Words fail me.

Wheelspinner

I get promotional email daily from a US bike shop, having purchased a bunch of stuff online from them in the past, but never again. Today's email special included this little trinket. I've linked to the original manufacturer instead of the bike shop.

http://www.pepperblaster.com/

Here's what the *bike shop* had to say in their online description...

"...We're thinking of angry drivers who choose to get out of their cars to confront you; of ferocious dogs that won't give way; of bears who lay in wait for a once-a-year appearance on your favorite trails...."

"...And while it'll incapacitate the assailant (human or canine), it won't cause permanent injury or death..."

"... easy to fit in a jersey pocket along with a gel or your Blackberry. Like any good weapon it's hard to envision ever needing it, but if the time ever comes, you'll be glad you brought it along...."

Jesus wept.

CiB

I'd buy one, two even, to keep the kids in check.

Thx for the heads-up.

veronese68

Well, I suppose it's quite tame when you compare it to an assault rifle. :roll:

Ben6899

I prefer to D-Lock the cvnt.

CitizenLee

There have been a few threads on MTBR about US riders encountering bears, snakes, coyotes etc when out on the trail so in that context something like this isn't really that bad, but not for angry drivers as I wouldn't want to chance them carrying a concealed (or not) weapon. I guess you'd just have to be quicker on the draw with the can of pepper spray than they are with their .38 Special

The Rookie

Agreed, when riders in the US are going tooled up in case of animal attack, this looks like an effective option instead!

tgotb

Do you think these would work on drafting fairies? Could potentially set them up to deploy automatically, based on a proximity sensor...

Ben6899

The Rookie wrote:

Agreed, when riders in the US are going tooled up in case of animal attack, this looks like an effective option instead!

I don't know. The animals were there first. If we head along on our bikes - into their habitat - then we have to learn to deal with any 'meetings' without harming the animal. No matter how dangerous the situation, I cannot reconcile causing harm (temporary or not) to an animal which is behaving solely on instinct.

Learn to swerve 'round Gentle Ben or ride somewhere else.

kurako

I think it's disgraceful. What is this Blackberry thing they are talking about????? Does it work with Strava?

CitizenLee

@Ben6899 I agree that it's their environment and that humans should respect it, however if you're going to go riding in a place where there are dangerous wild animals then something like pepper spray is much less harmful solution /deterrent than a firearm. Avoiding them in the first place is obviously the best option as you say, but if it were me I'd still want something on hand in case I was caught off guard.

@TGOTB Maybe some really rank smelling perfume/aftershave might be a better option for that idea!

MrSweary

Ben6899 wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

Agreed, when riders in the US are going tooled up in case of animal attack, this looks like an effective option instead!

I don't know. The animals were there first. If we head along on our bikes - into their habitat - then we have to learn to deal with any 'meetings' without harming the animal. No matter how dangerous the situation, I cannot reconcile causing harm (temporary or not) to an animal which is behaving solely on instinct.

Learn to swerve 'round Gentle Ben or ride somewhere else.

Have you not seen that video of a bear topping out at 30mph? :shock:

Ben6899

I can see both sides to the argument, but I wouldn't put myself in that situation (where I might have to pepper spray a Coyote in order to be home for supper). Just my view on the matter.

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

tgotb

MrSweary wrote:

Have you not seen that video of a bear topping out at 30mph? :shock:

To paraphrase an old adage, you don't have to be faster than the bear; you just have to be faster than your companion...

bompington

Ben6899 wrote:

I can see both sides to the argument, but I wouldn't put myself in that situation (where I might have to pepper spray a Coyote in order to be home for supper). Just my view on the matter.

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

Just out of interest, at what level does this "them before us" view of living things kick in? Mammals? Vertebrates? Bacteria? Do you subscribe to the old Jain philosophy of wearing a cloth over your mouth to avoid accidentally eating any insects?

And as for "being home for supper", I think the issue here is rather more about "being supper".

veronese68

TGOTB wrote:

MrSweary wrote:

Have you not seen that video of a bear topping out at 30mph? :shock:

To paraphrase an old adage, you don't have to be faster than the bear; you just have to be faster than your companion...

This adds to my belief that they should introduce natural predators into Richmond Park rather than have the annual cull. It would also thin out the number of cyclists and only the fast would survive.

Ben6899

bompington wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

I can see both sides to the argument, but I wouldn't put myself in that situation (where I might have to pepper spray a Coyote in order to be home for supper). Just my view on the matter.

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

Just out of interest, at what level does this "them before us" view of living things kick in? Mammals? Vertebrates? Bacteria? Do you subscribe to the old Jain philosophy of wearing a cloth over your mouth to avoid accidentally eating any insects?

And as for "being home for supper", I think the issue here is rather more about "being supper".

I suppose it kicks in where I can see a singular example without the use of a microscope.

And indeed. Eat supper or be supper.

CitizenLee

Ben6899 wrote:

I can see both sides to the argument, but I wouldn't put myself in that situation (where I might have to pepper spray a Coyote in order to be home for supper). Just my view on the matter.

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

As much as I respect nature, I certainly wouldn't pass on riding some of those amazing looking North American trails. Or take Whistler for example, the local bears quite often visit the bike park. Would you say no to riding there? Just asking out of curiosity, rather than the "telling you you're wrong in the form of a question" line of enquiry that is all too common on BikeRadar

Also, most the UK was forest at one point

Ben6899

CitizenLee wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

I can see both sides to the argument, but I wouldn't put myself in that situation (where I might have to pepper spray a Coyote in order to be home for supper). Just my view on the matter.

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

As much as I respect nature, I certainly wouldn't pass on riding some of those amazing looking North American trails. Or take Whistler for example, the local bears quite often visit the bike park. Would you say no to riding there? Just asking out of curiosity, rather than the "telling you you're wrong in the form of a question" line of enquiry that is all too common on BikeRadar

Also, most the UK was forest at one point

The bear visiting a Whistler bike park (not sure what a bike park is) is an interesting conundrum. If it was a daily occurence that they were turning up and eating people, I'd probably give it a swerve!

CitizenLee

Ben6899 wrote:

CitizenLee wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

I can see both sides to the argument, but I wouldn't put myself in that situation (where I might have to pepper spray a Coyote in order to be home for supper). Just my view on the matter.

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

As much as I respect nature, I certainly wouldn't pass on riding some of those amazing looking North American trails. Or take Whistler for example, the local bears quite often visit the bike park. Would you say no to riding there? Just asking out of curiosity, rather than the "telling you you're wrong in the form of a question" line of enquiry that is all too common on BikeRadar

Also, most the UK was forest at one point

The bear visiting a Whistler bike park (not sure what a bike park is) is an interesting conundrum. If it was a daily occurence that they were turning up and eating people, I'd probably give it a swerve!

They seem to coexist from what I can gather...



Whistler Bike Park is the stuff MTBers dreams are made of
Give it a Google

The Rookie

Ben6899 wrote:

no problem for a road cyclist.

A big problem as you'll be carrying your bike if you are where the mountian bikers roam and be the slowest....in which case I'll agree I dont need pepper spray!

Ben6899

The Rookie wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

no problem for a road cyclist.

A big problem as you'll be carrying your bike if you are where the mountian bikers roam and be the slowest....in which case I'll agree I dont need pepper spray!

Heh!

Great photo of the bears at the bike park.

rubertoe

Ben6899 wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

no problem for a road cyclist.

A big problem as you'll be carrying your bike if you are where the mountian bikers roam and be the slowest....in which case I'll agree I dont need pepper spray!

Heh!

Great photo of the bears at the bike park.

Are there any bears in the Park/Zoo Ben?

the_fuggler

Might come in handy against the Beast of Snozzle...

Ben6899

rubertoe wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

no problem for a road cyclist.

A big problem as you'll be carrying your bike if you are where the mountian bikers roam and be the slowest....in which case I'll agree I dont need pepper spray!

Heh!

Great photo of the bears at the bike park.

Are there any bears in the Park/Zoo Ben?

There's a much more dangerous animal in the park, Rob. The Chopper. Makes training laps very hazardous!

rubertoe

Ben6899 wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

no problem for a road cyclist.

A big problem as you'll be carrying your bike if you are where the mountian bikers roam and be the slowest....in which case I'll agree I dont need pepper spray!

Heh!

Great photo of the bears at the bike park.

Are there any bears in the Park/Zoo Ben?

There's a much more dangerous animal in the park, Rob. The Chopper. Makes training laps very hazardous!

Tis true... they are certainly common around those parts.

itboffin

The funniest bear photo at an event I've seen was the one greg66 posted whilst competing in the IM Canada when you think about it if i was a hungry bear I'd go hunting there as well, hundreds of slow knackered people in prime physical condition most likely all vegetarion as well and too weak to resist.

Initialised

Ben6899 wrote:

I cannot reconcile causing harm (temporary or not) to an animal which is behaving solely on instinct.

Even if they nearly killed you with a ton and a half of car?

UndercoverElephant

You definitely don't want to read this thread, then...

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/180561/h ... -equipment

Sometimes the US scares the shit out of me.

CitizenLee

Initialised wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

I cannot reconcile causing harm (temporary or not) to an animal which is behaving solely on instinct.

Even if they nearly killed you with a ton and a half of car?

Ben6899

CitizenLee wrote:

Initialised wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

I cannot reconcile causing harm (temporary or not) to an animal which is behaving solely on instinct.

Even if they nearly killed you with a ton and a half of car?

MrSweary

Ben6899 wrote:

As for the bear topping out at 30mph... no problem for a road cyclist.

I think the bear might have the edge on acceleration.

That said, I think I'd give Cav a run for his money with a bear chasing me. :shock:

Edit : I might be emitting my own variety of 'pepper' spray too....