Nick Bester attacked and robbed

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Nick said they were surprised he did not have a gun. In my case the 1st thing they demanded was where was my gun, seemed pretty mad when they did not find one.

 

Yeah, of course, its par for the course to want weapons, its probably one of the first things any criminal will demand - why, to intimidate you, to threaten you, to get you to capitulate to his demands - when they have a weapon and you dont, they have the upper hand, however the opposite is also true in your favour - but they dont want level playing fields.

Edited October 17, 2010 by GrumpyOldGuy

[gummibear]

I always carried a fire arm when i was in SA but left it at home when i cycled.Carried my Spyderco and ASP baton on rides.

I was just to worried that i was hit off my bike and shot with my own gun.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I always carried a fire arm when i was in SA but left it at home when i cycled.Carried my Spyderco and ASP baton on rides.

I was just to worried that i was hit off my bike and shot with my own gun.

 

Sure, its a risk......I wont deny that, but the usual argument about the gun been used on you.....is just not true, I dont have the statistics, but I belong to a gun club, read the local gun magazines etc, so I am sort of in the loop, and it rarely happens that way, it can......of course it can, but it often works out in the gun holders favour as much as any other.

 

As I said, its not my intention to change anybodies perception of whats right and safe for them, we all have a set of life circumstances which dictates our behaviour, and our perceptions, and we must listen to our own inner voices and behave accordingly, doing otherwise is not been true to yourself.

[Behan]

Likewise, but if you are outnumbered they will use it on you.

I have a nice collection of Spyderco's as well as Coldsteel, my favorite the AK 47 from Coldsteel.

Nowadays I ride with this:

 

http://media.midwayusa.com/ProductImages/Large/344219.jpg

 

What is it?

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Its a pepper spray gun, shoots a jet of pepper spray as opposed to a mist like the normal aerosol types.

 

I dont know this brand, but there are a few on the market, most gun shops have them and I have also seen some in those home security stores in malls - cant remember the name now, maybe Chubb.??

[flymango]

Just to side-track the discussion a bit : ever wondered whom or where the buyers' market is? Apart from cellphones and some cash, the bikes are worth a lot of money, and clearly somebody's onto this!!

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Just to side-track the discussion a bit : ever wondered whom or where the buyers' market is? Apart from cellphones and some cash, the bikes are worth a lot of money, and clearly somebody's onto this!!

 

I am not sure its a sort of organised criminal activity like the latest Rhino poaching saga, with wealthy kingpins dictating to the rabble.

 

Personally, I think its mostly just an opportunistic business on the part of the hi-jackers, a bicycle has intrinsic value anywhere, to a squatter an SRAM gear system is irrelevant, but he can use the bicycle within his immediate domestic enviroment, sell it off as parts to his peers or even move it through operations like pawn shops etc, he is unlikely to be stuck with it for long.

 

I hardly think a squatter in Diepsloot who steals a bicycle in Four ways has connections in the underworld in Mozambique with clandestine wire tapping and secret codes to somehow ship this machine to some central point where its collated and tabulated and moved over the border in secret convoys of four wheeled drive trucks in the dead of night.

 

There is simply not enough value in a stolen bike for this kind of costly operation, most bikes stolen wont fetch much more than say 20k on the second hand market, some a lot less, unlike say cars where the value can be 100's of thousands, and lets face it the market for cars is about 500 x bigger than bikes, so its not a wealthy ready market in Mozambique or some other African country who will snap up expensive bikes stolen here, personally I think most bikes stolen here, stay here and are sold into townships and other such enviroments.

 

We have to be realistic, this is not Hollywood, most bikes are stolen by thugs who take a chance and lie in wait for an unsuspecting cyclist, they dont have plans for the bike, they dont somehow this month attack the guys only with Scotts and leave the guys with Raleigh's, and next month vice versa as they are instructed, its an opportunistic theft and probably just a meal ticket to them.

Edited October 17, 2010 by GrumpyOldGuy

[Caerus]

I am not sure its a sort of organised criminal activity like the latest Rhino poaching saga, with wealthy kingpins dictating to the rabble.

 

Personally, I think its mostly just an opportunistic business on the part of the hi-jackers, a bicycle has intrinsic value anywhere, to a squatter an SRAM gear system is irrelevant, but he can use the bicycle within his immediate domestic enviroment, sell it off as parts to his peers or even move it through operations like pawn shops etc, he is unlikely to be stuck with it for long.

 

I hardly think a squatter in Diepsloot who steals a bicycle in Four ways has connections in the underworld in Mozambique with clandestine wire tapping and secret codes to somehow ship this machine to some central point where its collated and tabulated and moved over the border in secret convoys of four wheeled drive trucks in the dead of night.

 

There is simply not enough value in a stolen bike for this kind of costly operation, most bikes stolen wont fetch much more than say 20k on the second hand market, some a lot less, unlike say cars where the value can be 100's of thousands.

 

We have to be realistic, this is not Hollywood, most bikes are stolen by thugs who take a chance and lie in wait for an unsuspecting cyclist, they dont have plans for the bike, they dont somehow this month attack the guys only with Scotts and leave the guys with Raleigh's, and next month vice versa as they are instructed, its an opportunistic theft and probably just a meal ticket to them.

 

I see some of your points could be valid, but I do not agree. They are stealing them with the knowledge that these bike have the potential to cost upward of 80k. They dont know this, the actual bike- jackers, but there is definatly a syndicate, the "Dream Team" have said this already. enough bikes stolen together will make a tidy profit for someone.

[Wyatt Earp]

The chance of that happening is slim and the chance that I will be expecting it even smaller. Kind of similar to the chance of me anticipating an attack on my favourite piece of singletrack.

Typical comment from someone who has been away for too long and living in a country where the bicycle is king.

This has become the wild west, kinda like the old Charlton Heston movies.

It's become a case of give up and shut up.

Some peeps don't feel like doing this anymore as we are now forced in to secluded riding areas like animals when in actual fact the real animals belong behind bars.

 

 

Its a pepper spray gun, shoots a jet of pepper spray as opposed to a mist like the normal aerosol types.

 

I dont know this brand, but there are a few on the market, most gun shops have them and I have also seen some in those home security stores in malls - cant remember the name now, maybe Chubb.??

This one shoots a gel which then gives off a decent fume, when it makes v=contact with the skin it becomes rather uncomfortable as well.

It has a little built in pyrotechnics chamber so it sounds like a shot.

It gives two shots and is very specific in that you have to make sure that you hit the perpetrator.

 

 

Carrying of firearms might just lead to them going for cyclists, becase they have firearms.

The Griffiths brothers might disagree with you on this one.

[Caerus]

Is there any stories yet of a cyclist that has shot a would be bike - jacker?

[Wyatt Earp]

Is there any stories yet of a cyclist that has shot a would be bike - jacker?

Yes two brothers, the bike jackings came to a dead halt (excuse the pun)

[urbanroyal]

Yes two brothers, the bike jackings came to a dead halt (excuse the pun)

 

 

I like .. when did this happen ?

[Wyatt Earp]

 

I like .. when did this happen ?

Yoh, 5 or so years back if I recall.

[Tumbleweed]

Interesting discussion. I have posted this before, but please read Rory Munnion's take on riding armed, which I've attached below. My personal experience - and my incident happened long before this particular crime became as widespread as it is now - is that they will search you for a weapon. If you have one, be prepared to us it.

TREAD_Issue5_Safety_Web.pdf

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I see some of your points could be valid, but I do not agree. They are stealing them with the knowledge that these bike have the potential to cost upward of 80k. They dont know this, the actual bike- jackers, but there is definatly a syndicate, the "Dream Team" have said this already. enough bikes stolen together will make a tidy profit for someone.

 

Sure, its just my opinion, its not gospel.

 

I assume the "Dream Team" are the TV announcers on SC??.........I dont watch the show so I would be interested to know what they said.?

 

If its someone else, .......I would still like to know what they said,........and who they are.?

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Yes two brothers, the bike jackings came to a dead halt (excuse the pun)

 

Yeah, if memory serves me there are other instances as well where the Hi-jackers were scared off or intimidated by armed cyclists, (one in Witkoppen springs to mind - but I cant recall??) although I think so far the Griffith boys are the only ones I know of who actually shot and killed one.