No, I don't. Women in this area (DC) get a lot of street harrassment, but in terms of avoiding violent crime, being on two wheels has always been the defense I need. I tell women all the time, "Yes, learning to deal with buses and cabs and aggressive drivers is scary BUT, if you're scared to walk to the metro at night, if you're worried about getting to a club by yourself, if you hate walking by a bunch of drunk dudes talking about your body? get a bike." I've never been truly bothered, and even the tools who yell dumb s*** at me, well, they're in my hindsights before I know it. Bye bye.

What country is that? I'm sorry I don't recognize the flag in your avatar, if that's the one.

I have considered carrying my wife's pistol in a chest pouch but I weigh the pros and cons versus the area I sometimes ride through and have opted to not do so. However I may mount some spray on my handlebars but the issue with that is that if you are taken off your bike you are without it. Only by having it on you do you have the ability to reach it when needed.

The worst I have ever received, along these lines, is someone hollering at me seemingly just entertaining themselves. I've never been close enough to find out any different. It would be easy to take someone off a bike so I do my best to avoid those circumstances. Can't do it 100% but I can do all I can do.

Serbia, I think.

Even when I get my CCP I won't carry a gun when I ride. It's just easier to avoid shady areas and night riding. That's why I've stopped doing both.

this is is true I'm my state but not in every state, most states have stand your ground or a castle doctrine. We have a castle doctrine in Massachusets, by law we have to retreat to a safe room if possible. Most homes people scattered through the house and that voids the safe room. At this point deadly force is your last resort and a legal option. On the street I will draw and shoot to save my life, I hope that never happens.

Best coarse of action I have seen in this thread.

shady areas are one thing, but night riding is the best. Hard to convince yourself of that, I know

I hear that a lot. Me, personaly, would rather loose my life than my freedom. Going to prison is an unacceptable idea for me. Even for a year! So I'd rather just use my bare hands for self defence and if I get killed, so be it!


And the county is Serbia (the avatar flag is of Socialist Fedarative Republic of Yugoslavia, which doesn't exist anymore).


Love your gun - from the pic. Really nice! I love guns, rifles, am a pretty decent shooter, but don't rely on them for self defense. My doubts come from misjudging the situation - when scared, attacked - I cold misjudge a beating and robbery for an attempt at my life. If people in my area started getting killed by robbers, I'd consider packing a 38 everywhere I go, but so far that has not been the case - just a few bruises and wallet gone. But even then, I'd be more inclined to a baton and a strong torch light.

Thank you, it is a Smith & Wesson 1911 E series. I think the perception that if you carry a firearm that it is your first line of defense. The reality is for myself and most people that carry is it is the very last thing you want to do. Most all situations do not require discharging a firearm. Avoiding confrontation and not escalating a situation when confrontation occurs is a much better option. I also carry pepper spray and I was a pretty good scrapper in my youth. Home invasions and shooting and fatal beatings are much more common locally than ever. We recently had a good man of the cloth beaten to death with his own hammer ridding his bicycle to his handicaped daughters to fix something for her. The guy was in his late 60s and it wasn't even 9pm when it happened. Some people just have no respect for life.

Good post Timber.

I don't carry any type of protection when I ride. Thankfully, given the location I live in and ride I don't feel the need. There are a few places nearby that I would avoid at night - but I don't do a lot of night riding. If I ride in the dark it's on the way to work in the fall/winter.

And you're right - some people have no respect for life.

Cocked (and locked?) in the picture?

Snipped the rest - we agree, 99%. My only doubt is that with a gun at my belt, I'd be less cautious, less scared to take a dark shortcut home.

From what I understand, most US states allow people to carry guns for self defence AND use them for that. Also, from what I've read, US penalty policy is strict. In my country you get 3 to 5 years for an armed robbery, even if you kill someone you get out in 5 or 6 years. Still, there is very small percentage of murders, 99% ends up with taking money and running. Should be the other way round?!


So I'd rather not start firing any weapons - just let them take the money and run - **** 'em. Although, I'm a 30 year old male that doesn't look like a nice prey - but I might turn 50 someday, maybe then I'll think differently. :/

As I understand it, US law Castle Doctrine voids the duty to retreat from attackers once you are inside your house. There is no distinction to which bit within your house. Outside the walls and doors, eg porch and steps you have a duty to retreat.
Is Safe Room even a legal term?
It may be sensible to retreat to a safe room but it is not a legal duty.

One of these mounted on a rear bicycle trailer....



you know in case a plane or tank try's cutting me off on my daily commute

Deadly force is a last resort and yes your suppose to retreat to a safe room and let the criminals take what the want. The states and towns inturpit this in different ways. It is good advise if possible for many reasons. It's a hell of thing to live with to taking a persons life regardless if it's justified or not. It is also very expensive to prove your justification for the actions you took. Every thing is better than being dead or watch your wife and children ***** and murdered before your very own eyes, and don't think it doesn't happen. Their are consequences to every action, killing someone even in your own defense is not without burden, mentally and financially. If you do not understand this you have no business carrying a firearm.

I need one of these. I don't commute and I'm not on the streets riding like you guys are, so I'm not worried about protection from being attacked by other people. I ride a paved bike trail in the middle of the woods along a river and it's going to be getting dark early during the time I have to ride. I have to worry about the bear coming down the hill out of the woods. But it's not even that, Sasquatch has to come to water at some time, I'm thinking it would be in the dark, and no one has ever shot a Squatch so no one has a clue how much it would take to stop one.

I've thought about carrying a camera around with me, but as we discussed at work, no matter what quality camera you use to capture a Squatch in an image, it will be blurry. They always are.

I carry a glock 22 in a waist pack. Same one I carry all day at work.

My commute is rural, but rural doesn't mean safe.

I've carried a stun gun at times and always have a concealed knife ready to go if I need them. I doubt I'd really need a weapon most of the time though. I trained myself about self-defense a long time before I got into cycling.

My first idea after reading the topic title was about locks, chains, then about condoms. Only after reading the OP's post I realised what it's all about. Guess my neighbourhood is still rather safe one.

I have often fantasized about starting a database anyone could contribute to listing plate numbers of cars who do this stuff.
Every month or so forwarding it to insurance companies. Sounds lame, but insuranse companies are always looking for excuses
to raise peoples rates. Might as well do some good with that.
I carry a 13" switchblade and a Brutus keychain for KY. I would have thought carrying was a joke until I suffered Florida. I carried an
800,000 volt cattle prod after my second incident there.

I carry a 13" switchblade and a Brutus keychain for KY.

8- what in the world is a 13" switchblade??
Sounds like a switchblade with a 13" blade ?? freaking short sword-26" long??
What is that strange thing-looks like brass knuckles with prongs??
Why not have a standoff weapon? Gun ? spray ? taser-? telescoping club?

The main "problem" with a gun- is IF you get in a physical confrontation-
You HAVE to use it-like Zimmerman
Once someone lays hands on you-you can't "fight him" because he MIGHT get your gun
and you pretty much HAVE to fight ONE handed-with one hand guarding your gun.
Yeah I have guns-strictly for self defense-I have no problems with non human animals-so I don't shoot them
I have an agreement with my fellow animals-leave me alone and I WON'T SHOOT YOU
close to zero chance a non human animal is going to seriously threaten me
I rarely carry a gun-occasionally at night-in car.

Yeah-the gun problem-Zimmerman demonstrated it pretty well-you can't get in physical confrontation if you have a gun.
Course he was foolish-what did he think would happen-young budding thug-sees short pudgy guy following him?? Duh-DUMB ! Legal but DUMB.

I have rode bikes for over 30 years and have only had 3 real scares beyond the annoying dog chase.I had a guy try to hit me on purpose no clue as to why he just swerved over at me and ran me in the ditch nothing really I could do then.i had a big arse pitbull come at me and I found out a nice tail whip with the rear peg to his head changed his mind real quick.the last run in was with a group of asshats trying to steal my race bike while I was riding it all I could do was look for a hole and pedal like all hellll....I now carry a ballpean hammer in a loop off the seat post just in case. people ask what it is and I say it's a mirror removal tool lol

#1 cause of premature death in my age group is cancer, yet I spend a huge amount of time in the sun. Sunscreen is my protection, but for the hours I spend and the number of burns I get, I'm accepting risk. For other forms of cancer, I do little in terms of protection other than those screenings my health insurance pays for.

#2 cause is heart disease. My hobby is my protection I suppose, but today when I was being the rabbit chased by guys half my age, I'm pretty darn sure my heart was about to explode and my lungs were going to come out my mouth.

#3 is unintentional injury. There is no protection against middle aged men doing stupid things.

Death by homicide is number 15, about 1/40th the likelihood of #1 , and about 1/100th the likelihood of the first 14.

No I don't carry protection. I don't worry about #1 through #14, I'm sure as heck not going to worry about #15. If I want to carry anything to prevent premature death, it should probably be a card that says "Don't eat the donuts" because of a family tendency towards diabetes, which is #5 and 6x the likleihood of homicide for the population as a whole and heck probably 10x for me.