom 

1. are you?
2. can you define troll?

ruiner

Dear Road-Rage,
I suggest traveling back to where the big bad meanies in a truck yelled at you, search for your balls and have them surgically reattached. That is unless you like living as a transgender, in which case I will fully support that decision as well.
Sincerely,
ruiner

chipcom 

Way to be helpful, rambo.