How do you stay safe..alone?

[Aggie_Ama]

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.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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.
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.

[Mr. Bloom]

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.

I agree...it reminded me to check on Silver's pepper spray status.

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?"
Silver: "I just have to figure out what to do with it"
Mr. Silver: "Well, did you think it might be better to carry it?"
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 "

Glad we had the discussion.

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

[SouthernBelle]

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.

[Starfish]

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.

[HoosierGiant]

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!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

...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.

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.

Might be a way to have quick access.

Indeed!

[Starfish]

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.

(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

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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 "[/INDENT]Glad we had the discussion.

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.

[Aggie_Ama]

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.

I agree, just wanted to see the discussion back on track.

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.

[SouthernBelle]

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.

[Tri Girl]

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!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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 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!

[mimitabby]

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!

[SouthernBelle]

Plus in the country you can go miles without a stop sign!

Although trailers full of big round haybales are scary.