How many of you carry Pepper Spray/Mace as part of your cycling gear?



cucamelsmd15

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Apr 6, 2005
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I tuck a small can of Mace under the cuff of my right short. Living in the country, people let their dogs run loose, most of which wont hesitate to bite. Ive been forced to use it on more than one occasion because I was concerned with being bitten while riding.

Anyone else?
 
I can see this going the same way as the "How many of you carry a GREAT BIG F**KIN' SAWN OFF SHOTGUN TO SHOOT REDNECKS WITH as part of your cycling equipment" thread!!:D
 
shannons dad said:
I can see this going the same way as the "How many of you carry a GREAT BIG F**KIN' SAWN OFF SHOTGUN TO SHOOT REDNECKS WITH as part of your cycling equipment" thread!!:D
Heh, I usually just toss a frozen water bottle in the direction of the rednecks around here. Causes them pain, and advertises for my team as well:D
 
although never bit, i did have a rott saliva polish my heel in an apparent attempt to do so. usualy, i can outsprint any dog, so long as it is level or downhill. i even back off after the jump just to allow them a good ol' 'lil run.

but dog chase is no fun. i even know strong cyclists who have all but given up the road due to being chased.
i carry in my jersey pocket, which you must practice at deploying readily.
funny thing is, most dogs seem to avoid me since i carry, they may sense a certain attitude. you also get a sense of when the dog is serious, it usualy comes up without much barking, just fully runnin'.
as for what to carry, there are only two, MACE brand, a 50/50 mace pepper spray, the mace is really only for old times sake as the pepper spray is so effective. do not doubt this. the mace, though, does provide a long term disorienting effect. this is the choice for law enforcment and corrections officers.

then there is HALT, what the postal service carries, pepper spray, a good and cheap choice.

in either case, these are both sprays not foggers. do not consider a fogger as an effective choice, esp on the bike. of course the ultimate is the bear foggers, a damn near 40 oz. can that shoot 40 foot. these can and have stopped 'em all, bear, buffalo, backwoods bob, you name it.

if you must spray a dog, and i do not like to, you will find a short blast to be enough. the exception was this one rott, it seemed unfazed even with a face moistened from a two or three second spray. a fraction of a second will usualy do, in fact the effect seems to happen before actual contact is made, the dog can smell it comin'.

one tip, if you spray in front of the dog owners, do not accompany your spray with comment, this way you can dash with the least amount of disturbance...




cucamelsmd15 said:
I tuck a small can of Mace under the cuff of my right short. Living in the country, people let their dogs run loose, most of which wont hesitate to bite. Ive been forced to use it on more than one occasion because I was concerned with being bitten while riding.

Anyone else?
 
Yeah, I've used it (Halt) quite a few times and it's worked great, so far.

If you're going to "shoot" from a moving bike, I've found the most effective method is to wait until the dog gets right up to your heel, then reach down to within inches of his face and let him have it. Shooting from a distance from a moving bike is much too inefective, the spray tends to "bend" and/or break up, thus missing said target.

Halt has stopped some mean looking dogs in their tracks throughout my 23 years of cycling.

I agree with above poster...do not draw attention to yourself while performing this maneuver. Dog owners I've encountered don't seem to know or understand local leash laws or the fact that bicycles have a right to use the roads. Or they just don't care.
 
cucamelsmd15 said:
I tuck a small can of Mace under the cuff of my right short. Living in the country, people let their dogs run loose, most of which wont hesitate to bite. Ive been forced to use it on more than one occasion because I was concerned with being bitten while riding.

Anyone else?

No room. My colt 45 is heavy and 30 rounds take up all the room in my pockets.

Who needs pepper spray when you can do some serious intimidation! :p
 
mitosis said:
No room. My colt 45 is heavy and 30 rounds take up all the room in my pockets.

Who needs pepper spray when you can do some serious intimidation! :p
Mitosis is right.

Here's my set-up....
 
When I'm chased by a dog, I stop pedaling and let the bike come to a halt.. and the dog usually backs off. No sprays, nothing. This goes for when you're out jogging or running, the best option is always to stop.
By the way I've been chased by many dogs, yet I've never been biten using this technique.
 
saviourag said:
When I'm chased by a dog, I stop pedaling and let the bike come to a halt.. and the dog usually backs off. No sprays, nothing. This goes for when you're out jogging or running, the best option is always to stop.
By the way I've been chased by many dogs, yet I've never been biten using this technique.

Don't you just wish, every now and then, you had a small nuclear device for the dog to salivate over while you are pedalling away. You could then trigger it at a safe distance and have the pleasure of seeing it vaporise.

That is, if Malta is a country that the US thinks is responsible enough to have nuclear weapons. :D
 
mitosis said:
Don't you just wish, every now and then, you had a small nuclear device for the dog to salivate over while you are pedalling away. You could then trigger it at a safe distance and have the pleasure of seeing it vaporise.

That is, if Malta is a country that the US thinks is responsible enough to have nuclear weapons. :D
That would be ideal to be used on the dog owners. Actually what I wish is that dog owners keep their dogs on a leash! It's so stupid to leave them running freely, they could even get run over by cars. Still, some are on a leash but it's long enough for them to be able to reach the middle of the road :/

But I'm sure the US would find some excuse to think that we are not responsible enough to have nuclear weapons. I guess they haven't started accusing us of having them because they cannot find our country on the map :) .
 
Somehow, I just do not think hitting a rottwieller with your frame pump would do anything but p!$$ him off. Am I mistaken in this?

Another question; If you're riding up a steep hill, how do you use any kind of devise without stopping?
 
lehowe0 said:
Somehow, I just do not think hitting a rottwieller with your frame pump would do anything but p!$$ him off. Am I mistaken in this?
Damn fine question. Perhaps we need to undertake some live trials:

Could everyone who reads this please start hitting Rottweilers with their frame pumps, and then report back on the outcome. :D
 
Could everyone who reads this please start hitting Rottweilers with their frame pumps, and then report back on the outcome. :D[/QUOTE]
Before or after we get out of the hospital? :p
 
lehowe0 said:
Could everyone who reads this please start hitting Rottweilers with their frame pumps, and then report back on the outcome. :D
Before or after we get out of the hospital? :p[/QUOTE]

I'd like to try the frame pump experiment but I use a CO2 pump. I don't think the blast from that would be very effective. I could try to throw a cartridge at the dog but those things cost damn near 3 bucks a piece. Besides, My hand-eye coordination sux which is one of the reasons I ride. Furthermore, I can't believe people actually still carry frame pumps. I never see them in any of the LBS's around here and with the way that the better bikes are designed these days, there's hardly a place on the bike to put one. If you've got a frame pump I have to wonder if the bike was made when the earth was young and dinosaurs roamed it (out of the primordial ooze sprang the first bicycle and it has a frame pump :). Does the bike have wooden rims too? Just thought I'd be a smart-ass.
 
Okay, First results are in. I whacked a rottwieller with one Zefal frame pump. The animal tore off my right leg, ate the pump and peed on me as I was crawling away. More to come later. :)



wheelist said:
Damn fine question. Perhaps we need to undertake some live trials:

Could everyone who reads this please start hitting Rottweilers with their frame pumps, and then report back on the outcome. :D
 
lehowe0 said:
Could everyone who reads this please start hitting Rottweilers with their frame pumps, and then report back on the outcome. :D
Once witnessed an event where a jogger (whose dog wasn't on a leash) kicked a rottweiler (that was on a leash) because it was "threatening his dog". The rottweiler didn't even seem to notice that he'd been kicked. That guy really put his weight into it, too! ...the rottweiler's owner then turned it loose to chase the other dog and kicking jogger away. I thought the event was comical. Thinking about it again now still makes me chuckle. You can't imagine the look of surprise on that jogger's face when his foot landing on that rottweiler went completely unnoticed (except by the owner).

I've never really had a problem with dogs, but I think that if I'm being chased by a big dog like that, the best solution is to ride away as quickly as I can!

As to the original post: I carry water, a mobile phone, and maybe some cash or my wallet.
 
I own a small bike shop and have sold exactly one can of Halt Dog Repellent in the last six months. My advise is to get an old school frame fit pump ( Silca) and an old heavy chrome steel Campy head on the end and hit the dog right in the mouth with it. If the dog is really viscious and you cannot manage to outrun it, and somehow it forces you off your bike be sure to put the bike in between you and the dog for protection. If the dog bites you be sure and call the authorities to report it.




cucamelsmd15 said:
I tuck a small can of Mace under the cuff of my right short. Living in the country, people let their dogs run loose, most of which wont hesitate to bite. Ive been forced to use it on more than one occasion because I was concerned with being bitten while riding.

Anyone else?
 

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