Be On Your Guard

[Winger]

Don’t really want to go into to much detail on here...but had two scum bags on a motorcycle try to relieve us of our mountain bikes on Sunday while out riding, thought after all these years my fighting technique would be rusty but saved the day but a very unpleasant all round experience and after speaking to other folk since being mugged for ones’s high end mountain bike is becoming more common than I thought.

 

[Bummers]

Nice one on giving them a surprise! Hope you weren't injured. Sadly there's no way to hide an expensive bike whilst you're riding it. Need to be very vigilant for these types of scumbag.
Where abouts were you when it happened? Did you report it to the police?

 

[maynard]

I once parked my levo at shopping mall whilst getting My new prescription glasses . Usually i don't leave my bike unattended in busy places . My car was getting fixed at the time . I told my myself to be no longer than 20 mins . Well anyways . Anyways I rushed to get back to my bike . When I got there 2 unsavoury characters where standing over my bike when i got there . I had to step in between them to unlock my d lock . They started asking me questions about my bike and seemed genuinely interested . I couldn't help but think if I was smaller in stature or acted scared they would of rolled me for my bike .

 

[Winger]

Nice one on giving them a surprise! Hope you weren't injured. Sadly there's no way to hide an expensive bike whilst you're riding it. Need to be very vigilant for these types of scumbag.
Where abouts were you when it happened? Did you report it to the police?

Sutton Park West Midlands, while I was fighting them off my wife dialled 999, when she told the women on the end if the phone the guy had produced a screw driver they had the police to us inside a couple of minutes, the scumbags realised what was going on and jumped on the bike and escaped.

 

[Bummers]

Sutton Park West Midlands, while I was fighting them off my wife dialled 999, when she told the women on the end if the phone the guy had produced a screw driver they had the police to us inside a couple of minutes, the scumbags realised what was going on and jumped on the bike and escaped.

Glad you fought them off but when a weapon is produced it changes the risk factor even higher. Is it worth getting stabbed for a bike? Stay safe pal, totally understand your rage at these scum but getting a screwdriver through the ribs is a high price to pay.

 

[The Hodge]

totally understand your rage

This is the bit that worries me from a personal point of view ..while I totally agree that the sensible thing to do would be to walk away ..could I ?
Not sure...
Hopefully I will never find myself in that situation..

 

[Bummers]

This is the bit that worries me from a personal point of view ..while I totally agree that the sensible thing to do would be to walk away ..could I ?
Not sure...
Hopefully I will never find myself in that situation..

Same, if the red mist came down with all that adrenaline pumping... Hard for common sense to prevail.

 

[Doomanic]

my wife dialled 999, when she told the women on the end if the phone the guy had produced a screw driver

Did they have a screw driver or was a successful attempt to get dibble's attention?

 

[Winger]

Did they have a screw driver or was a successful attempt to get dibble's attention?

Interesting seeing a post like this....when in a split second you go from having a pleasant Sunday ride out with your wife, to her screaming her head off and you turn around to find some scum bag who has picked up the back of her bike while she is still on it and he is shouting expletives to frighten her to death, when the police turned up they asked for a describtion of the screw driver...., it did lighten the situation when confirming it was flat bladed cuz even he realised with us both a foot off the floor with shock and he was asking the said question.

 

[Doomanic]

Also it increases your right to use more severe methods when your woman is there

In Dumbfuckistan possibly, not in the UK as far as I am aware.

Interesting seeing a post like this....

Not casting aspersions, we've had warning posts like this before where the victim wasn't a forum member and all the keyboard warriors came out of the woodwork spouting all sorts of shite about what they'd do.
As you unfortunately have first hand experience I am interested in the circumstances and was curious as to whether there was a weapon involved as that would often change someone's response from fight to flight.
I am very glad that you survived the incident unscathed and with your bikes and hope you don't have to experience similar ever again.
I can't honestly say how I would react in those circumstances and I haven't had a fight of any sort for over 30 years!

 

[Dirtnvert]

I have dreams of this happening to me. I would be so happy that someone wanted to play. Also it increases your right to use more severe methods when your woman is there. I would go for the good old eye snatch. Pull an eyeball out of a dude and if he still wants to play he’s have to be on drugs……good ones

I thought you were going to say youd eat it while he watched wth his remaining eye! Eye snatch alone is still 8.5/10 on the bruce lee scale.

 

[Tony4wd]

Isn't pepper spray legal in the UK? If so I'd be carrying that on the ride.
As a non-fighter I'm really glad I don't have any of these stories to tell.

 

[Doomanic]

Isn't pepper spray legal in the UK?

No, it's regarded as a firearm in the UK.

 

[RIngrey]

Carry a night stick in your back pack.

 

[Bummers]

Insane!!! Just illegally carry a gun and fingerprint free ammo. ‘If a bullet kills in the Forrest and no one else is around does anyone hear it’. It’s an old saying I think.

Yeah not gonna happen in the UK. You'd be better off finding a nice small aerosol can of chain oil to keep in your pocket to use as a legal pepper spray.

 

[Labrador29]

Glad you fought them off but when a weapon is produced it changes the risk factor even higher. Is it worth getting stabbed for a bike? Stay safe pal, totally understand your rage at these scum but getting a screwdriver through the ribs is a high price to pay.

As a retired policeman of 20 years front-line experience, I can only agree with your comment Bummers. I love my 2022 Giant Trance X +1 29er, but life gets more precious as one moves closer to 80, so my experience tells me to stick hands in pockets, and use the silvery tongue. I would hate to let scumbags get away with my pride and joy, but that way I live to fight another day when the odds are on my side.
If my wife was with me though, her safety would be my priority.
My favourite saying and one I hope to put on a T shirt: "Don't fear death, fear the unlived".
No good being a dead hero in New Zealand. This weak government led by a Prime Minister too busy on the world stage to make herself famous, insist on treating violent offenders by slapping them on the wrist with wet bus tickets. Latest shocker is a 17 year old male who raped four young girls, and sexually violated a fifth. He received 12 months home detention!!!!!!! Imagine what a bike thief would get!!!!!!!

 

[jonmat]

The problem with riding tooled up to protect yourself is that if the attacker is tougher, harder and more skilled than you, they will remove it from you and use it against you. If you are tough and hard enough already, you wouldn't need a weapon. I do know of an instance when this happened in the UK when the person concerned was attacked in a road rage incident. He had a short length of stout strong cable under his front seat and took it out to defend himself and got it taken off him and beaten to a bloody pulp. Be careful, I've seen people that can withstand a tazer shot and could have it off you in seconds and use it against you. I don't have an answer, sorry. It's a serious topic and definitely worth debating.

 

[durask]

Don’t really want to go into to much detail on here...but had two scum bags on a motorcycle try to relieve us of our mountain bikes on Sunday while out riding, thought after all these years my fighting technique would be rusty but saved the day but a very unpleasant all round experience and after speaking to other folk since being mugged for ones’s high end mountain bike is becoming more common than I thought.

This is very frustrating to read. I know you UK people have different thoughts on crime and all that, but aren't police supposed to make sure this kind of stuff does not happen???!!!

As far as countries with strict gun control go, sure Japan and Singapore have strict gun control but at the same time this will never ever happen in either of these countries.

As far as I am concerned, I am happy that I can carry a concealed firearm if I felt that I may need one.

 

[Andyrp2001]

Yeah not gonna happen in the UK. You'd be better off finding a nice small aerosol can of chain oil to keep in your pocket to use as a legal pepper spray.

Deep Heat, far more effective!!!!

 

[2WheelsNot4]

I can't honestly say how I would react in those circumstances and I haven't had a fight of any sort for over 30 years!

Heres what happens, at any age. Adrenalin kicks in and you dont really feel it. Your head is set up so its in fight/flight mode. Once you're in fight mode even hard smacks to the face are not as noticeable, as for example someone walking up and smacking you in the chops without you realizing its going to happen.

Afterwards..... now thats a different story

 

[steve_sordy]

You could justify carrying a small aerosol can of WD40 in your pocket. And you could deploy it very quickly. But the folding saw in my backpack, whilst a fearsome item in itself, is harder to justify and a bugger to deploy quickly.
I'm also less likely to inadvertently seriously injure someone with a small can of WD40.

 

[Landy Andy]

Easy to write your thoughts and pre planned ideas, but when the shit hit the fan, you so what comes naturally not much thinking goes on. Especially keyboard BS about going equipped. Like the tools that plan for zombie bollox.

 

[Doomanic]

Like the tools that plan for zombie bollox.

You mean you haven't planned for the zombie apocalypse? I never go MTBing without someone slower than me, which come to think of it, is also useful against scrotes...

 

[Kiteboy]

Glad you fought them off but when a weapon is produced it changes the risk factor even higher. Is it worth getting stabbed for a bike? Stay safe pal, totally understand your rage at these scum but getting a screwdriver through the ribs is a high price to pay.

Krav Maga

 

[Bummers]

No.

Unless you've put hours and hours in each week for years, are used to dealing with real life confrontation and can control the adrenaline dump to pull off the fancy mcdojo moves you're mostly likely to end up hurt.

 

[Swiss Roll]

Here in Switzerland, you can't buy WD-40, so we use AT-4 instead.

 

[jonmat]

Hilarious, love it

 

[Kiteboy]

No.

Unless you've put hours and hours in each week for years, are used to dealing with real life confrontation and can control the adrenaline dump to pull off the fancy mcdojo moves you're mostly likely to end up hurt.

Not like other martial arts; no flashy moves, just violence. One year of steady training will build skills and conditioned response making one hard to hurt. The way the world is going today, I recommend it.
Former instructor.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Up until 3 years ago at the age of 48, I was still getting beaten to a pulp on the rugby field every weekend. I'm not shy of a bit of a tear up but I absolutely dread this sort of thing happening and like @Doomanic said, I've no idea what I would do, Unless they messed with my lad.. at that point there's nothing to think about.

 

[MrSimmo]

Not like other martial arts; no flashy moves, just violence. One year of steady training will build skills and conditioned response making one hard to hurt. The way the world is going today, I recommend it.
Former instructor.

Agree 100%. I had to train KM in a past life and it is highly effective!

I’ve got both of my kids lined up to learn the discipline