Best Self-Defense for a Lady on an eBike?

eSurfer

eSurfer

100 W
Joined
Feb 5, 2016
Messages
170
Location
Newport Beach, CA
My wife just got an eBike and is going to the grocery store and running errands on it. A lot of the things she does requires her to go up the SART (Santa Ana River Trail) here in Orange County. The trail is great, but there are a bunch of questionable characters wandering about on it. There are a number of homeless camps strewn about here and there too. Nobody has ever bothered her, but I still worry.

QUESTION: I'm wondering if she should carry some sort of self-defense tools; pepper spray, taser gun, whatever. Does anyone have suggestions as to the best way to arm herself?
 
The most dangerous weapon a person can carry is education. Get her in some self defense classes that teach situational awareness, and she may never have cause to use a weapon.

Pepper spray or a gun in the hands of someone untrained in how to use them, and mentally unprepared to harm or even kill someone if needed, is actually going to make things worse by escalating a bad situation. Intimidating an attacker rarely works. If you pull a gun on someone in self defense, but you don't shoot them, you have just told the attacker that (A) you have something of high value, (the gun), and (B) you probably aren't willing to actually use it. Also, an attack on a cyclist might go from peaceful person walking by to her incapacitated in less than one second. if she doesn't have the training and mental awareness to react faster than a sudden attacker, no weapon will be of any use to her, but it might aid her attacker.
 
Pepper Spray may be illegal, bear spray too, but hey who am I kidding here. You probably got lax gun laws that pepper spray is a kids toy. I saw a UFC gym that looks interesting, so I am sure you got them there too. But hey, just buy the "assault" pepper spray that has the extra kick to it, 25% more eye irritant. Remember to note the wind direction, or buy the extra psi spray.
 
Riding faster than most might help. But it's a serious problem you do have to live with if you ride in some places. I hate to put it this way, but the more money you look like,,,,.
 
I think a realistic assessment of the actual threat is important in these situations.

I'm assuming this is a fairly well used recreational area in an urban setting, are there a high number of recorded attacks on it's users? I know you said there were a number of homeless camps along it, but that doesn't make it a dangerous place. As a matter of fact the presence of all those people in the area quite possibly is a benefit to public safety.

If I were concerned I'd start by canvassing other regular users of the path and ask if there's been any problems, in my experience the people living in those type of not so legal camps don't want attention from law enforcement brought upon them. Their way of living depends on avoiding confrontation with the general public, and usually there is some self policing on their part to prevent it.

I'm a pretty street smart guy, and I've lived in some pretty seedy areas. If I felt the need to arm myself to travel a bike path, I'd just find another route. My time is not that valuable.

I'd suggest arming her with a good set of lights if she's riding after dark, and maybe a phone that's equipped to dial for help without the need to stop.
 
In a close combat situation, a finger jammed into the eye socket will deter most attackers. Grabbing the head with both hands and using your thumbs to pop the eyeballs out is a sure way to get ones attention. In a life and death situation, this is what I'd do. The main thing is not to be afraid to do it. If the attacker is male, a good swift kick to the nuts will put most men down without much permanent damage. You're on the street, not in the octagon where there are rules.
 
Problem for your wife (anyone) is either a group attack or a seemingly innocuous individual attacking suddenly sometimes by throwing a stick (cane) into her spokes. I think that both have occurred on that trail. Best advice IMO is travel when the path is crowded and/or avoid being in a position where either can happen (that means turn around and go home if you see something ahead that could be a problem). Still not a perfect solution.
 
Women are basically prey animals in our society. It’s one thing for a 6ft 225lb guy who resembles a cop to blow through sketchy parts of town but a petite woman?

Short of intense training and a license to carry, I can't think of anything which will provide immunity from attack by a determined individual. Self-defense training and maintaining “situational awareness” can certainly help. Perhaps, a good survey of the areas she would likely be riding can better help gauge risk?

Tough one though…
 
Looking neutral, I mean wearing a riding suit and a helmet no one can tell who you are and even if you are a woman most of the time. Riding gear also makes for some fair protection, to ride a bike that is above usual performance or against an eventual aggressor.

I never suggest anyone to carry a weapon, but a woman can have a pepper spray and the cops are unlikely to charge her if she ever has to use it. To be on the safe side about the law, you can buy a small dog repellent spray and refill it with more serious capsaicin %.
 
Drunkskunk said:
The most dangerous weapon a person can carry is education. Get her in some self defense classes that teach situational awareness, and she may never have cause to use a weapon.

Pepper spray or a gun in the hands of someone untrained in how to use them, and mentally unprepared to harm or even kill someone if needed, is actually going to make things worse by escalating a bad situation.
Click to expand...

Indeed, pepper spray is a bad idea. If you must, carry some bear spray and make sure it never comes close to your face [Highly recommend stream for this reason]. I'd highly suggest buying another bottle for training, the last thing you want in an emergency situation is discovering some hidden 'safety feature' you conveniently haven't figured out how to use yet (It's easier to figure it out in a calm environment).
 
Yeah I am well over 6' tall and traveled the world, mostly Europe and the closest I have ever been to an outright random brawl/fight, was some crack head on the SW corner of Oppenheimer park near the streets of Wastings and Pain in Vancouver (Hasting and Main), at what I like to call the Shit hole of Western Canada. I would dub it all of Canada, but I havent been to T.O. yet.

I think its all in how you carry yourself, and if you are an easy target then your it. Wearing bling, a nice bike anything that will give the crack heads an easy score. I was thinking more along the lines of a woman kicking the perp in the nut sack, then going for the nerve spots like the eyes, twisting the hand/arm. An easy to get at U-Lock would be great for a weapon that the crack head wouldnt assume easy prey would use.
 
Number 1 thing to do is always trust your instincts - if the situation doesn't feel right it isn't right. Our instincts have developed over a very long time to keep us from harm.

In our self defence training (I do MA) we emphasise strategy. If you know there have been assaults there, don't go there. You're just asking for it. Use of voice is critical, but the best thing is to avoid the situation entirely. We've interviewed offenders and it's amazing the number that will pull a weapon but never intend to use it - there are always however exceptions.

Never ever ever allow them to take you to a second location - this is part of a plan and if they are prepared to assault you in an area where they don't have complete control ask yourself what will they do when they have it.

Ask your local law enforcement for a good females self defence course or their advice.

And as for kicking a bloke in the groin, always kick them twice - you break their fingers that way :|
 
The alarm is a great idea, it could deter a less determined attacker.

But really, it all starts as others said, is it really that bad? If so, alternate route taking chances with cars could be the better idea.

And I can't stress this enough, if you already look vulnerable, no choice about it, looking rich among the desperately poor and addicted is a really poor strategy. I'm not saying put mud on your face, but I am saying wearing clothes that look like you have tons of money is not the best approach. Nor is a bike that looks well worth jacking. Wal mart cruiser, a worn looking outer jacket, no visible $700 phone, Then add ability to accelerate to 27 mph if needed. I'm just saying look middle class, not upper class. I'm not saying look homeless, just don't look quite so rich.
 
Not as hard as you might think, to train a dog to run alongside. My store way farther than my St bernards can run. But a sled dog, shaved down,, no real limit.
 
Nice to have some theoretical "solutions", but this area has had real life problems in which an individual was attacked by a pack or an innocent-appearing person, so the dog is a potential solution or else travel when the path is crowded with other riders/hikers or avoid any potential confrontation.
 
2old said:
or else travel when the path is crowded with other riders/hikers or avoid any potential confrontation.
Click to expand...
this is the most sensible solution (assuming that the trail is well used). She is on an ebike, so should be able to keep up with other riders. A small sharp blade clipped to the underside of the handlebars (if legal in your State) would also be good insurance, for emergencies only. You wouldn't want it in a backpack where you can't get it quickly.
 
brumbrum said:
Hillhater said:
VERY loud alarm on the bike powered from the battery ???
Click to expand...

That's the first good creative suggestion
Click to expand...

I am a 64 year old reasonably fit adult male (with plenty of suppressed anger theoretically on tap for emergencies) and I ride through a similar area sometimes. I've thought a bit about this question.

Making a couple of very broad generalizations --
First, most hasslers absolutely don't want attention.
Conclusion: Draw attention and they will probably run like roaches.
Second, victims generally hesitate to escalate even a very bad situation to violence.
Conclusion: A weapon isn't going to useful to most people in most situations.
Third, if a rider is sucker-punched with immediate violence by an attacker, they will probably be disoriented at minimum.
Conclusion: Any response mechanism better be very simple to use.

Might order a couple of these for myself, spouse, friends: 130 dB Personal Alarm.

Cheap, simple, legal, low-tech.
 
Even a Beretta Minx in .22 short, is better than nothing. For summer carry, when everyone is wearing tee-shirts and hiking clothes even a tiny caliber can be effective. Once winter arrives and folks switch to heavy coats and sweaters, you'll need to go up on power: .38 as you suggest or .380 (9mm short!), at a minimum. One problem with firearms is achieving proficiency and then maintaining it. Esp. for the average female..... Nothing worse than giving your attacker a firearm if you are overpowered.

Regarding dogs: not every breed that can keep up with an ebike is of use as a defense dog. And not every dog that is a good protector can run at 15+ mph on a summer afternoon for more than a few miles. I have a 95lb GSD whose ancestors were all Schutzen qualified at the highest level, but I would never consider taking him along on a road or a trail ride when I was ebiking. Even though he is nearly 10lbs below his peak weight when we were training him as a youngster. For one thing, at 7 years old, he's beginning to pass his peak: there is a pretty small window for a protection dog between a freshly trained young adult and one who is aging out. We can see than in a couple of years our daily walks in the hills will have to get a bit shorter and easier.......
 
Another thing to consider when discussing the use of defensive weapons is the fact that you're going to be sitting atop a (probably stationary) bicycle. This fact automatically puts you at a serious disadvantage vs. an attacker on foot, someone straddling a bike is very easy to knock over, and has a restricted range of body movement. So to really defend yourself the first thing you need to do is dismount the bike, and get your feet clear of it, in the process forfeiting the ability to defend your bike.

This is going to take time that you are likely not to have.

People (mainly from one country in particular) seem to think that carrying a gun somehow makes you more safe in these situations, when basically every study on the subject has shown the exact opposite to be true.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

grindz145
Ebike Touring Adventures
2
Replies
29
Views
6,919
grindz145
grindz145
Back
Top