Was looking over on one of the MTBR forums for somw hints about curing v-brake squeal and found this, the thread was headed “Spinoff: Anyone pack heat?”
Some select entries:
“…Then I started thinking about a trail I ride (Theo Wirth Park) in Minneapolis. Not too long ago a serial killer went on a killing spree and dumped a couple of bodies there. Anyways, next month I am taking a conceal and carry permit class and am thinking about carrying on some of the more creepy trails around here”
“I always carry my 9mm with me when riding…I just leave the clip in the gun, no round chambered, and the gun in my bag. I can pull the gun out rather quickly if need be and chamber a round very fast…”
“I don’t [carry] personally, but I ride with several people that do”
“Shoot to kill, dude…hell yeah I’d have the nerve. In the case where you’re being attacked, someones is going to come out on top. I’d rather it be me in that situation. How is saving your own life drastic, in any situation?”
A glock for bears!!! do they just want to make them madder. Must only be black bears.
I’ve had a couple of aus mates who are MTBers do exchanges with the US Air Force in Alaska. the 50 cal desert eagle is the most effective deterent if a Bear has a go at you. Others carry “Bear Spray”, basically super sized mace, although most acknowledge that it gives a false sence of security and will probably just make you tast a bit spicy if the bear is at all serious.
One of the guys friends from work went fishing and stayed in a carrivan near the lakes edge, went for a dump at night and went down near the shore, thinking it was safest he went facing the trees, a grizly snuck around behind him from the water side and he was saved (except for a deep claw cut) when he fell forwards with pants around ankles at the first swipe and manages to grab his gun and start letting off before the second swipe.
Just pull out the heat that you’re packing in your pants, fire your bullets of love and most wacko’s will either join you, run or kill you (at least you die happy). As for the bears that’s just plain kinky…
Earlier tonight a fox came up and I thought it was going to eat me! I wasn’t on a bike. It really snuck up on me, I saw it and crapped myself. I tried to scare it and I could make it flinch but it kept on coming up to me and started to look increasingly menacing (they have a pretty mean look about them) eventually I jumped a small fence to get away, I wouldn’t have shot it if I had a gun though!
Urban foxes are pretty brazen. In the country they’ll avoid you, but I think there is more foxes in urban areas now.
It sounds cruel but you do need to shoot them, they’re vermin. What they do do lambs and chickens etc can be quite vicious, let alone the carnage they inflict on . Quite regularly they’ll just maul a lamb, probably for fun, and leave it there then we need to go out and put the poor little bugger out of its misery. I used to think it was quite funny when I was a kid and my pop would go on these huge missions to find and kill foxes. . . Though a fox hunt with MTB/cyclocross as opposed to horses could be fun.
my missus used to work for BHP and the whole company’s performance bonuses were tied to workplace safety, injuries & fatality rates etc. one year the bonus pool was cut because some geologist dude doing remote exploration in russia got himself eaten by a bear. No christmas hamper for us that year.
the following year a helicopter pilot, also on remote exploration but this time in Canada, parked the helo in a clearing and left his jam sandwiches on the passenger seat. Pilot came back from whatever he was doing in the woods and bears had got into the helo looking for the sandwiches - totally trashed a couple of million dollars worth of helicopter.
an old colleague tells the story of some poor sod from overseas doing a work exchange program in tassie. he’s driving around somewhere and runs out of petrol. he’s waiting on the side of the road for a car to give him a lift to the next town and after some time a cop stops for him. they’re driving along and the cop asks this bloke if he left any food in the car. poor sod says yes. the cop starts going on about how it was a bad move because the drop bears will literally tear through the metal to get something to eat. this bloke is shitting himself and as soon as he’s got phone reception again he frantically calls his boss to explain what he’d done. needless to say his boss was wetting himself on the other end of the line. foreigners don’t stand a chance when even the cops lead you astray
