Self-Protection Products in the UK while Cycling

Using a bell on a towpath is not self-centered.

If the 'tool' is something you could reasonably be expected to have on your person (a d-lock) there's no problem. As for using it, the force must be proportional to the attack. If some kids are giving you lip and you belt one of them.. you will be prosecuted. Running away is usually the best option.

Using a bell on a towpath is not self-centered.

Point taken -
now try a jangling bell inflicted on an unsuspecting granny laden with shopping trundling down to her house while some impatient cyclist tries to pass her from the inside.

I witnessed this last week when I visited my folks.

All I was trying to say in my post is that it's all relative. Read it in that spirit...

i dont mean to undermine the impact of the assaults on people in order to steal their bikes, but we do seem to be living in a culture of FEAR. Oooh something bads gonna happen so that will justify whatever we fancy doing.

This is exactly the shit that people use to justify torture or detention of unconvicted people and that kind of madness.

So, it sucks big time when people are cnuts. Unfortunately we live in london and there are a bunch of them here.

legally you cannot arm yourself with a weapon with a view to using it in self defence unless you have a reasonable fear of immediate unlawful violence.

i think arming yourself goes down a slippery path.

anyway,i dont know how many people ride bikes in London vs amount of attacks. i imagine statistically small. i live in Camberwell. its your phone they're after here. they are too small to get on a 54" frame :)

you need one of these to be really "tooled" up

FYI, it is illegal to walk (or even cycle) around tooled up!!!

A well equipped tool pouch can hide a few particularly lethal or effective weapons if you pick your tools carefully.....thats all I gots to say on that ;)

I witnessed this last week when I visited my folks.... it's all relative.

Clearly

If the 'tool' is something you could reasonably be expected to have on your person (a d-lock) there's no problem. As for using it, the force must be proportional to the attack. If some kids are giving you lip and you belt one of them.. you will be prosecuted. Running away is usually the best option.

What about running away after you've beat them?

I was once involved in a fight where I used a weapon against somoene.

A friend and I were attacked from behind whilst leaving (being turned away from) a nightclub. (Neither of us had been drinking.) My friend was kicked in the back down about 15 concrete steps and whilst he was lying at the bottom, they two guys ran down and started kicking him. He'd landed on a table and chairs and broken a chair - when I got there to try and pick him up, one of the bouncers was winding up to kick him in the face/head.

I picked up the chair leg and swung it as hard as I could, hitting the bouncer in the face. There was no forethought, no planning and I didn't even know I was doing it really ....He dropped, his mate went to see if he was okay and we both managed to get away. This all happened in the space of about eight seconds, probably less.

We were picked up by the police and to cut a long story short, they wanted to charge me with attempted murder. Life over. Thankfully, I (eventually) ended up being released without charge.

I'd seriously hurt the guy though- I'd cracked his skull, broken his eyesocket, cheekbone, nose, his palate and he needed stitches from just under his right ear, down to his jawline, up and overt he bridge of his nose and across to mid cheek on the right hand side. I was told that if I'd hit him perhaps an inch further round, I'd have killed him.

There's no way I'd ever use a weapon of any sort against anyone again - before that, I didn't think I had it in me to be so vicious and I'd never been involved in any sort of violence. Since then (apart from two minor incidents) I've kept well clear of any confrontation. You can fuck your life up in a second.

Running away is where it's at.

What about running away after you've beat them?

Only after you've checked their pockets for anything valuable.

Fists are fairly useless in a street fight at best you will break your fingers. Knees, elbows, palms better.

Learn Krav Maga.

Or use your elbow instead, it's one piece, pretty strong and you can able to knock them out easily than your fist.

Job done, none of those wacky asian dance.

Only after you've checked their pockets for anything valuable.

HAA repped *

Elbow is win *

if you wind up in court for more than necessary defence, this one can look offensive to the jurors:

I favour the feotal position

And the assailants favour the "kick to the head" move recently

john, if it was due, its due.

these always work for me...... converting any unbeliever..... 'you betta believe i am goin' to pop a cap in yo head, mutha !!! especially the silenced mp5, sub sonic 9mm, 30 rounds...... tape together 3 mags, top and tail....... 90 messengers of the word !!!!!

3 Attachments

and this little babe :
http://www.heckler-koch.de/HKWebText/detailProd/1928/345/4/19
just makes me :
YouTube - Jiz in my Pants - Thelonelyisland

yo !

mind you the kfc guy is kinda cool !

My Electron Nano 9 LED Front Light made a good improvised yawara stick**, **some louts were trying to get my bike off the railings it was chained to, when I protested one of them hit me and I hit him back hard on the side of his head with the torch hidden in my fist and he ran off, don't lock my bike within view of pubs or takeaways any more.

**
**

I was beaten over the head with a police issue mag-lite once by an over zelouse bouncer while trying to sneak a marching band into a party.
When he realized what he'd done he was fairly repentant, my costume didn't make me look overly female (I personally don't think gender should be a factor on whether or not you hit someone in the head with a huge fuck off torch, but if it made him feel worse for doing it, then good).

I digress, but the moral of the story, imo, is not to have something in your hands that you are prepared to use as a weapon without taking the time to think about what is your threshold for actually using it as such.

I'm going to be carrying Nhatt wherever I cycle from now on. Not only is she an excellent theft deterrent, but she has a fucking stealth marching band!

A well equipped tool pouch can hide a few particularly lethal or effective weapons if you pick your tools carefully.....thats all I gots to say on that ;)

Apart from teaching, I make most of my dosh working as an art technician or gallery manager, I think that everyone in that trade has lost count of the number of times they've say down in the pub and realised they've got a stanley knife or box cutter in their pocket.

Try explaining that to the orificer.

I'm going to be carrying Nhatt wherever I cycle from now on. Not only is she an excellent theft deterrent, but she has a fucking stealth marching band!

Me too. And Tricitybendix. Two fierce women. What more do you need?

hides just in case :D