Precisely, you'd get hurt whether you carry a gun or not. Besides, being on a bicycle doesn't put you in a good position for effective self defense in case of unexpected attack. You'd either have to pull your weapon first at the slightest hint of trouble or it'll be too late to pull any weapon since you'd most likely be down and incapacitated by the time you know it. One BF member had the misfortune to find that out when he was taken down with haymaker blow in matter of seconds. He wouldn't have a chance to pull anything out. Running away was the only sensible thing he could do.

I'm glad I don't have such problem because I would simply stop riding or find a long detour. Arming yourself won't help. Avoiding the trouble areas is the only way.

Adam

I also cycle in Philly...and have been through North Philly many times (although not so much lately). I also went through some areas of West Philly and Kensington that could be a bit frightening. The thing I've learned is keep your head down and your mouth shut and everything is usually going to be fine with pedestrians. I've found that when you don't look for trouble, you usually won't find it. Of course being a big bald guy helps.

Honestly...if you're up against a group of people, I think moving away from them quickly is the best strategy. A weapon is going to potentially escalate things and there aren't many weapons I'd feel confident in against a group of people. I trust my common sense and legs to get me out of trouble more than any weapons.

I absolutely agree with you about the ATVs...the idiots who use those are generally breaking traffic laws, usually in bike lanes or maneuvering in areas we rely on, and they frequently are showing off for another idiot at speeds where they lack control of their vehicle. I am terrified of those things. A guy was attacked in Port Richmond by a gang of ATV thugs.

I can't speak for others, but I'm a hot head. I have a quick temper (although it also burns out fast) and I think for me, a weapon is a very bad idea. I could easily see myself over reacting to a situation where I felt threatened and ending up in front of a jury, or hurting myself by mistake.

+1

I agree a weapon is not necessarily a good idea. You need to be prepared to use it without hesitation, which you're probably not, and the person who is attacking you probably is. In which case you will most likely find it turned against you. Best bet is distraction, the light was a good idea, not looking like a target also, an air horn. Or try this, carry a few singles, someone comes you throw them at them and head in the opposite direction. They don't know it only a couple of bucks but they'll likely be distracted long enough for you to get away.

I had no problem outrunning my cocky 16yr old on his BMX bike on my beat up old commuter...much to his chagrin, since the bet was over who was gonna clean out the gutters.

That said, you actually need to know you gotta haul ass before it's too late to haul ass and you gotta know where you are hauling ass to better than they do.

This is why I ride with dynamite lining the tubes of my bike. You have 30 seconds to deactivate it once I'm off the saddle. If I go down I'm taking those 'lil bastards with me.

With that being said, I know a fellow commuter here that carries a can of Mace where she can quickly access it. She says she's had a few close calls where she thought she might need it. Mostly from fat angry motorists.

Being a dude, in Boise ID, I'm not to concerned. I've never been threatened on the MUP or the Streets, but I don't ride through shady areas either. The closest I've come to being in a fight with a punk was on the MUP - this guy on what looked like a large BMX or smaller mtn bike was hopping around, doing 360's on his back wheel. His buddies heard my loud "PASSING LEFT", and he started going in a straight line again, so I thought I was good. Little do I know right as I start to pass him and he launches into another 360, I swerved away and his front wheel came about 8 inches from my face. I put the hammer down and left them in the dust after that.

My eyes, my head and my legs.

Keep alert and avoid what you perceive to be sketchy groups of people. That's the best advice I've got.
Back in my courier days, I got jacked for my gear once. (Bike was too big for the kid who took me down and it was about a block away on the sidewalk after I came to. Bag was long gone, though.)

At the time, I rode with the heavy end of a pool cue in a velcro holster on my top tube, ready for a quick draw... but when you get clubbed with a section of lumber by a kid who pops out from between a couple of parked cars, there's no time to react. Any weapon you're carrying just ends up being something else which can be used against you in a situation like that.

Never had a problem in Seattle. Every now and then I rode through some of the less gentrified neighborhoods, and never had an issue.

Now I live in Victoria, BC.... so long as I'm not carrying a huge cache of tea and pastries, I'm safe.

+1+1 As long as I have been riding throughout many neighborhoods in LA, no one has ever approached me nor have I felt threatened. Not even by dogs.

Word!

+1

As for outcycling the pack of 16 on bmx bikes, if one is a commuter and has good stamina, the kids will not be able to keep up. Kids on small bikes jump, pedal standing up and usually ride on under inflated tires so one on a larger bike will have the advantage.

I should clarify my story:

My courier days were not here in Seattle metro area. They were in the early 90s in downtown Cleveland, OH.
I haven't encountered anything outside of the ordinary hassles of daily commuting here in the PNW.

I commute on a tandem; here's a picture of my stoker:



No one's ever bothered us.

Punks in my area would be bear, wolf, lion etc. Grizzly strength pepper spray ftw! Never had to use it fortunately.

That's hilarious. It fits my perception of Victoria perfectly.

Exactly. When are you going to use a weapon? Unless you're a bike polo devotee it's pretty hard to handle something while you're on the bike and moving. Stopped, you're pretty much toast and you've thrown away all your advantages. It's just like the tactical driving courses they teach--keep moving. The extreme lighting mentioned above can help with the "jumped from behind a parked car" bit. You should be totally focused on the parked cars anywhere 'cause that's where the door prizes come from. It's gonna be tough to take a helmet light off an unwilling victim, and as long as it's still on it's gonna be tough to approach and see said victim.

I have a lot of second hand experience. Friends and acquaintances being jumped and beaten up, or attempts to do so, for their bike, or just for fun. Without fail, the ones who stood their ground fared the best even without weapons, if they were male.

So, I would say in my town, females should get trained and licensed to carry firearms. They should be required to carry one. Or never leave the house, and have a gun on hand anyway.

Male, if you are an action freak, or ex-military, or big, or fierce - probably no gun needed. The problem with firearms, if the thing is not in your hand....worthless. Most likely it will be hard to grab in time of need, but hey, you got training and a carry permit - I'm cool with the gun thing. It won't work for me on my bike.

I used to carry pepper spray. Maybe 20 years now. I had to show it to some folks, and they knew what it was and backed off, but it's been years. I try to avoid areas/times of night when crime is high now. I gave up the pepper spray last month in favor of an collapsible ASP alloy baton of 21" like a previous poster on this thread. I keep it in my front right pocket where my pepper spray has been clipped all those years. I will probably be knocked away from my bike, so the thing must be on my person. It is shiny and silver. It sounds b@d@$$ when it opens, glistens in the light, and feels good in my hand. It looks like NOTHING folded up.

Given my experience, most likely some kids will knock me off the bike by surprise from a hidden crouch - behind a car or some object. (I make a U-turn if I see anyone walking toward me in the street, especially groups of kids/teens). Then his buds will join him from another hiding place. They intend to beat me up no matter what, so I don't have anything to lose by fighting them. So assuming I can get up, I will deploy the baton and charge the kid who hit me. If he has a gun, I was dead anyway. If not....I have a chance. Usually the bigger kids get the younger ones to knock you down - minors who won't go to jail. Then they all jump on. So the closest kid gets a baton sandwich. Then the biggest kid if possible.

Most likely, they all run away shouting profanity and threats once they see I am prepared to do battle. If not, I am going down fighting, not begging.

WTF?!

Has New Orleans really gotten so bad that this is considered reasonable?

Seriously, I wouldn't even have come close to recommending that sort of behavior even in Harlem in the early 1980s where it was definitely a bad, bad area.

Bring 2 things:

#1 Your Brain
Don't commute through trouble areas and avoid any punks you see up ahead by going around the block or threw an adjacent alley. Not looking like a target is good, but that it another step and look to be more trouble than it's worth, my scraggy appearance and military surplus "riding gear" seem to suffice. You best bet is to avoid the situation at all costs. Should you end up face to face with punk(s) your best option is to run (ride) away, most likely your faster on bike and on foot.

#2 9mm or larger compact pistol
I know most people here are anti-guns, but if the bad guys aiming for you are armed do you want to wait for the police or throw pepper at them (drugs affect the way people react to pepper spray they may not react at all, and how good is your aim with that can, ever shoot it?). A weapon should not escalate the situation, it should finish it; the only time to draw is if you are put into a inescapable life threatening situation. It's about the right tool for the job, I wouldn't take my mtb to the velodrome, likewise I wouldn't use a sporting implement or table seasoning to defend myself. Of course get trained and licensed according to your state laws.

* for the record I do NOT carry a pistol on my commute, although I am capable and equipped enough to defend myself, my commutes biggest treats are cars, dogs, skunks, and city bus drivers.

They had better stay the he!! away from my Cafe du Monde bag.... mess you up!

That was one badass post. lol

So the general consensus is don't get in trouble?


New questions. You are hit, you fall and 3 kids (all medium build 5'5-5'10) what weapon/strategy do you use?

I would agree. Avoid physical confrontation at all costs, unless you are left without choices. Be smart and alert. Have a contingency plan of SOME sort other than prayer.

Strap a shotgun to your back(think Ash in Army of Darkness) and ride around town, you might not have too many problems with anyone(except maybe some police harassment).

Holy crap, your town sucks! It saddens me that there are places like this anywhere, more so in my own country.

How can you be so sure as to your assailant's motives? Last summer, there was a pack of young men on bikes who mugged several people along a popular stretch of MUP in about an hour. They cruised along the trail and picked out only single males, and jumped their targets from behind. They were caught pretty quickly, and the only victim to end up in the hospital was also the only one who fought back, as his mugging turned into a beat-down. The others just suffered the initial attack with minor injuries and handed over their valuables without further fighting.

If it's apparent that an assailant is just after my bike or my wallet, then I'll hand it over. I'm not gonna get shot or stabbed over a bicycle. Even if I lived through a potentially lethal attack, my bike costs less than my health insurance deductible.

History

Excuse me sir, but do you intend to steal my wallet and bicycle, or is this a gang initiation affair that involves beating up a white dude?

Thanks so much for the input GC. If someone ever sucker-punches me off of my bicycle, then approaches me in an aggressive manner, I will observe just how APPARENT his motives are and let you know.

Carry something only if you intend to use it if necessary. The best thing as mentioned before is your brain. Be aware and do your best to get away. Evidently if you see an attack coming, prepare for it the best you can. However, it seems most attackers don't let you know ahead of time what their motives are.