Bicycle chain = Anti road rage device
 

I ride North of Boston, in an area that has some pretty aggresive/rude/outspoken drivers.
Up until recently, thrown comments and soda bottles were routine for a normal ride. It's not unusual for
drivers to slow down and act menacing in thier vehicles as they drive by.

Recently, I started wearing my bicycle lock (3 ft of chain secured with a padlock) draped over my shoulder, instead of sticking it in my bag when I ride. Since then....

One comment - "Nice chain", no other types of aggression or rudeness.

Your mileage may vary, but it works for me.

Hmm was thinking of your standard chain, this makes much more sense.

Seems to be a bit of weight though. Lets make and sell carbon fiber ones.

I have to say, stuff like that never happens here in Asheville, NC. Knock on wood (I'm tapping on my head).

I suspect too many people here in TX carry guns to be deterred much by a chain...

Heh, that's pretty funny. In what towns are you encountering these problems though? Not that there's anything new about rude or aggressive drivers in MA.

That type of behavior has not been commonplace here in Socal in my experience, but it happens sometimes.

I have done that as well and I have noticed that drivers give you more room when passing. They also switch lanes more often when passing. I don't know if its the percieved threat of you having a possible weapon or that wearing a large chain makes you stand out more than usual.

I ride mostly in the Lawrence / Lowell area.
Its likely that there are more guns around here than they have in Texas :)

I don't know man. I've seen people ride with those massive Krypto chains over their shoulders and it doesn't look very intimidating. But what do I know, I once got a comment on how f-ing huge and scary my Krypto Evolution Series 4 is when I have it held by my belt.

I carry one of these.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...her-Flegel.jpg

Cars give me a wide berth.

heavy looking chain made from titanium tubing might be effective. However I havent had any problems with aggressive drivers while on my bike in the ast three years.

Just use the plastic chain from Home depot. It looks like chain without all the weight and theft deterrance.

Of course, in Texas, they don't know if you're carrying a gun - especially if you wear bulky bike clothing. Right?

No, I'm not advocating that cyclists carry firearms. They're heavy, right? ;)

haha i ride south of boston taunton i wanna smash people with a bike lock too.

i keep a novelty mini bat on my chopper i used to have a hammer but the cops knew what it was for

Same down here in New Bedford.

Hey, I'm in Taunton too. I ride from the Mall to Industrial park most days. Don't have many problems though. I wonder if most drivers think I'm biking because of a DUI. Especially in winter.

There's always drillium.

Excellent!!!:thumb:

In this report, the drivers are observant of small details.

I also used to do this.
When I was 12.

A true hipster wears it like a belt.

Somehow I think this thread is going to get locked, but anyway.......

I have the Kryptonite New York lock with the long chain, and when I am going short-to-moderate distances with it I will just wear it over my shoulder like a bandolier. It's way too heavy to use an an effective weapon however. I'm a pretty big & tall guy and it's still way too heavy to swing well.

If you wanted to carry something that would work for busting heads, I would say to go to a hardware store, get ~4-feet of swingset chain, get enough vinyl jacketing to cover it, and put a cheap padlock through both ends and wear that. Put your real chain in the bike bag but have keys for both locks, in case you need to justify carrying it around.

You could even use it as an additional chain+lock, to supplement your regular one.

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I have heard of this phenomenon before, from another urban-dwelling bicyclist. He noticed that he tended to get less crap from drivers when he carried his lock over his shoulder.

His theory was that people think that they can give a bicyclist trouble and that even though they are stuck in gridlocked traffic, they think that they are safe in their car if the windows are rolled up--but if the bicyclist has a lock on a chain (that can easily smash through a car window) the motorists tend to be a bit more circumspect with their actions. :lol:

~

ha cool man yea i ride from berkley to the taunton industrial park roughly the same distance. i cross the bridge and head straight through dighton to rt 44 then cut down north walker to 140 and come in the back entrance of the park where perkins is. and yea im pretty sure people think im homeless due to my beard and scragly appearance. especially in winter hahahahaahhaha!!!!!! i got asked if i wanted breakfast by some old lady in febuary it was very kind but somehow offensive. i get honked at and yelled at all the time. most harassment comes from kids at their bus stops though. "every once in a while" on rt 44 im almost killed by lopez gravel trucks. like almost everyday. hahah.

So, last year then?

'cause that's what all the other hipsters are doing... :lol: