the cyclops

Well got back a little while ago from a lil night ride through the "hood"a few miles from here.Never had any problems before,but almost got jumped by a gaggle of roughians. 1 guy jumped into my lane,pounded his fist ,and asked "are you the neighborhood watch ******?" while the other 2 came towards me talking smack and I got the hell outta dodge,lol...Its such a shame that I cant even go out to enjoy the cool night air,minding my own business w/out getting hasseled.Now dont get me wrong,didnt really scare me or anything,just is a shame.I wanted to take the honda shadow back out when I got here and scare the **** out of them,but the GF said no

Big_e

Tell the GF to not be a stick in the mud! JK!
Yes it is a shame. I live in Oak Cliff which is said to be a rough part of town (there a other places in Dallas I wouldn't want to live in) but I haven't really been bothered. I keep the same route so all the neighbors are used to me by now. I would have called the police, at least to place a report. maybe the cops will send out a patrol.
Here in Dallas, there are a few MUP paths and the city leaders are proud of them as they are putting the City in the spotlight. Any mischief reported on them would get prompt attention.
Ernest

the cyclops

I didnt really consider calling the fuzz,didnt wanna go that far I guess?I too ride that path quite often and it was unusual to see a few guys walking in the road (I originally passed them w/2females in the group also,but when I came back it was just the 3 guys)...And I have a silly question.I see posters on here all the time refering to MUP...What is MUP,lol?

DVC45

Multi Use Path.


' glad you came out okay.

I live near North Chicago, Il. I would not dare ride here at night.

the cyclops

Thanks man,yes Im ok...I would have stuck my jamis up their a$$'s,haha!!! What crossed my mind honestly was them stealing my bike vs getting a beating or something.I wasnt that far from home and I am a long distance runner more so than a cyclist so Im pretty sure I could have out ran them if it came down to it...At least thats what I keep telling myself

Doohickie

There are neighborhoods that I think are pretty much safe; I'll ride through them with no qualms during daylight hours. At night, though, I will choose less direct routes to avoid them, just to be safe. I've never had problems at night but would rather be safe than sorry. The choice is to ride through an immigrant, mostly hispanic, neighborhood, or a well-to-do area near a golf course and university. To be honest, sometimes the college students can be a bigger threat.

travelmama

What a pity. I love riding through the 'hood because the people are always cheering me on and asking for a ride.

the cyclops

Or a stray golf ball upside the head???LOL!!! I think these guys(Well probably teens/early 20's) were just looking for trouble,being ignorant.Thank god my jamis is fast,haha...but my bike is kinda...loud?I mean loud as in BRIGHT at night,so Im sure seeing a guy on an obscenely bright bike,with lights,helmet and the "bike nerd"green reflective vest just screamed "get'em!!!"

Doohickie

No one is playing golf at night. During the day I've never seen a stray ball come off the course, or any balls out in the street. College students mostly just like to scream as they come by, but since I use a mirror they rarely surprise me. So far no thrown objects. It is, after, a Christian university

the cyclops

HAHA!!! Yes I work at a "christian university" (off for the summer!!!) and the students we have going to school there...shew.My GF told me after the fact that with my blinkie,the rediculus rear orange reflectors and the vest that I indeed could have been mistaken for the neighborhood watch but either way the neighborhood watch doesnt need to get hasseled or jumped either,man...next time I will have handlebar mounted mace,or maybe silly string?

dolanp

You could get an ASP baton and do a ride-by beat down on anyone that threatens you

Flying Merkel

A lot of our local Hispanic population have to ride bikes for transport. Never had any problems with them in my 45 years of riding.

Kids can be stupid. A group of three is stupid to the third power.

the cyclops

Yes guys they are stupid to the 3rd power!!! And A baton will just get me in trouble...and by trouble,I dont mean legal trouble,I mean my dumba$$ would probably get all excited,going to fast,drop the baton into my spokes somehow and flip my bike and break my neck o.O

Doohickie

Agree, really. I'm getting more comfortable in those areas. Still a little hesitant to ride through at night, though, especially on the routes where the Bike Route signs have gang tags on them. But really I feel at home as a transportation cyclist in those neighborhoods, and for the most part I just kind of blend in.

ScottStr

I have a can of Halt clipped near the handlebars. It is innocent looking enough. I mostly bought it for its intended use: fending off dog attacks. I'm sure it would be as useful as any other pepper-spray if thugs jumped me. I noticed that Doohickie has the same on his bike.

There are some seriously rough neighborhoods between my house and downtown. When I'm going downtown for a ride and my wife has the car, I take my bike on the bus. I always watch to make sure somone else doesn't start taking my bike off the rack.

DVC45

I really miss my commuting days when I lived in Texas. Even though I work late hours, I got my CHL and I carry all the time.
No, I will not shoot anyone who's unarmed and just wants to steal my bike (it was a low end Hybrid, anyway). But I don't have problem shooting someone who's trying to stick a knife or pointing a gun at me.

Doohickie

You ain't kiddn'. It makes the hood I ride through look like a gated community.

Bud Bent

The neighborhoods near my job aren't too great, either. But, I can't say that I've ever had a problem or felt threatened. Maybe they just think anyone on a recumbent is too weird to be messed with.

Doohickie

Yeah, that's the same area I was talking about. I even found out some friends of mine live in that area around McCart.

freighttraininguphill

When I was stupid enough to ride a recumbent through bad neighborhoods 10 years ago, I had three separate incidents where gangs of teenage punks chased me in an attempt to jump me and steal my bike. I got away every time. The last time I flipped them off after I got away. After that I quit riding any expensive looking bike through bad neighborhoods. These were bottom-of-the-line recumbents too (a BikeE and a Sun EZ-1).

I never had a problem riding old mountain bikes or adult trikes through those same neighborhoods.

Mr. Beanz

Was it my little cousins? If so, let me know, I'll take care of them for you. The nice thing about growing up in the hood is that you learn their games. It's all about intimdation for entertainment. If they had wanted to hurt you, they would have. In my case I would have stopped and asked, "WTF are you guys doing out here in the dark, don't you know you could get mugged?". Usually followed by a little humor of theirown. If that doesn't work, then you say in your most threatening voice, "don't make me rip your mother f'ing head off right here in front of your homies you stupid mother f'er!". That's usually when they say, "ok, I'm gonna let you go this time homes".

I grew up with is so all the little punks are like babies to me. I've been threatened by groups of 4 guys, not many are in a rush to be punched in the face.

This is 4 of my "many" cousins and a good example of where I grew up.


mycousins by mrbeanz1, on Flickr

bluefoxicy

Are you the neighborhood watch ... they are actually fighting the neighborhood watch ... that makes them frightened criminals. Somewhat dangerous, likely cowards, possibly carrying guns. Hmm... they could be carrying knives, which is perfect; I can easily deal with knives. Often if I have a knife and someone attacks me with a knife, I'll elect to use my bare hands instead.

Everyone tells you not to be a hero, because they don't want you to die. The way I see it, the people who die are the ones who aren't being heroes. They're dying because nobody wants to be a hero. If everyone decided to be a hero, a lot of them would die; but I think the overall effect would move toward fewer people in total dying, and I have little concern for people whose life is forfeit for their attempts to stand up for what they feel is right because, frankly, we need those people and we need to understand that if we're going to be one of those people then we're going to take a risk. Many, many people have lost their lives doing what they thought was right ... it is unfortunate, but these are the people we need to thank for the shred of good we have left in the world today.

You have every right to run. Those who run are not cowards. Cowards are those who assert strength over the lesser and the frightened. I've been approached and crowded around by people much bigger and more threatening than me, demanding money, making threats ... I ignore them, and when I head on my way they move out of my way and just stare, stunned, because they are cowards and they are afraid to find out what happens next. I am sure one day they will try, and then I'll have to fight my way out, and then we'll see what happens.

This is not a situation you are expected to put yourself in, because cowards can be unpredictable and dangerous. They may kill you, because they are afraid to not assert their power over human life. The best and safest course of action is often to get as far away as fast as you can (though, if they're intent on killing you for some odd reason, they can probably pick you off quickly with a shot from the hip).

As for me, however, I will not tolerate these people. I stay away from dangerous areas as best I can, but when it comes down to it, I stand by what I feel is right. I don't know why; it's something I've never figured out. I've heard of too many cases of people walking past violent crimes in progress and not even calling the police; I've had people tell me that sometimes I should just "not see anything," because if I call the cops somebody will show up at my house in the middle of the night ... let 'em come. It disgusts me that I live in a world where people will refuse to offer up any information about a murder they directly witnessed, or step in to stop a violent beating, or anything. Just keep walking ...

Somehow, that doesn't much encourage me to run away when threatened. I walk through it; I chose to take little notice of people threatening me, neither challenging them nor submitting--which is very difficult, by the way. If they continue to threaten me, then I suppose I am being forced to play a game I have no intention of playing; I intend for it to not end well for these people. I did offer a peaceful resolution. If you asked me to explain this, I could not; the moral and philosophical systems involved are complex, and I neither want to become "The Punisher" looking for "Evil Doers" to beat down nor allow them to stand tall on their throne in their rein of terror and continue to abuse people. I suppose my disposition seeks balance, and this is the best attempt.

the cyclops

LOL,Entertaining stories guys!!! Like I said,I wasnt scared or anyting like that,more scared of losing my Jamis I will not go into detail of my background in such matters,only that I wasnt "scared" and try at all costs to avoid a fight ie; the best way to survive a fight or confrontation is to not get in one.When this happened I was around 2miles form the house,my son and GF were waiting on me and all I was thinking was,do they have a gun?a knife?and to just get home,and as one poster said,dont be a hero..
I can understand wanting to talk $hit to them or stop and talk $hit but honestly I bicycle through that neighborhood all the time,and Ive never had any trouble till then.If anything it has shown me that I need some protection to carry with me,just in case.

scroca

Hmm. So how often is often? Has it ever really happened? I want to know the details of battles you've fought bare handed against armed thugs.

Then I presume that all the other times, you use your knife. I'd like to hear about those too.

the cyclops

"Hmm. So how often is often? Has it ever really happened? I want to know the details of battles you've fought bare handed against armed thugs.

Then I presume that all the other times, you use your knife. I'd like to hear about those too."