Weapons...Do you carry anything?

-liam-

I don't, but I have thought about it.

Couple of occasions, late evenings on my way home from the woods down a specific canal path, I have had to pass a group of chavs/yobs that come out with the usual "nice bike mate" with a sneer on their face whilst refusing to remove themselves from my path. I'm not daft enough to ignore the fact that there is the usual shi te attempt at intimidation but what if they decide to take it a little further next time? Perhaps make me stop. What then?

A lot people on this website have expensive bikes that they pump plenty of cash in to, as much as for a hobby as to make them perform better and I wonder how many share the same feelings as me or perhaps even do carry something.

I've always owned, since the days when I would go camping and fishing etc, a fairly big survival knife. Something like a 5 inch blade but it now lives in my toolbox but I do often think about putting into my bag, especially for night rides, but then statistics do say that many people actually get injured by their own weapons so is it wise?

What would you or what do you do?

Andy B

What would I do?

I'd take a different route home.

-liam-

Fair point.

I probably should consider it.

But in certain cities, for instance Bristol has a huge problem with people being mugged for their bikes, how tempting is it ?

Uchiga

Ive had that problem before. I have a bike im pedalling at, at least 20mph and i have bar ends. Oh and i have a nice steely look on my face which with a helmet and sunglasses means i look angry. i wonder whos going to move out of the way first...

Alternatively take another route home but to be fair you have every right to be on that trail as much as the yob on his feet

Anonymous

My grandad with two false hips beath the living crap out of some chav scum who tried to rob him. He beat one of them unconscious with his walking stick :shock:

I've ridden straight at a group of the fuggers once, they soon jump out of the way when they realise you're actually speeding up towards them.
Oh, and when I had tubeless tyres on (luckily) a few of them smashed a few glass bottles and shouted at me to ride through then, then.
So I did. a few tiny little hisses later and the tyres were healed

simon2names

Liam, please don't take a knife to them, the legal ramifications are horrendous and the potential for them taking the knife off you and using it on you are worse, especially if there are a number of them. I'd agree with the above comments about taking a different route home. I know it's the cowards way out, but rather a live coward than a dead hero.
Depending upon the level of intimidation and threatening posturing, just inform the police, safest that way.
Failing that, just make sure you're carrying your biggest D-lock and give a blood curdling war cry as you charge at them full pelt waving the lock around your head like some kind of medieval mace!!
Simon

-liam-

Uchiga wrote:

Ive had that problem before. I have a bike im pedalling at, at least 20mph and i have bar ends. Oh and i have a nice steely look on my face which with a helmet and sunglasses means i look angry. i wonder whos going to move out of the way first...

Alternatively take another route home but to be fair you have every right to be on that trail as much as the yob on his feet

I do take that approach. I'm a big lad and would take some stopping but some people are stupid enough.....

Mynameisdann

i keep a leatherman in my bag (for general fixing stuff) its pretty heavy so its pretty effective if you put it in your hand before you "onebomb" them

sniper68

Use your bike as a weapon,legal(I think) and if hit by a swinging bike I doubt they'd come back for more.
It's also recommended to use this method against vicious dogs/sheep/cows etc.

Northwind

-Liam- wrote:

I do often think about putting into my bag, especially for night rides

Provided your assailant is prepared to wait politely while you dig around in your bag til you find it, you'll be fine!

The Northern Monkey

park tool pedal spanner.

Anonymous

Fists of furious anger! :twisted:

-liam-

Northwind wrote:

-Liam- wrote:

I do often think about putting into my bag, especially for night rides

Provided your assailant is prepared to wait politely while you dig around in your bag til you find it, you'll be fine!

I'm not going to start describing where I would actually keep any such weapon for ease of access because I've not thought that much about it.

Northwind

Study BMX Bandits kung fu style.

Mr Wu

I'd use the exact same thing that I use on dogs, a spray can of deep heat. Kept in my jacket pocket at all times.

Nothing illegal about carrying it, stings like fook if you get it in the eyes or throat. Winner.

nicklouse

TBH take a different route.

and keep the D lock handy.

-liam-

Is pepper spray acceptable as a form of self defence?...within the eyes of the law i mean ?

Mr Wu

Pepper spray is illegal.

Deep heat isn't. Considering that your a cyclist it would be a lot easier to explain why you are carrying it round with you if ever you were stopped.

Tom Barton

Carrying a weapon is leaving you open to problems. As far as self defense goes the law looks at it as reasonable force. Ie if someone throws a punch at you your well within your rights to punch him stupid. However if someone throws a punch and you do your crocodile Dundee bit and cut him up - the law arn't going to be so understanding and a prosecutor will say that you've gone prepared for a fight. Hard to defend.

Avoidance is best. Challenge garden variety chavs - they are too cowardly to to put up much of a fight but a serious mugger could be drug crazed and unstable and very dangerous - give them the bike if your forced to stop. Better than risking serious injury or death. Bikes can be recovered or replaced.

Although I empathise with the idea, it's tempting but just not worth it.

-liam-

Tazer?

Mr Wu

Plus the deep heat would be a means of distraction whilst you cycle off. It's not intended to stun your potential robber while you unclip yourself from your spds and reach into your bag only to reveal "The Persuader" from which you set about the youth like a woman trying to put out a fire with her stiletto's.

Mr Wu

There is of course the option of giving the idiot your bike. Now he's in your shoes.

He's not going to build up a lot of speed very quickly and we all know how much it hurts when we come off. So imagine if you will, you give him the bike, at some point he has got to turn from you, let him cycle a little bit before giving chase and grabbing his clothing and slamming him from your very bike. It's needs to be worthy of WWF standards.

It must be finished with the muttering of "fkin noobs" and a loud tut.

-liam-

Mr Wu wrote:

There is of course the option of giving the idiot your bike. Now he's in your shoes.

He's not going to build up a lot of speed very quickly and we all know how much it hurts when we come off. So imagine if you will, you give him the bike, at some point he has got to turn from you, let him cycle a little bit before giving chase and grabbing his clothing and slamming him from your very bike. It's needs to be worthy of WWF standards.

It must be finished with the muttering of "fkin noobs" and a loud tut.

I can see that turning into a monty python esqe comedy sketch. Could go round in circles all day

desmosedici

I carry an ASP or extendable baton.



Installed in a pump bracket bolted to the bottle cage on the seat tube. At first glance it looks like a pump. Easy to get to with either hand, and just flick open to use.

When going jungle bashing with the MTB I zip tie a machete in a scabbard to the front fork tube.

Caveat : I was trained by the armed forces of my country. I know how to use the asp in both lethal and non lethal ways. If you do not have the right training, or are heavily outnumbered, it is better to give in and walk away, or to avoid the confrontation. Never let your ego write cheques your ass can't cash.

captainfly

A full face helmet, carbon fibre knuckle protection and full armour work well for me, but being 6'3" tall and two foot wide shoulders helps to put people off. But if all else fails the fact I know three combat systems and have worked in security for 14 years may come in handy.

But if I wasn't shuch an impressive specimen :roll: I'd go with the biggest d-lock I could find or a lock and chain, both legitmate to carry. Or get a nutted rear axle and carry an 18inch ally tube as a leverage extender incase you have to fix something the rear wheel/tyre legitimate tool as would be a small shovel (cold steel sf shovel/east geraman army surplus etc..) with a nice sharp edge for trail building/repair I guess if you have permission from a landowner where you ride to clear the trail then even a bilhook or similar could be justified. Having said that you could justify a small knife due to the extreme nature of mountain biking you may have to untangle yourself or bike from undergrow afetr a crash, this is actually the reason I carry a knife when freerunning off road after getting caught up in creepers going downhill.

.blitz

-Liam- wrote:

Weapons...Do you carry anything?

While I'm not exactly packing heat, I carry a knife conforming to The Criminal Justice Act, a personal attack alarm and some dog deterrent spray. The Chase is too close to some dodgy neighbourhoods in places and at the times I go out there are often miscreants knocking about burning cars etc.

And in October the stags will have a go at anything.

Uchiga

I Carry With Me at all times a bike pump an innertube a tyre lever and a penknife some cartoon a spare powerlink and a little plastic thing for sticking in my calipers oh and a multitool. My imagination has plenty of ways of using each one of those tools excluding trhe knife to beat up an assailant if needs be. However i dont need to. Standing up and accelerating on the bike stickign some raw power down will deter anyone from trying to get in your waycos they'll know soon enough you arent the one going to stop.

I find a good experiment is to walk round a busy town and keep staring at a singlepoint. If your stare is harsh enough and you walk in a dead straight line it will often be other people moving out of your way and not yourself moving out of others. If an impact is going to occur you can always at the last minute move a shouldr or walk sideways. I seem to remember somewhere someone calling it an inch wide perspective... being able to leave things to the last inch before moving the minimum distance away from it...

cee

dont ever pull a blade...only thing certain about a fight involving a knife is that someone is gonna get cut.

I always carry the best weapon of all.. The brain.

Some folk should use it more often.

Bar Shaker

Carrying weapons is for chavs... and there will be more of them pulling knives than there will be of you, when you pull yours. What then?

A small penknife can be deemed as a harmless tool... until you pull it out in a threatening manner. Then it becomes an offensive weapon and even if you get away unscathed, the legal penalties are harsh.

I've been in my fair share of trouble over the years, now I always walk away. In your situation, I would just find a different route.

Uchiga

Bar Shaker wrote:

A small penknife can be deemed as a harmless tool...

I only carry mine cos of the scissors. I carry cartoon with me as well and so the scissors are perfect for cutting it to the right size if my tyre decides to blow out on me. Never have i thought about using it as defence. For a start its in a little case in my jearsey pocket so tightly jammed in i have to take out a tyre lever and multi tool first just to get to it. By which time i could have cycled back the way i came and taken a differant route.

Mr Wu

Well with my Military training and the eight hundred black belts I've got in origami I'd stand the bike up on it's back wheel and use my new wide bars and short stem combo, side to side, using the front wheel as a Kung-Fu bitch slap attack whilst making "wa wa wa, wayaaaaa" noises.


Works everytime.