Everything I own, I paid for. Every penny I've ever had, I gave up part of my life to earn. No one--NO ONE--will ever take my sh*t without me putting up a struggle, and if I don't "win" the thing that I already owned, no one (i.e., me) will ever be able to say I just sat back and let it happen.

OP did the right thing by putting up a fight, and taught that piece of sh*t a lesson that not everything is his for the taking.

Jackass cyclists?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That wuss should be brought up on assault and battery charges.

Should have screamed "don't steal bikes, bro!"

I always carry a knife and a bag full of tools. You can fix your bicycle AND hit people with it.

I wish my brother was around, he's a 3rd degree blackbelt in Tae Kwondo.

+100

This is totally off-topic, but I didn't really expect to see someone from Fallbrook in the SSFG forum.

I'm a Fallbrook expat, living up north.

OP: I can understand what you're feeling, but I can't help but feel that I probably would have done nearly the same thing. I put more miles on my bikes than my car, and one of my bikes is my dad's old race bike. With so much meaning tied into them, I'd be willing to take a few licks to keep possession of them.

QFT

You never know who you might be messing with. The 8yr old son of the man I studied under for a few years could handle himself very well, and put you in the hospital fast.

Although I think the OP did the right thing by standing up and protecting his property, perhaps being passive and not fighting back might have kept him from getting more seriously injured or killed. In addition, I feel you learned a valuable "hard knock" lesson about the world.

[QUOTE=Brian;10392345]Jackass cyclists?

YEP

time to start carrying a nice/sharp/quality knife around. they still make butterfly knives, btw.

Carrying a knife is fine, but only with the same caveats as carrying a firearm. I'm bewildered by how many people carry knives without the same degree of training/common sense most folks seem to value for a handgun. If anything, I imagine most thieves are much more willing to stand their ground against a knife (and even try to wrestle it away) than a handgun. Pulling a knife in the situation described could be a pretty boneheaded move.

A knife is extremely effective as a weapon, far less so as a deterrent.

Exactly. Somehow I get the sense people think crooks will run off at the site of a knife. God forbid the crook decides to stand his ground and you don't know how to handle your weapon in a now seriously escalated situation.

lesson learned: never leave home w/o your katana.

Knife defense is something most martial arts classes teach intensively as it is probably one of the most common weapons used in assaults and the adage is you never win a knife fight, you survive it.

I always preferred training with sticks... and in a stick vs knife scenario the stick will usually win due to it's greater range and striking power and a knee injury (some years ago) actually inspired me to start training with a cane and now I actually need to use one on a nearly daily basis.

I love my cane... besides keeping me from tipping over and extending my ability to walk distances they are probably one of the best weapons you can carry without a permit.

Again... I probably look like an easy target and I will never have the intimidation power of someone like Clif who is in reality, a total cream puff.

He is so gonna kick my ass now.

Is he the guy that invented Clif bars?






Oh, I crack myself up.

1st page of thread... people express sympathy.

2nd page of thread... out come the martial arts tough guys to regale us with tales of how they bust heads.

3rd page of thread... here come the weapons freaks recommending shivs and butterfly knives.

4th page of thread... i predict the usual gun nuts will speak up with stories of how they always carry their Glock when they go out for a ride. *rolls eyes*

It's usually either a CZ or S&W, but I carry it everywhere.

When monsters go to sleep they check to make sure Clif isn't hiding underneath the bed.

:lol:

Thinking he'd be a good guy to have at your back.

I don't think he can wear his little sister's jeans either.

I crack me up too.

your off by a page, and I roll with this:

when I need to go really fast, I shoot back and let the recoil push me along.

Hey, I never said I was going to use it as a weapon.

Erichsia: holy balls.

The AA12 is one truly bad ass piece of hardware...

Since it's gas operated, you won't see much recoil. Those little grenade rounds look fun though.

... I would think our 15mm box wrench is a lethal weapon. Not to mention the U-lock. (you all remember the vid)

Perhaps, you could develop a new marshal art technique. Bike-do: Use bikes and bike tools to defend yourselves. You know, a "15mm tomahawk", "Air pump stick", "Tire lever skewers", "Spare tube whip (as in chain-whip, use heavy valve caps)", "U-lock hammer", etc. Heehee. You could make a movie out of it just for fun.

... Just so you know, a significant number of marshal artists can disable knives because they tend to be one of those intermediate level skills. And, some marshal arts train so they finish their disable moves with a counter or two which tend to be attack to your neck region with your knives. (stomach isn't quick enough for those people in good olde days, apparently) Very deadly.

I'm getting one of these as a gift. Not that I'd carry it on my bike...

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