Self-Protection Products in the UK while Cycling

I wouldn't say stealth, just persistant.

I hope they were marching and playing "Roundabout" while you tried to sneak them in. And I hope you did it by going up to the bouncer, pointing at the sky behind him and saying "wow! look at that!"

No, I was being far less clever.
I just figured he was bright enough to realize that behind this person with the whistles and flags in a haz-mat suit there are 20 more people in haz-mat suits all wanting to come through his door, and some of them were brandishing trumpets for gods sake. Trumpets!

"'ere! you ain't a marchin' band are you. No marchin' bands allowed in 'ere"
uncomfortable shuffling
"No mate, no marching bands here."
honk
parp
"shut up Wilson!"

"'ere! you ain't a marchin' band are you. No marchin' bands allowed in 'ere"
uncomfortable shuffling
"No mate, no marching bands here."
honk
parp
"shut up Wilson!"

^I'm pretty sure BlueQuinn thinks up a lot of conversations in his head, and has a white angel on one shoulder and a red devil on the other.

Have your wits about you, always anticipate danger as you should be doing on the road anyway.

If in doubt cycle fast.

Taser.... FFS.

legally, would anyone on this thread advising / encouraging others to us weapons / violence be culpable if a reader of this thread followed their advice?

Ed, thanks for the tips on D locks and elbows, but unless you can tell me you've used these techniques with success then I'll ignore them thanks.

There is a lot of big talk as always in these threads. Unless you are trained and practiced in some self defense technique your likely to get yourself in more trouble, either with the law or be beaten with whatever you carry. If you are well trained in some self defense technique you probably will not need the the weapon.

To be honest if I'd made the chose to start carrying something as a weapon I would not worry if that item was illegal or not.

Tommy, you have spoilt many little boys' dreams with your post.

Don't listen to him- he wears a balaclava whilst cycling.

Yep, I saw him this morning with one. FFS, what is wrong with him!

I know! It was a little nippy this morning but I thought he was going a little overboard.

I think the ultimate weapon would be a minature cloned Oliver Shick in your hip pouch.
If someone started driving like a twat or generally just being stupid, you could just roll up at the traffic lights pull out you Mini-Shick™, and let him lecture away quoting important facts figures and statistics, making them feel less and less intelligent until their brain implodes upon itself.

have recently been thinking i need to carry products that will protect others from me

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.

This sounds like you saved your friends life, from a mindless thug

In Eugene Sloanes " Complete Book of Cycling" Simon and Schuster 1974, he recommends carrying a 24 inch cattle prod clamped to your top tube, to deter dogs.

The problem with carrying weapons is that they can be used against you.

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.

Krav Maga is actually an Israeli martial art.

In terms of self defense having some co-ordination and knowing how to use your body is just as good as knowing some martial art. Most people (myself included) havent gotten into fisticuffs since we were 11 years old so tend to spazz out at any physical confrontation. Being able to take a punch and knowing how to push someone over is all that is necessary. Simple hard objects like your mobile phone can be used as hard striking objects.

Where is good to learn self defence crav maga in london? I know some classes are more fitness based.

Where is good to learn self defence crav maga in london? I know some classes are more fitness based.

http://www.systemalondon.com/default.htm check this stuff out

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.

If you on your way to work, or you on your way home from work, then it's ok - tools of the trade. I was warned that if I'd forgotten to take knives out of my rucksack (which has my life in it) at weekends though and got stopped, that wouldn't technically wash. I don't know whether you'd be guilty of the law "as read" but the beak would be likely to be lenient, whether the CPS would decide it wasn't in the public interest to press charges against a married father of two for forgetting to remove one of his tools when he got home on Friday night?

Not sure on that one, you know how laws that are very loosely policed can tighten up really suddenly these days. "Terrorists? Ooo, better put sniffer dogs on every train station then - especially Vauxhall on a Saturday night. To catch the semtex carriers, of course. Not to catch all the clubbers with a bag of weed, half a gram or a few pills. No no, that's just coincidence..."

whether the CPS would decide it wasn't in the public interest to press charges against a married father of two for forgetting to remove one of his tools when he got home on Friday night?

depends. are you brazilian, an electrician, or have ever said something that could be construed as being subversive?

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

hides just in case :D

Yum, fierce women. =)

ive only once been involved in a bike based row in the 11 months ive been here since Glasgow.
basically a couple of mates i was riding with buzzed a green man, red light to us, i could tell the ped crossing (male around 40 with felamle mid 20's) was irrate at this when i was approaching from his body language. I decided to slow and stop for the lights because this is what the lights dicated and beacuse i didnt want any hassle from the ped.

ironically the opposite occured, he stopped and as i came to halt grabbed me by the neck and tried to press his head against mine. i reacted and thumped him he was sprawled out on the road, the female starts screaming at me and its clear they both had been drinking despite this being early evening daylight.

all of a sudden a random suited and booted runs from ap pub fist raised. i shouted for him advance to assess what he was about to do, i wasnt overly concerned since i reckoned i would have the measure of someone whose technique was to run square at me with a fist raised in preparation.

anyway bottom line is there is always bravado in these threads. but like johnhotdog says a moments reaction can result in a ruined life or most likely multiple.

the older i get the more aware of consequences i get, the less fearless and hot headed i get and the more i have to lose.

ride safe and avoid situations if you can, and if you cant... good luck.

Me too. And Tricitybendix.

You both also have a marching band? wicked. Rosie you kept this quiet. I've lost count of the number of times I needed a brass section a mere phone call away and none has been forthcoming.

Two fierce women. What more do you need?

International TV rights, an HD video camera and a large quantity of jelly. You didn't really need to ask.

Krav Maga is actually an Israeli martial art.

In terms of self defense having some co-ordination and knowing how to use your body is just as good as knowing some martial art. Most people (myself included) havent gotten into fisticuffs since we were 11 years old so tend to spazz out at any physical confrontation. Being able to take a punch and knowing how to push someone over is all that is necessary. Simple hard objects like your mobile phone can be used as hard striking objects.

Krav Maga is not technically a martial art.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_maga

You have also slightly misleadingly quoted me there. The first example was an historical curiosity nothing more, but adjoined it would appear I was contradicting myself when I wasn't.

Krav Maga is a self defence technique that trains you not to panic in physical confrontations, how defend yourself and then stop your attacker from anymore violent acts including and especially using any weapon he might be threatening you with.

I would recommend it to anyone, women especially as it does not require brute force.

I hate violence like any rational sentient being but I would rather know how defend myself and my loved ones in any given situation and unlike martial arts you could be competent within six months.

You both also have a marching band? wicked. Rosie you kept this quiet. I've lost count of the number of times I needed a brass section a mere phone call away and none has been forthcoming.

International TV rights, an HD video camera and a large quantity of jelly. You didn't really need to ask.

She doesn't have one!

Yum, fierce women. =)

You two are going to get me in trouble for what was an innocent post!