I do not want to start a firestorm here, but I am curious if anyone carries any weapons aside from mace or pepper spray?
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I do not want to start a firestorm here, but I am curious if anyone carries any weapons aside from mace or pepper spray?
Good tips. I do have to disagree in a way with the one about stiletto heels though--my advice would be DON'T WEAR THEM!! They may make a stomp to the foot extra painful for the creep, but they also hinder your ability to run and get the heck away from the situation (and not to mention they're just plain uncomfortable anyway). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if wearing such shoes actually makes one more of a target, all other things being equal, because it's obvious that escape will be more difficult than for someone in flats or sneakers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Python
I have a hard time remembering to bring my ID with me on rides, so I made a photocopy of my Driver's License and my health insurance card and wrote all my emergency contact information on the same bright colored piece of paper. I put it right in the back of my seat bag so it practically falls out when you unzip it. Of course, you can't be sure someone would look in your seat bag, but at least it's always there. I also have a little label inside my helmet with basic emergency info. And I carry my cell phone (although it doesn't work worth beans around here!).Quote:
Originally Posted by teigyr
99% of my rides are solo. I ride rural roads and feel pretty safe...but I certanly don't take it for granted. I've been screamed at, honked at, and even had someone reach their arm out the car window and grab at me (now THAT about scared me to death!). Sometimes I think the poor pavement conditions are actually my biggest danger. I also live alone so no one would miss me if I didn't return from a ride. Friends and family know which roads I ride but I don't necessarily let someone know when I'm out riding. I try to be careful and aware, but I refuse to let fear keep me from doing things alone. Some of the worst injuries and accidents over my lifetime have been while doing what would be considered safe activities. I do get scared out there on the road though. My biggest fear is dogs and I'm going pepper spray shopping this weekend!
No, but my friend jokes around about carrying a handgun...kept in plain sight on the left hip, of course!Quote:
Originally Posted by Starfish
I keep teasing DH if these Ford F250s (the big trucks) keep running up on me I am getting a concealed handgun license!!! That might level the playing field. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by sara
I actually feel safer alone when there is noone around.
I mean there is noone around, geddit.
Aiming at the tires, of course;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama
All I can say is that this thread is making me really happy I live in the city. No matter where I go, hundreds of people are there also, and there is virtually zero possibility of being assaulted or even harrassed in any serious way. My fitness riding is in the park where you are going around in circles with a hundred other cyclists, joggers, and roller-bladers going around in circles. I feel so safe all the time. I walk my dog around the neighborhood at 11pm, and I run into others walking their dogs, couples coming home from dinner, etc., etc. I have never felt that I was isolated enough for anyone to get away with an assault.
My sister in rural PA, and my mom in rural FLA, freak out that I ride the bike "alone" and walk the dog "alone". What they don't seem to understand is how much safer it is in the city than where they live. I'm visiting my mom right now, and I honestly couldn't imagine going off on a bike ride here. Too isolated by far...
For those of you who do not feel safe... Follow your instincts, and be as prepared as possible. But, try not to let the fear keep you down. That's letting the bad guys win. If I had no choice but to live in a rural or quiet area, I would take self-defense classes and carry some kind of weapon handy. I carried mace in college.
We are all very different, aren't we!?! (As it should be.) I have lived in both very urban and very rural environments. I always feel safer in the rural settings, but the possibility of a threat exists in both. I have known people who have been both raped and killed in the urban environment. I have known people who have been the victims of home invasion crime in the rural setting.Quote:
Originally Posted by rij73
We're all different, and the urban threats make me more nervous. And, I know that I would not want to give up those incredible rides out in the country alone, when I stop and all I can hear is the wind, and all I can see is an eagle overhead, or an elk at a river.
When I lived rurally, without electricity or phone (and no cell phone reception), I slept with the cabin secured, and myself in a loft. The only way up there was a hole in the floor of the loft. I kept a gun, used it regularly to stay fresh, and was fully prepared (I believe, at least...never having been put to the test) to use it on anyone who woke me up in the night by breaking through my doors, ignoring my warning yells, and sticking their head up through my hole in the floor. My brother thinks I'm nuts for not using the same philosophy by carrying a small handgun on the bike with me, not letting anyone get close enough to take it away and use it on me. We both know people who have been left alone in harrassment situations after revealing they were armed.
I'm know I'm not ready for that on the bike, yet. I'm still not sure I could use it in the harder to read situations outside home defense. But, depending on circumstances changing in the future, I would consider it.
EXACTLY...there is NO ONE around. You are running 25 with a tailwind, they are running 40 slam into you..........that's it........game over...sorry but I REFUSE to be that.Quote:
Originally Posted by margo49
If you can't leave Target, as (bless her heart) Kelsey Smith in BROAD DAYLIGHT what are we suppse to do??:(
I am fortunate, living on a military base....I'm a "little" safer.....not much trust me..however, I will do whatever it takes, to ensure, safety and to be able to come back home to my HUSBAND and CHILD!
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Originally Posted by Jenn
So what are you going to do Jenn, hole up in your house? You can't ensure anyone's safety, all you can do is manage your risk. As Mimi said a meteor could fall on your house.
My advice stop focusing on the high profile risks, like Kelsey. Think about the real risks in your life - diet, exercise, smoke free environment, sunscreen, seatbelts...
If you truly think violence is the biggest risk to you or your family, get a concealed weapons permit and be prepared to use the pistol to defend yourself.
V.
"those how would give up a little freedom for a little security deserve neither"
Ben Franklin
I agree with Veronica. There is no such thing as a "risk-Free" life. and the mainstream is very much "if it Bleeds, it leads". I didn't even learn about the Lady in KS until I saw discuss that. That's what I get for getting my news from the LA times and NPR.
I 100% agree with Dianyla. It is an excellent book. Also, see if there's a class around in basic safety. The Redmond Police Department did one last year taught by a cop that was great. And if you want to carry something, make it pepper spray, not mace--cop's recommendation. But make sure it's one that is powerful enough to shoot out the spray 6-8 feet. I think Halt may do that. Bear pepper spray is what you'd want to look for.
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Originally Posted by Dianyla
Wow.....the anger.....Tell her parentts that, and I'll make sure my 16 month old is packing.What BS....Quote:
Originally Posted by Veronica
I'm pretty sure that if we get hit by a car that's going 40mph, it's not going to matter how many people are around.
I've gone to Target thousands of times in the last 42 years (didn't know it existed before then), and every single time, I've gotten home safely. I think that speaks well of my chances for safe returns for the next 42 years....
Events like either of those are pretty rare. Scary things happen a little more often, Unfortunately, illness happens on mostly daily basis -- I have decided I'm living a charmed life as far as health goes, since it seems like everyone around me has some sort of stuff going on!
While I'd prefer to come home to my family every time I go out into the world, I think I'd prefer to go out doing something I love, or at least something quick and surprising, than to "inflict lingering" on them.
Karen in Boise
Please ensure you don't spend your whole life paranoid! Gee, stop bubble wrapping yourself against society and go out and live.
Just keep your eyes open & if someone does say something weird to ya, don't respond and move on. Think rather than react.
I agree with V.
C
The events of 9/11 really show that none of us are immune, even in the "safety" of our offices (The Pentagon is a secure building but that didn't stop someone from flying a plane into it).
I agree with Veronica, Kano, and Canuck.
Life is hard enough without making it more difficult by worrying about "what ifs." Enjoy what makes you happy and try to respect & be kind to everyone, even folks who might not agree w/your opinions.
Who's anger? If you come on a forum and ask people's advice and opinions on something, you shouldn't call their replies "BS". Veronica's advice was valid, thoughtful and polite.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jenn
Have to agree with V as well. Life's too short to be worrying about ending up on this week's unsolved crime show... I would guess that you probably have about as much chance of being hit by lightening (and as we have maybe two, three thunder storms a year at the most in this area the chance of being hit is pretty remote...) as being taken by a serial killer, so I just can't live my life in fear of something like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
As far as Jenn goes - I don't know if she's still lurking or not since she started a thread to tell us all that she was leaving (but she did that once before too....), but if she is - frankly I think you totally overreact when you post and someone puts up an opionion that you did not want to hear. It's not an attack - its an opinion that differs from your own and the poster has a right to it. If you only want people to confirm what you are all ready sure that you know maybe an open, diverse, worldwide forum is not the best place to seek advice.... And compared to many other forums this is a real sanctuary, without the insincere BS and name calling that goes on on a lot of other boards. From what I've seen no one has posted anything I would construe as rude or offensive towards you.
To throw my tuppenceworth into the melting pot.
I've said this before, but if we were to worry about what might happen, we'd never get out of our beds in the morning.
As for the possible threat of violence. We have a big problem with that in the UK just now, thanks to a government that's soft on crime.
However, I'll be blowed if I'm going to pussyfoot around, be afraid to go out alone, on the bike, walking or whatever. The day I become afraid of living my life how I want to, go where I want, when I want to is the day the pondlife and scum of this country win, and so long as I am able to I will not allow that to happen.
I clicked and asked that the "Goodbye Cruel Forum" post be removed and it's looks to be gone.
Hey, if ya wanna leave, just leave.
:eek:
I think this is one of the friendliest forums there is.
Of course there will be differences of opinion and not everyone will agree with everyone else. That's life, but to take opinions to heart and throw teddy out of the pram is, well, a bit childish to say the least. Sometimes it's best to agree to disagree.
I suppose some people are just too easily offended.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eden
Completely agree. Also completely agree that this is a wonderful forum. I'm so grateful to all of you!
Maybe this thread should be closed??? The difference in opinions is what I enjoy about the forum, as it often asks me to think of a situation differently. Somehow this thread took a wrong turn.
I don't know, there is some valid and useful advice that came up in this thread. It certainly is a subject that is good to discuss. Seems to me there is nothing THAT awful in the thread that would make it necessary to erase the whole thing. But then again safety issues will all be brought up again eventually anyway in one thread or another.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama
I did find it interesting that some of us feel safer when there is NO ONE around, while others feel safer when there are other people around.
I also learned that "bear pepper spray" shoots 8 ft, further than "regular" dog pepper spray (which shot about 4 feet in my field test)- a good thing to know!
That poor woman near me in Albany NY who was hit and killed by a car last week had no ID on her at all, and it took 2 or 3 days I think before police were able to find out who she was and notify her family. :( Shows how important it is for us all to have ID of some sort when we ride, for one thing.
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Originally Posted by Python
I've never heard the teddy phrase before. I love it.
I agree...it reminded me to check on Silver's pepper spray status.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Glad we had the discussion.
Mr. Silver: "Silver, do you have your pepper spray on your bike"
Silver: "No, but I know where it is":)
Mr. Silver: "What good will that do?":confused:
Silver: "I just have to figure out what to do with it":cool:
Mr. Silver: "Well, did you think it might be better to carry it?":rolleyes:
Silver: "Yep, I like that post's suggestion of putting it on my saddle pack"
Mr. Silver: "How will you reach it if a dog is charging at you?":(
Silver: " OH ":rolleyes:
I don't think we should live in fear.
I do think we should be alert and prepared.
We should not FEAR what could happen.
But, we must RESPECT the possibilities. That's why we wear helmets, stop at stops, etc
I've not come up with a way to carry my pepper spray prior to seeing the carrier that was mentioned earlier in the thread. Saddle bag is useless. Back pocket you have to get it and make sure you are spraying in the right direction. I been using my bento which is ok, still gotta rip the cover off and spray in the right direction. The clip on the can needs to clip tighter and I could just use the side of the bento.
For what it's worth: I have one of those little bungee loops that has a ball at one end, it's about 3" long. I loop it around the VERTICAL part of my stem and slip my pepper spray into only one loop vertically, so the spray container is upright, parallel along the stem. Mine has a flip-top to prevent one spraying towards oneself- you can only spray it in one direction when you flip the top up. Tip: do NOT leave the spray on your bike if you pop into a store for a moment- so little kids cannot get to it at all. The bungee is good because 1) it does not gunk up or scratch your bike finish and 2) the spray is easy to yank out quickly, and easy to put back in the bungee loop. Don't slip the spary through both loops- just one so that the other loop keeps the spray cannister from rattling against your bike while you ride. Test your spray once for just a second or two out in your yard (on a windless day!) so you know it works and you have an idea of how it sprays- mine is like a jet stream, not a "spray". My two cents.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Silver
I haven't done this, as I don't carry pepper spray, yet. But, I sometimes carry other stuff right up underneath the bottom hem of my shorts on one leg or the other. For instance, in the gym, I'll tuck my ipod nano up under the bottom of a shorts leg, and it works great. Stays in place through biking, elliptical training, ab work on the floor, etc.
Might be a way to have quick access.
I think I'm the one who originally posted about carrying pepper spray attached to the reflective strip on the rear of my saddle bag. For some, it may not be an option; for me, it works wonderfully! I can reach back, grab, and spray in under two seconds -- not that this is a quick-draw type of thing though -- and I mean dead-on, in-the-mutt's-face accuracy. We've logged scads of miles on these country roads, and that means we're very familiar with the location of the various canines: the friendly ones that simply want an excuse to run through the ditch and chase something for two miles before heading back home; the tiny, little (redundant, I know) yappers that have a genetic predisposition toward running under your wheels; the ones who give chase from behind a fence (invisible or otherwise) and pose absolutely no threat; and the vicious snarlers that want nothing more than to latch onto a piece of you. Knowing what is about to accost us provides us the luxury of already having Halt! in-hand when needed. When riding in unfamiliar territory, I am always on the look-out for evidence indicating a dog might be on the premises so that I am not caught unaware. Additionally, unless it's a stealth chaser (and we've encountered a few), most dogs will announce their intention to chase by barking -- providing you with more than ample time to retrieve pepper spray, etc., from wherever you have it stashed.
Anyway, what's feasible for me might not be an option for you. That's what makes these forums so wonderful -- sooner or later someone will come up with the perfect solution for your particular set of circumstances.
Happy tailwinds to you all!
My DH always tucks a $20 bill under his biking shorts leg hem when we go riding to breakfast. I'm always tempted to sneak up and tuck an extra bill in his shorts. :eek: :D :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Starfish
Indeed! :DQuote:
Might be a way to have quick access.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
(Quick Hijack)
I have to admit, although there is absolutely nothing racy about fat me putting my ipod in my shorts about 2 inches up from my knee...still I always feel a little like I'm tucking something under the strap of my garter belt when I'm at the gym! LOL :p
I agree, just wanted to see the discussion back on track. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Curiousity.... How comfortable are you pepper spray packing ladies at using it? Did you buy a bottle for practice? Or are you just assuming you will be able to use it when needed? I would like to let DH rest easier and ride on my own but I would probably end up pepper spraying myself! I learned with my CO2 that just because something is easy doesn't mean I won't find a way to make it hard. We have had a rabies outbreak in my county and aside from big ol' trucks and creepy ol' people there are rabid dogs. Wow, I am making my little piece of Texas paradise sound awful.
Prior to carrying Halt, I carried a less toxic citrus spray. A friend and I started being chased one day by 3 dogs through a corner and I ripped out that spray and nailed them. It kept them away but it wasn't a evil enough spray to completely run then off. That's why I changed to halt.
Is is just mace that's illegal in some states? How do you find out? Halt isn't mace, is it? (it's the dog repellent kind, right?) I should ask DH- he used to carry some on his postal bag when he had a route a long time ago that had "attack" dogs on it.
I used to carry pepper spray all the time, but have gotten less stringent about carrying it (complacent, unfortunately). I better go buy some more today- thanks for the reminder ladies!!
I like the idea of bungee cording it to the stem. I guess I could also clip it to the side of my Bento box.
I think I might read that fear book, too. Sounds interesting!!
I got a little thing of pepper spray on Ebay. Mine has a flip-top that you have to flip up to be able to press the button- this makes it pretty much impossible to spray unless it is pointing away from you. It said it has enough for about 10 one-second bursts of spray. It also says each one was tested once at the factory. I tested mine for one second out in my yard to make sure I'd know what to expect. I figure it has at least 7 or 8 one-second sprays left in it, or 3 or 4 two-second sprays' worth. I'll probably replace it every 2 years or so if I don't use it up. I have not needed to use it yet, in one year of riding. But at least I know it does work! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama
okay, i did it.
When i was east of the mountains this weekend, since I was the sag
i didn't have time or opportunity to ride with the rest of the people,
so on Sunday morning, i left the lodge at 615am to ride by myself.
I told DH where i was going and took off down the road. I rode almost 6 miles and saw two cars. I also saw 3 deer. And that's what scared me.
Going back downhill, the next almost 6 miles, I decided that if i kept my speed at no faster than around 20, a deer probably wouldn't run into me. I also talked to the deer, which they did not like, they moved away from me when I spoke.
I loved the ride. I would trade a city ride for a country ride any day!
Plus in the country you can go miles without a stop sign!
Although trailers full of big round haybales are scary.
Good thing I live in the country where there are miles between stop signs...otherwise I'd get caught running one for sure! Bad habit...I probably oughtta start stopping at those silly signs. But I feel that it's much safer to run them...otherwise I might forget to unclip and fall over.Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthernBelle
Logging trucks are scary too. And so are big piles of horse poo in my lane. But I think traffic, signal lights, and riding in urban areas would really scare me. I guess it's all just what you're used to!