BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I have a lot of problems with knives that I won't go into except to say they aren't very defensive.

I think U locks are wonderful! That feeling was only increased when I discovered that they can lock up bikes, too!

Mick

I'd vote for a cell phone. People may back off when they see you dialing, especially if it's only 3 digits. Plus, camera phones are just spiffy for taking pix of license plates and other evidence.

Weaponry of any form (knife, gun, taser, spray) is a poor idea, unless one is well trained in its use and the repercussions of use, methinks.

either clutching your keys with a fist so they stick out, stun gun or pepper spray - either of which could fit in a down tube air pump holder.

I prefer rapier wit, meselfs.

:}

Yeah, your own knife can very easily be used against you. Plus I'm into biking for the blue skies and sunny weather, not to get into trouble. I'd hate to feel like I need to arm myself before taking to the streets.

unfortunately a car makes a more deadly weapon than anything we could carry on our bikes.

This whole thing reminds me of the spike bike stories

the bike panther party for self defense

and we all start a bike power chant?

Most road ragers just want to shout. Even the ones who shout threats of assault are usually too chicken to follow through, unless you take it there. There's little to gain by escalating. Carrying a weapon just presents you with the temptation to use it, and from there, it's just not going to end well. Even in willie's case, running away and getting a bent wheel is a whole lot better than getting run over while you're trying to saw a hole in a car tire with a pocket knife, or sitting in the back of a cop car in handcuffs after you've punched somebody in the face.

Cyclists aren't immune to being jerks when they get behind the wheel, either. This year I was driving up to the start of the MS150, and the road was a parking lot for about 3 miles. There was all kind of car-raging idiocy going on, it was apalling. I was thinking "whoa, in an hour I'm going to be in a pack with these hotheads. yikes."

No matter the road rage incident, something to always keep in mind is that cars move forwards and backwards really well, but have a hard time going side to side. Refuse to put yourself in a position to be run over, and it'll be that much harder for the person to do it.

I've had good success positioning myself in such a way that the screaming idiot is holding up traffic in order to yell... Peer pressure from the cars behind eventually gives in and they speed away in a huff. And I win.

brad's definately nailed it... stay parrallel to the car, make them put themselves in dangers way (or just really annoying circumstances) if they want to continue to persue you... medians, sidewalks, and one way streets are your friends!

dude, have you ever tried to slash a car tire? those things are tough!

there was this one time i was turning left off of liberty ave and some lady in an suv behind me felt the need to lay on her horn and throw her hands up like, "whathefuck." i decided to take the long cut and follow her down liberty, then i caught up to her on the passenger side, tapped on her window, and spit a really viral concoction (it was cold season) in a perfect arc right on her windshield. in the time it to her to notice it and slow down i had already slowed, turned around and was half a block in the other direction. she gets out of car and is yelling for me to get back there and cursing me out while i'm standing a safe distance away her on the opposite sidewalk pointing and laughing, telling her to get back in her dirty pig car, watching her be the one whose almost getting hit by cars. not the best way to advance bike advocacy, but that really made my day.

if a driver seems like they might be capable of doing some crazy stupid your best bet is definetely to just let them get a safe distance ahead of you though:/

One time I was going onto Grant from the end of the Jail Trail. I had a green light but a lady ran the light from the Parkway exit side of Grant and almost hit me. I rolled up along her driver's side window and saw she was reading a book. I tapped on the window, when she put the window down I asked her "is the book good". She said "why" I said "because you just ran the red light and almost killed me, so I hope the book is really good because if you continue reading and driving you are going to wind up in jail, so it would have to be a really good book to be worth it." She was very decent and apologized. I calmly asked her to please stop reading while she is driving and she agreed. Overall it was a good experience and I felt I helped her and helped keep the roads safer.

READING A BOOK!!!

Who the hell even says to themself "gee this book is good im gonna read it the whole drive to work". I have never even thought about reading anything at all while driving. Its just amazing and very scary that some people are so damn stupid.

You've already screwed up 3 or 4 steps before if you're to the point you need self defense. Why are you in that situation in the first place?

(Yes yes I've had scary stuff happen to me as well)

i think when that dude in murrysville shot that guy the other, a few other wingnuts should have done the same and maybe people would just fear us.

we need 1%'er patches.

"You've already screwed up 3 or 4 steps before if you're to the point you need self defense. Why are you in that situation in the first place?"

Bullshit. I can smell it through my computer.

Blaming the victim of an unprovoked attack solves nothing. In some cases the victim may end up reacting and escalating the situation, but that isn't all of the time. This is the same logic people use to paint rape victims as somehow responsible for their assailants actions.

Brad is right regardless of what names are passed back and forth that does not give someone the right to try to run you down with a car.

There must be a corollary to Godwin's law to apply when a discussion thread devolves to analogies to rape.

Brad is right regardless of what names are passed back and forth that does not give someone the right to try to run you down with a car.

But why go there to begin with? Is anything good going to come of that? Are you going to change someone's mind about cyclists (or life, for that matter) by swearing back at them? I agree that it's not the victim's fault, but why not be a better person and try to diffuse the situation first?

If a driver got their car so close to you while you where stopped that you felt uncomfortable and unsafe wouldent you say something like "hey watch it your a little close"

I never compared this to rape, I said the logic of blaming the victim for the assailants actions is the same logic applied to rape victims who looked "too pretty" or some other such nonsense.

If a driver got their car so close to you while you where stopped that you felt uncomfortable and unsafe wouldent you say something like "hey watch it your a little close"

Probably not. It happened to me on the way to work this morning. I tend to avoid confrontation, though. I tend to think that you aren't going to accomplish much in the 30 seconds or so you have to interact with drivers on the road. I'd be happy to talk with them over a beer, though....

I think, too, we're kinda comparing apples and oranges. It's one thing to point out that a driver might be a bit close at a red light, it's another thing to get into a shouting match with an already angry driver. If you can have a rational conversation with someone regarding their driving habits, have at it. But exchanging profanities with someone isn't trying to defuse a situation--it's escalating it.

If you can have a rational conversation with someone regarding their driving habits, have at it. But exchanging profanities with someone isn't trying to defuse a situation--it's escalating it.

This is the crux of the biscuit,. as they say.

Mick

Still running someone down with you car is illegal regardless. Well everywhere besides pittsburgh it is I guess. People get away with it her by the dozens it seems. I cant help but shake my head and laugh.