Bike and gun

TTAG reader Big Tex writes:

slowtwitch.com is the go-to website for triathlon info, and arguably for cycling info. HBB posted a thread on concealed carry recommendations when cycling. They were promptly lampooned for being crazy, paranoid, stupid, a danger to society, et cetera, ad infinitum, ad nauseous. The editor started a thread asking how many readers actually conceal and carry while cycling. That devolved quickly . . .

Other threads have been started asking who carries while swimming, or during intercourse. It’s amazing how we, legally armed Americans, are painted as the ones with a problem. Reading the comments makes it obvious that’s just not the case.

I haven’t commented on any of these threads, and I won’t, because I see it as tilting at windmills. And because I happen to make my living in that realm and don’t want to alienate potential or existing customers and lose business.

Randy Travis has a song Better Class of Losers. In this case, the forum posters may think I’m disgraceful that I carry most of the time, but a better class of loser suits me fine!

 

[FWIW, I sometimes carry, depending on where and when I’m riding. I question myself why I don’t do it all the time. I’m making myself very vulnerable and very much a target (to some) when I ride, especially alone.]

 

 

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107 COMMENTS

    • Cars are much larger risks for pedestrians as well, but I still carry when I’m walking down the street.

    • I can attest to this… I’ve never wanted to run over someone for carrying a gun, but I always want to run over cyclists.

        • I’ve seen what happens. You’ll be in the ICU with multiple fractures, a cut liver, a pocket where your spleen used to be, a tube down your throat, a tube in the wang, a tube in rear, and lots of tiny little tubes pin-pricking your veins and arteries. If you’re lucky, there won’t be a potluck and the nurses will be free to premedicate you before they turn your broken body to minimize the festering bed sores that wrack your flesh. You can count on at least a six-month stay, and several thousands of dollars in bills even if you have good insurance. You might be able to walk again. You may never think clearly again.

          Don’t be stupid and cocky when riding your bike. Your weight, and your bicycle’s weight, combined, are obviously far less than that of an SUV being driven by texter with three screaming kids in the back. You may have the right of way, but that will be empty consolation when you open your eyes and realize that you’re in the situation I described above.

          Be careful.

        • Back in my uscf Cat2 days, I had 2 buddies who had a a redneck in a car throw beer bottles at them as they were riding. They were both high level cat 2 racers, chased the guy down to a stoplight, opened his car door, driver jumped out with tire iron, which they promptly took from him, and then beat him until police and ambulance showed up. Needless to say, had they stopped after disarming the guy, the ensuing law suit by the driver for damages would not have resulted.

          • Bubba had it coming. Thrown beer bottles are deadly missiles. Too bad your buddies didn’t skedaddle before 5-0 rolled up.

        • You would be dead on the road before you had a chance to even think about getting your gun out of your fanny pack.

        • “Needless to say, had they stopped after disarming the guy, the ensuing law suit by the driver for damages would not have resulted.”

          Yeah, but I bet that hick won’t pull that stunt again… 🙂

        • “I’ve seen what happens.”

          ~ Snip ~

          “Be careful.”

          I am careful. Downright paranoid, actually. I’m one of those riders the ‘Spandex Crowd’ likes to mock because I have a mirror and use it. I ride mostly at night and on roads where I have an *out* available. If I can can help it I’m on the far shoulder or grass when they pass.

          I’ve been clipped by a truck mirror and got the requisite road rash (in this case it was grass rash).

          That’s when I got the mirror…

        • Geoff PR… It’s not Spandex >>> It’s Lycra!…:)

          Kidding aside I run a mirror as well and also have no delusions of being on top of the food chain when on my bike, especially on the road. Like defensive gun use, situational awareness is paramount to coming home in one piece. Being vigilant at watching potential situations unfold usually allows me to get ahead of the curve and avoid danger. In other words have the Jedi Mindset… That mirror helps a lot, especially in the canyons.

          All that to say screw those posers giving you a hard time about your mirror… Carry on Sir…

    • True, but you can watch out for cars AND be armed in case of a mugger. Having a gun does not diminish your riding ability, if you have the right holster.

    • Very true. Cars are much more dangerous…. (insert argument about why we dont have “car control”, why the triathletes don’t go after “right to drive” people, thats why you wear a helmet and are aware of your surroundings, etc.)… Blah blah blah

    • Depends on circumstance.

      http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Boy-14-Paralyzed-After-Being-Shot-While-Riding-Bike-on-Long-Island-Police-327822551.html

      http://fox8.com/2015/10/24/man-shot-and-killed-while-riding-bicycle-in-akron/

      http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Man-Fatally-Shot-Riding-Bicycle-Carson-365107581.html

      https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160125/east-harlem/man-shot-twice-while-riding-bicycle-down-madison-avenue

      Those are just the first four that come up from dozens of results, while searching “Shot while riding bicycle” – so just the shootings.

    • That’s why they have the option of choosing to wear a helmet or reflective gear. If you go camping and there are bears and lions in the forest, but bears are more likely to give you trouble, do you still ignore the fact there are lions too?

    • That’s why they have the option of choosing to wear a helmet or reflective gear. If you go camping and there are bears and lions in the forest, but bears are more likely to give you trouble, do you still ignore the fact there are lions too?

  2. Concealed carry is not at all unreasonable while riding. Bombing along on a $3500 carbon fiber, Campy-equipped bike can make one a tempting target.

      • Carbon tubes, titanium lugs, Merlin Lunaris (a Cielo with a more relaxed geometry). and yes, I carry.

    • As long as it’s Campy equipped, there you go. (Preferably Super Record from the old days…)

      But yeah. you’re riding a $3500 frame with another $2000 in the gruppo. It’s a recipe for theft, though to be fair, that stuff would be really hard to fence.

      • Why my ride is a beat-to-Hell (by *me*) Trek aluminum with a Dura Ace group and a SRAM Red cassette..

        Too ugly (like me, I might add…) to steal… 🙂

        Don’t get me wrong, carbon frames are sweet, but since I manage to launch myself over the handlebars every year or so, the thought of tossing a big money frame in the trash gives me the willies…

        • My first truck was 92/94 automotive school class project with a red body and a black hood. 240,000 miles on the odometer and an exhaust leak. I was 17 years old and working evenings at a pizza Hut in town with a population of under 4000. I always left the keys in the ignition with the thought that nobody would steal this piece of shit. I was wrong. A fourteen year old kid ran away from home, took my truck out of the pizza Hut parking lot, and ran it out of gas in neosho missouri 3 days later. After finding a ride up there and paying 650 dollars to get my truck out of impound, I learned that there is always someone willing to steal anything.

        • Oh, CF is not up my alley either. Very expensive and things can still go wrong. I think there’s still a site that shows some of the catastrophic failures of CF.

          I’ve got a Raleigh in 753, and a Romic in steel. I’ve already ‘re-engineered’ the head on the 753 once, so I do try to avoid curbs. Or potholes. Or serious bumps…

      • garbage picked a raleigh international with nuovo record spec while reading meters in glencoe.
        nice bike, the barstool is more comfortable.

        • “nice bike, the barstool is more comfortable.”

          If the bike hurts to be on it, get a decent saddle and consider getting the bike professionally fit to you.

          Bike saddles are unfortunately a lot like gun holsters. What’s wonderful for one person can be hell for another, price is really not a part of the equation when it comes to saddle comfort.

          • I used to count grams. Lightest saddle at the time was a Selle Italia Flite. Still have it, but have since gone to a Brooks Flyer on my SS ’97 Ibis Mojo. My backside thanks me;)

  3. As a once former insane ultra runner and still active runner, the running, tri, and cycling communities are polluted with loonie global warming alarmists, unemployed kids with a $200k art degree, and way too many lefty vegan Prius drivers. You just ignore them.

      • Hahaha
        Saw that last week in Greensboro
        The young man shaped thing couldn’t figure it out. I was laughing to hard to help

      • Yeah, too many of those kinds of people. The same dopes who try to eat nothing but lentils and lettuce and think that’s enough body fuel to run 50 miles.

        My pre-race meal was McD. I got 3 McChicken sandwiches, a 20 piece chicken nugget, large fries, and a large diet coke. Nothing but fat, calories, and energy for 8 hours of running. I was jacked up like a 4 year old running around WalMart.

        • I asked a triathlete once what he ate while training. His reply was, “anything I want, the more calories the better.”

    • Any recommendations for carrying while jogging? The smallest gun I have is an XDs 3.3 (.45 ACP). I’m considering one of the updated Ruger 9mm pocket guns… just not sure how to carry it securely to my person.

      • A buddy of mine has a compact Ruger 9 and it shots like crap. Neither of us can get a good group out of it but we can blast the 10 ring at the same distance with a Springfield XD. I suggest if you have a range near rent the Ruger before you buy it

      • There are a couple of outfits making neoprene belly band holstered that you can snug up so they do not bounce. Other option is chest rig.

      • I’d go with a belt pack and a light pistol. There are some that look like running gear more than holsters, but still offer secure storage and quick access.

      • Get some BDU shorts, or just cut the legs off some DBU’s. Use ones that are a size too big so your legs have plenty of room. Then get a good web-belt and an OWB holster (I’ve even used a IWB successfully). I carry a Glock 43 running, works fine, so I’m sure on the smaller 9mm Ruggers would be plenty easy too.

        • I’ve also managed okay with the UnderTech carry shirt. Seems like it would bounce too much at first, but as long as the fit is tight it’s not too bad with a light pistol. The big problem I have with the UnderTech shirts is the hook on the retention strap, the draw is very awkward, it would be much better with a button snap.

      • When biking or running, I usually wear a chest rig that also holds a small knife and my phone. I also mount a light since it is usually dark by the time I can run. When I tighten it up correctly, it doesn’t move around. Bought it for about 100 bucks at the hill people gear website.

    • Aint that the truth. I usually carry on rides, i cycle between a NAA 22MC and a Sig P238. I’ve learned to not talk about certain things as some riders are insane.

  4. When I used to ride my full-suspension Santa Cruz Nomad on Rampart Range in Colorado, I always carried. There were enough tweakers wandering around up there, along with mountain lions and bears, that not carrying was a risky proposition.

  6. As I’ve taken to running in the last few years I’ve found a creative means to carry. My Sunday morning runs are usually on sparsely visited, isolated trails. Velcro chest strap that used to hold a heart rate monitor, neoprene holster with Velcro retention, and an LC9. I’ve met a few bums looking for handouts, never threatened but I keep an eye open for their camps.

  7. I carry everywhere, but riding anything on two wheels presents a problem …how do you maintain control, draw and shoot at the same time? It just ain’t gunna happen!

    I was chased by a pair of large angry Rottweilers while riding my KTM 525EXC. I just punched the throttle and left them behind. If I were on a mountain bike they could have easily dragged me off. Having a gun at hand doesn’t mean you can shoot the threat while in motion, but it certainly gives you something to do when you become dismounted and are facing serious injury or worse.

    Let’s not even talk about moose ….

    If I am awake, I am carrying, regardless of the means of transportation.

  8. I carry a pocket 9 while running thanks to meth addicts and wildlife.
    No need to carry during intercourse, the wife and I are both LE. Her gun is on her nightstand, mine is on mine.

  9. Seems like maybe too many of these people take that old “Ironman” triathlon concept a little too far. You may be tough as shit in swimming, running and bicycling, but any punk with a stolen Raven Arms .25 cal or even a “borrowed” aluminum bat can kick your ass in an ambush. How about a rope stretched across the trail, or maybe a machete?

    • That’s the thing about distance running, once you’re close to the end of your run, you’re gonna have a hard time out sprinting someone how’s fresh. Sure, if they don’t catch you in the first 50 or 100 yards, you’ll get away, but they’ll probably have you in the first 30 feet.

  11. From a review of the inane commentary on the bicycle forum, it seems reasonable to ban most bicyclists from gun ownership, if not involuntary commitment to an insane asylum.

  12. From the thread, this comment made me headdesk.

    “But bad things happen and bad guys can be found anywhere.”
    “Just like winning the lottery, although it happens, these things won’t happen to you. ”

    The level of willful, hopeful, deliberate irresponsibility is astonishing.

  13. A Ruger LCP in a Camelbak waist pack works for me while running, and offers good accessibility while not looking out of place.

    For centuries people have shown that you can successfully shoot from horseback, which isn’t that different from a bike. Not sure it’s something I would ever need to do, but makes for a fun range session!

    • Do you ride or just run? I’ve thought about the zip pouch on my Camelback for riding, but seems it would be an awkward draw at best, dangerous as hell at worst, from a bike…
      I have the option to open carry (could care less what the smug leftists think on the city trails) but worry almost equally that while the draw would be better it could come loose in a crash.
      Ironically, the first hit on a Google search for “OWB retention holster cycling” is a TTAG post! http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/08/eric-nelson/the-truth-about-bicycle-carry/

        • Saw that one, though I think RF’s preaching about off-body carry has sunk in with me. I like the drop-leg pack idea if I could find one that wasn’t either too large or too tactical looking. Sadly but not surprising, most of the packs that don’t have the overly tactical look don’t seem like they’d be useful.
          Hmmmm…now that I think of it, this may be my “Jump to Conclusions Mat” opportunity! For those who want to carry a full size and don’t like a belly band (or don’t want to spend $200 on a Level III retention holster, which would almost have to be left-handed as to be able to use strong hand on handlebars and rear brakes), maybe I should just design one.
          I’ll be right back after I tell my boss I’m quitting my job to become a bike holster mogul.

  14. Triathlon is largely goofy status and spending contest for metrosexual betas in denial – this reaction does not surprise.

    • My son was a college pitcher and ran cross country in the fall. He decided to do a half-ironman in MD last year as a challenge. The triathlon community was no where NEAR as positive, friendly and supportive as the running community. It wouldn’t be fair to say every one was this way, but a large portion were people with the means to show up in luxury vehicles with a minimum of a $10K custom bike, and every piece of high end, name brand gear they could schlep around – while behaving like entitled, elitist jerks trying to impress everyone else with their list of accomplishments. Many of them obsess over gaining status and what everyone else thinks, so being pro-gun in the tri crowd does not fit their cultural narrative. He did well and enjoyed the challenge, but the people there turned him off to the sport.

  15. Don’t get down on cyclists. This contretemps involved triathlon “athletes,” not cyclists. There’s a big difference in culture between road cyclists, mountain bikers and tri-guys. Cyclists and offroad riders call them “tri-geeks” for a reason.

  16. My father (who is not particularly into guns) carries a Taurus 740 in a holster hung directly behind the seat. He is a mountain biker that lives in southern New Mexico, and frequently encounters (and then usually runs over) big rattlesnakes sunning themselves on the bike trail. He has about 3 rounds of snake shot in the mag.

    That being said, I am currently reading the thread in question, and there is about a 50/50 pro-anti split from what I can tell. It’s certainly not all anti gun and in fact there’s at least one post from a guy who had a gun pulled on him by a licensed cc’er, which I thought for sure was going to be an anti gun post, but he finished that story by suggesting people carry an XD subcomp in a camelbak.

  17. You mean I’m not supposed to open carry while engaging in intercourse. But my wife thinks it’s sexy…. BAh ha ha

  18. I used to run and mountain bike (now i just work all the time) and back then, i didn’t even own a gun. I have recently gone mountain biking a few times and i used my wife’s pistolwear holster and my TCP. I pretty much forgot it was there. Even crashed pretty hard once. I have since purchased a sling pack designed to be cinched up tight for more strenuous activities. I could carry whatever i wanted to in it.

  19. I recommend an elastic belly band holster. Mine is a Defender belly band holster, 35 dollars on Amazon Prime. I carry a s and w shield 9 with a spare mag. F**k all the snarky bastards who laugh at you for carrying one. Just google “man murdered while biking”.

    I use it when running and biking all the time. I wore one all through 17 miles of running in a relay race. It was super comfortable, and none of my hoplophobic teammates knew it was there. Bad guys never take a holiday. Why should we?

  20. As mentioned elsewhere, mouseguns in a neoprene/Velcro rig works fairly well without bouncing and flopping, and there are many creative ways to carry a small gun on a bicycle. I’m a motorcycle guy, so I carry the same gun OWB whether on or off the bike anyway. I would like to get Ken Null to make up a City Slicker for the Ruger Redhawk .44 snubby, though. That would conceal well underneath my FG Kilimanjaro textile jacket, and OC is legal here anyway, although shoulder rigs are pretty uncommon fare.

    I think it’s some of the weight weenies who have the biggest problems with it – after all, 2 pounds of gun, ammo and holster just doesn’t go well with $10,000 worth of carbon fiber bikes under 15 pounds. Eh. Whatever. You can’t help those folks. Just smile politely and carry on about your own business.

    Tom

    • Oh, I’d love to read a heated weight-weenie thread on carry options…

      First, they’ll drop the pounds and ounces and do their ‘dick waving’ in grams.

      At least the NAA Mini will finally get respect in that argument…

      *snicker*

  21. I always carry when I bike(which I do a lot) .Always a pepper blaster,knife and very rarely a gun. I was somewhat superhuman in my younger days…mostly biked to be lean for bodybuilding/powerlifting. But I don’t get the tri-weirdos. Now I’m mostly concerned with punks and dogs. And the occasional irate motorist. I take NO advice from weenies.

  22. 1st sentence is way off. Cyclists do not, under any circumstance, associate with those insufferable, crash-a-minute Tri-holes.. No, I don’t carry on the bike because I haven’t figured out a good way to do it and being unarmed gives me the freedom to beat motorists as necessary.

  23. I used to bike with a lvl 3 security holster. But then I also had multiple reloads, a brick of a radio, less lethal weapons and a ballistic vest. So the holster really didn’t seem like much more annoying than those…

  24. I wear BDU shorts or pants and carry my regular CCW setup.

    Vertx pants and shorts are pretty awesome.

  26. There are rude cyclists. What some drivers missed in drivers Ed was that cyclists are supposed to take up the whole lane when they don’t want you to pass. Because of their height they can see hazards you can’t see. Let’s share the road. Same privilege whether you are a .22 or .50 cal. ☺️

    A woman just said to me in NM are great paths to ride or run or walk on. She said she doesn’t feel comfortable being on them by herself. She did with her Navy Seal boyfriend.??

  28. As always with the progressive anti-gun crowd, its shout-down all who disagree, never question the group-think that you are the being the reasonable one.

  29. When I ride and carry, I just use a retention paddle holster (SERPA or Fobus, depending on gun) on a nylon rigger-style duty belt, over normal lycra cycling apparel.

    But I live in Tucson, and open carry is common here, so…..

    When I wear left-side, fewer people seem to try to crowd me off the road. Odd, that…..

  30. So, that’s a community off / by / for people who triathalon…

    and agree with the accepted preference on every other thing. Or you suck. And we’ll run you out.

    Allrighty then.

  32. I carry whenever I ride because I ride through areas with a wild dogs in them and where people have been robbed. I use a fanny pack to carry a Colt Defender .45 and will continue to do it. It’s comfortable and makes the weapon easy to get to. I live in Texas and could open carry but the fanny pack is so much more comfortable than a holster especially when biking that it makes no sense to me to change.

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