I would say the opposite of the people that think you should just keep your head down. if you see someone that looks like a threat look them right in the eye. if you are a mean looking fairly big person like I am you can just stare them down, they wont mess with someone who appears willing to take their challenge. if you are not then just say hello and be friendly to them. that will usually catch them off guard long enough to get away. ive been riding all around detroit for the last 5-6 years and i have never run into any problems.

I hope I don't run into punks like this.

In the incident I was referring to, the only person seriously injured was the one guy who fought back. I'm not saying that he wasn't right to defend himself, but he basically escalated a robbery into a four on one fight that he wasn't able to win. The assailants' motives were clear according to the article and the statements of the victims, as the assailants demanded the victims' wallets after the initial attack. I only posted this to illustrate that just going straight into combat mode might not be in your best interests. Would you rather run like hell and lose your bike, or be hospitalized/killed and lose your bike?

If someone is obviously out to hurt you, then fight away. Like you said, you've got nothing to lose if the attacker's intent is just to cause damage. That's why I said apparent motives, i.e.- motives you can decipher. If you can't figure out what they want, your responses will vary according to how the situation plays out. Maybe I'm a coward, but if I'm facing a group of young men and I've a decent exit, then I'm running. I can run a 16 minute 3k, without a potential asskicking behind me. I imagine I'd could do better with a good burst of fear adrenaline. If I end up surrounded, I'll see if I can remember anything from those Aikido classes I took 5 years ago.

If you're a coward, so am I. If I can avoid an altercation and avoid getting hurt...I'm going to. We're adults...the rules of the play ground don't apply and not getting hurt or killed seems like a sensible motivation to me.

But you forget that we're posting on the internet, so you must exhibit as much bravado as textually possible.

Huh? Wanna say that to my face?

Holy ****.

*pees self, flees on BMX rather than messin with a TOUGH DUDE!!!*

You might think that, but I've discovered that given the right circumstances, ie the proper hill, your road bike may have no advantage at all over a bmx.

Meh. What do you know? You're a goat!

I do not understand it at all...but a kid on a BMX pulled up to me while I was on my 1978 Raleigh Professional. He commented that it looked like a fast bike...and proceeded to keep up with me, and even over take me...for the next mile or two. What I noticed was that if there was any incline upwards, he fell behind...but when it was flat, or downhill, he was right on me, or even a touch ahead. Either that kid was just a hell of a lot better than me (possible) or there is something about BMX bikes that I don't understand. It was a huge blow to my pride....I'll say that.

I should add...I was not riding hard...just doing my normal pace...and he was clearly in competition.

I pass a couple school bus stops on my commute on a regular basis. One morning I apparently looked like
a good target for some rock throwing practice. At first, I didn't know exactly what was pelting down around me
until one connected with my helmet and shin. Being a bit late on my commute to work I mumbled some invectives
and raced on.

The next day, same time and place (but not late for work) and knowing what to watch for, I saw the same youths
reach down for some more rock practice. I slowed and stopped very near the school bus stop and looked directly at them
until the bus arrived (didn't say a word - just waited). They dropped the rocks. When the
bus arrived I watched them get on the bus, waved "have a good day" then proceeded on to work.

When I pass by now, they "wave hi" - nicely.

Dr. Joe

If the terrain is right for the gear, almost all bikes are equal give a pound or two.

I was going up a hill one time in L.A. when a teen on a bmx came up from behind me and cut hard as he passed me knocking my front wheel with his rear wheel and causing me to fall. All very intentional. When I recovered, I rode on and passed him. When he noticed that, he strong-armed me into traffic and we both went down when my rear wheel tacoed. But that being the home territory of the MS-13 gang, I suspected that it was more dangerous for me to report it to the police than not.

I've thought about that. The local army/navy store sells Airsoft gun replica's for a decent price. I figure drivers/punks/aliens might think twice if they see me with a P90 on my back. (Orange tip and all, but first impressions are key)

I couldn't find a large enough facepalm picture to post in reply.

Will this do?

I wear one these......

If I am dislodged from my bike, it releases a lever, causing the 12# of C4 to detonate.

I'm with one of the earlier posters in that I've NEVER had any trouble from any non-motorized people. I ride everyday in Los Angeles and all of the kids I run across are walking with their families to school or riding old ten-speeds they've cobbled into fixed gears. It's pretty humbling to have some 15 year old on high tensile steel, jeans and a hoodie smoke you on the flats, but even then they are all smiles and just enjoying the race.
Though I think my perspective on threatening strangers is a bit skewed as I'm 6' 4" and 235lbs. I couldn't actually do much in a fight, but I think most folks would rather not find that out and will move on to weaker prey, especially kids. Though for some reason this doesn't apply to angry drivers who for some reason think they are all Rocky until they get out of their car and are looking up at me.
Still in almost all situations on the bike it's easier to just wave and smile and let the a-holes move along. I don't see how you could go for a weapon that wasn't mounted somewhere akwardly and just in the way 99.9% of the time.
IMO the biggest and most effective safety features are a good mirror, plenty of lights, and a whole load of patience. YMMV.

Whenever I see this guy I bike the other way:

Yep - I road up a steep hill where the punks had to get off their BMX bikes because they had no gas left in their puny little tanks!

I carry pepper spray. Just seems like a good idea to me, especially since the economy is continuing to decline.

ya:

It's funny because as I have matured over the past 5-7 years I have become very much a pacifist. Granted I'm only 23, but it is my opinion that violence begets more violence. I have been lucky enough not to worry about getting cracked in the head from a kid's fist or baton, but in a blue-collar community like mine, its always an option. There are a lot of kids in my town and in the neighboring communities who do really, really stupid things for the thrill of it all. Having worked at the local YMCA and a high school over the past year has shown me that in spades. As others have said, if I encounter a situation that may put me in danger, I would much rather avoid it.

That is my personal preference, and compared to places like Nawlins, I live in a very safe community, so my views have their own perspective as well.

Been riding through rough neighborhoods for the past 10 years. Never had any problem. It's when i leave the city for the wilds of redneckistan, that i have had occasional problems.

I agree. If someone knocks me from my bike and starts trying to kick me in the head with all of his friends, violence will be begotten, if I am able.

It sucks that we even have to be discussing this issue. I generally feel pretty safe on my 17 mile commute each way, mostly MUP, but I had an incident last year where a group of teenage punks were hanging by the trail and one of them (a girl, which really surprised me) took a swipe at me with her arm as I passed by. She missed my head because I ducked, but my unfortunate reaction was to yell some profanities at her. That caused several of them to step into my path and block me from riding further, so I stopped and got off my bike, thinking if we're going to brawl I wanted to be prepared. I'm a big guy, 6'0" and about 280 lbs., and my getting off the bike and squaring off with them scared them all but one real small kid. He was about 17, but rock solid and he moved towards me in a fighting stance. I had no weapon, so I pulled off my backpack and reached into it for my cell phone, thinking if I'm going to take a beating I'd at least like to have help on the way. At that point, they all seemed to get nervous and began to back away from me, thank goodness. I ended up not calling, and I got back on my bike and took off.

I learned a lot that day. One, I wish I hadn't yelled at her and escalated the situation, but it was a reaction and I'm not sure I could stop myself from doing it again. Two, I do now carry a small firearm on me for last resort protection. I'm not ever going to engage them if I can help it, and I know that my gun is not going to keep me from getting hurt, but I hope that it would be the difference between me getting a beating and maybe being killed or beaten to a point where I have lifelong injuries. I sincerely hope I never have to use my weapon, but it does make me feel more secure if I am ever forced to step off my bike again and face a group like that.

I did get my my concealed carry license and I also took some very specific training in firearms use for self-defense, so I am carrying legally and I feel well-prepared to use my gun, but it would only be to save my life or that of another person.