Do you carry any protection?

[Quixote]

Hey! Minds out of the gutter, now! I'm talking about weaponry...not safe sex.
In the past month, I've seen bear on two separate occasions. The first, on a group ride, I was surprised when several riders mentioned that they were reaching for their pepper spray. I hadn't considered it before, but then, about two weeks later, a mother bear and a smaller one (not actually a cub) shot across the road in front of me and two other riders. It was pretty close, actually. I started thinking about all the "what if" senarios. How about you? Any close encounters with the animal kingdom? Do you carry any kind of repellent or defense?

 

[Thomsena]

Had a near death experience a couple of minutes ago with a moth. It had me down on the floor with an armlock on several occasions but i manage to open the window and trick it outside. Talk about luck. I did have an electric flyswatter by my side in case of emergency though.

 

[Anonymous]

catnip and the occasional dog biscuit

 

[craig1985]

No, then again it isn't easy for us to get access to firearms in Australia as what you guys in the States do. And even if it was, there is no point in me needing such a weapon.

 

[Amsterhammer]

I find a hand pump pretty useful for prodding my way through heavy cycle traffic downtown.

 

[Quixote]

Had a near death experience a couple of minutes ago with a moth. It had me down on the floor with an armlock on several occasions but i manage to open the window and trick it outside. Talk about luck. I did have an electric flyswatter by my side in case of emergency though.

Wow! Now THAT'S a story you can tell your grand children! This incident should stand as warning for all of us...moths are not to be taken lightly! My only problem, Thomsena, is that you did not use that electric flyswatter...you released this menace upon the rest of us! What were you thinking?

 

[The Hitch]

I live in London, so the 2 Uzi submachine guns in my pockets and the RBG 18 on my back, are minimum safety requirements when leaving the house.

 

[mewmewmew13]

rubber bands and duct tape

 

[Cobblestones]

We used to have an awesome 'do you carry heat' thread. What happened to that?

 

[ElChingon]

Wow, now you have me thinking???

I guess I could use my CO2 to temporarily cause any air breathing animal some confusion through a few seconds of not breathing air? Not sure if it would be enough to get away though. I guess I could use a spare tube to strangle the animal if it came to that. Tire levers could be used to gouge some eye's if I can find them on which ever animal would attack? Lastly, I could whip the animal if I quickly took out my handkerchief and snapped it at him after rolling it the long way!

I guess I do carry protection now that I think about it and I would never use my bike as a weapon, too pricey a proposition , there's always a stick or rock near by.

 

[Altitude]

Chainsaw and/or sledge hammer

 

[ramjambunath]

Beans for breakfast, my exhaust is more toxic than an old bus.

 

[usedtobefast]

hand gestures and loud voice,with a menacing bike rider look
a glock sometimes seems like a good idea,but......nahhhh! but maybe.

 

[bridgeman]

We routinely have mountain lion sightings where we ride. Never though about it before, but when I'm out there fixing a tire or dealing with any mechanical I am much more attentive to sounds and I'm always keeping an eye out.

Never though of weapons, but I have thought of using my bike as a shield. There was a women who was badly mauld by a mountain lion years ago. That same cat had killed another mountain biker before it attacked her.

 

[RedheadDane]

Well... we're kinda short of wild dangerous animals around here...

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I carry a small knife but not for protection.

 

[Descender]

Had a near death experience a couple of minutes ago with a moth. It had me down on the floor with an armlock on several occasions but i manage to open the window and trick it outside. Talk about luck. I did have an electric flyswatter by my side in case of emergency though.

Best post ever? Yes, I think it is.

 

[Descender]

catnip and the occasional dog biscuit

haha this one's good too.

 

[MrMaillot]

I pretend to be Laurens Ten Dam after his crash in the Tour. It keeps everyone away.

 

[Cobblestones]

I found the previous thread by rightwingnutjob. It's a great read.

 

[jordan5000]

Nope and I don't need to, it's illegal to carry a gun or knife here too.