s9s

Hi all

I cycle to and from work via a canal towpath, lastnight i got jumped by four muggers, im 32 they cant have been no more than 18, after taking a few blows i managed to fight them off. They got away empty handed, the police arrested two suspects, who are keeping the right to say nothing, its not likely to go anywhere, but they got nothing and apart from a sore head tim ok.

Just a word of warning about cycling in the twilight as autumn approaches, things aint always what they seem, a fox running out of a bush or my imagination, know what I mean? Be careful, make yourself seen on roads, and avoid places where such like ppl above would hang around.

goodcatjack

it's good to hear you made it out okay ...

but, FOUR assailants? and you received only minor injuries? CONGRATULATIONS! go enter a lottery now or something like that. you are very, very, very lucky.

is your bicycle unhurt?

-alex.

s9s

cheers alex.

They were young, and i managed to kick up a fight, all instinct though, my dear bike, i hung onto that for dear life! All ok, just a little mucky as the police have dusted for fingerprints.

Anyone got any lucky numbers then??

mechBgon

Congratulations on escaping without worse harm or loss of bicycle! It might do to carry pepper spray or something if you do have to take such a route in the future. Just make sure you can aim it the right direction in the dark, and expect to get a little bit of it yourself... once a customer brought in their bicycle to our shop for work, and the manager sees the pepper-spray canister (quite a large one) and thinks "Wow, I've never seen a waterbottle quite like that one... what's this trigger do?"
:confused:





He only touched off a tiny bit, but we had to clear the store and ventilate it for hours. Powerful stuff!

cowgirl

Glad you and your bike are okay. Way to go for winning out against four young guys like that! Still hate that you had to experience that. That's why I don't like running or riding in the dark. I'm always scared someone is going to jump out and grab me. Of course, they would give me right back after about two minutes. Be careful out there.

MichaelW

Which part of the canal was it? There was a spate of bike-jackings last year in NE London. Make sure the London Cycling campaign know about it. There was a fairly successful "bike patrol" by people who got pissed off waiting to be jacked. They scared of the few youths who were responsible for the trouble.

If you have a metal U-lock, they make excellent defensive weapons. I keep mine attatched to the top of the rack with a bunji chord. Its quick to get at, and totally legal.

In the UK, the laws about carrying things which are primarily weapons are very strict. The defensive characteristics of a device can only be secondary to its normal function and you must have a clear reason to be carrying whatever it is, hence metal U-locks, Maglite flashlights, but not pepper spray or Mace. If you use a primary weapon for self defense yopu will almost certainly go to jail, whilst your attacker will skip his community service punishment. I can alreader hear Hunter going for his gun....

In my small English town there have been a couple of handgun-muggings on my bike route, which is really scary.

Bokkie

Thuggery in England is a part of life now. While back I went to Brighton for a braai (BBQ). It was the day England bt someone or other in the World Cup soccer. I was wearing my South Africa rugby T-shirt. Two tossers in England soccer shirts pushed me to the ground and a couple of kicks later, with "you ***ing South African racist" ringing in my ears they scarpered off. They called me a racist. Yikes!

Sorry to hear about your ride attack. No matter where you go, there is always a dogs turd in the way.

s9s

Thanks for your concerns chaps. The incident happend on the Grand Union canal, heading North in Southall, the police did tell me there has been a spate of robberies round there, so if u live near , use the route or know others who do pass the message on i usually turn off at a park, where thers a footbridge, thats the last of night time riding on the canal, but from now on i will be carrying a chain or u-lock, which is for myt bike but i will use to defend myself.

Bokkie, i agree with u, i dont go to certian areas for a night oiut because there is always a fight of some sort, u just gotta be in the wrong place and you become a victem of others ignorance and drunken bravado.

MichaelW, hope nobody got hurt, i mean guns to nick a bike, phone whatever, its a statement of our society, sick.

lotek 

Bokkie,

I kinda figured you for a South African given the moniker,
but the location threw me off.
So are you a boer or englesman?
Lived in Jo'burg 5 years. Kind of miss it
But talk about being mugged. . .
but the diving, and the hillwork, now thats lekker

god a miss a good Braaivleiss, can you get dreiwors
and biltong there? can you send me some?

Marty

Bokkie

Now we are talking! I'm a hybrid. 50% on my dad's side, on account of him being an Afrikaaner. Mom was English. Dad was fairly outspoken in his day, and very liberal politically which in the 50s was a serious offense to the state! They decided we'd be schooled here (I have UK accent). My longest stint in SA was 17 years, with some years in 'exile' before that to avoid combatant military service. I went back in 1981, and we too, lived in Joburg. It was still the Transvaal then but when it switched to Gauteng Province (or GP - gangster's paradise) we'd had enough and came to the UK in 1997. We lived in Honeydew, Randburg, Parkmore and Sandton generally.

Biltong? Boerewors? Droewors? We get them locally here in the UK but the weather does not always make it easy to braaivleis, but we do try are darndest. We love the UK becuase it is safe for the most part. We don't walk around continually looking over our shoulder or driving with locked doors and windows wound up. We do though, miss the open spaces. I reckon one of the great mtb rides would be across the northern provinces into Botswana and Swaziland, and then top it with a ride up the Sani pass in Lesotho. I also miss my rugby, endless sunshine, really pretty girls, and the smell of governmental corruption - mmmm! You can't beat it.

No more time to reminisce, it's making me weep!

DanFromDetroit

If you plan on using a chain on an attacker, it would be a very good idea to practice some first. Chains are a little tricky to use. It is very easy to end up hitting yourself rather than the attacker.

regards
Dan

LittleBigMan

I was mugged on my bike on exactly one year ago, August 2001. I mention it only to be of help to others who might learn from my mistake.

It was broad daylight, a friday afternoon. I was commuting by bicycle home from work in busy, rush-hour traffic. With no apparent robbery motive, my assailant (a pedestrian who was walking against traffic on the edge of the road) suddenly held his arm straight out, fist balled, at neck level. I had nowhere to go to avoid the attack, since I was sandwiched between a row of cars on my left and my attacker.

My mistake: instead of slowing, stopping, ducking, or all three of these options, I held up my arm to block. That left me with one hand on the handlebars to steer. When contact was made (his arm against mine,) it was almost exactly like I had hit my handlebar against a signpost. My front wheel jerked sharply and I went head first over the bars.

My helmet and face took most of the punishment. Now, I wear a mustache to hid an ugly scar under my nose. Makes my look rather handsome, I must say!

However, recovery was painful.

cyclezealot

A couple years ago, cyclists friends in a nearby club told me- on the Corona to Huntington Bch. bike trail two thugs held up a cyclists at gun point. They took his bike, shot him in the stomach, and he died. your thugs in London don't have guns.
Often thugs might know the value of some bikes... I have my best bike registered with its' serial number known to authorities. Might help them to return your bike and track down the thugs.
Sorry for the blows you took. At least it was not on our Corona bike trail, where the outcome could have been worse..... This incident was in broad day light, I was told. In rough areas, might be wise to have pepper spray, and first of all avoid such areas..

Chris L

I commute in almost total darkness (working overtime does this) and have been doing so for a few years. Personally, at that time of night I stick to the road and generally don't have any problems (one punk kid giving me a push in Burleigh was the exception). It's amazing how the presence of cars will scare this sort of person off.