Bicycle question

[drewmo]

Along the lines of slowing down, then speeding up to confuse a chasing dog, I've been told to slow down, speed up over and over again until the dog loses interest. If the dog is committed to the chase, you get a fantastic workout. I've only had a couple chances to try it on my pedal bike, thankfully, and it's been successful. I want to learn more about this counter steering. Could have come in handy a couple of years ago in Maine as I rounded a bend going to 35 mph on my road bike to see a gray squirrel undecided if he should dart back into the woods or cross the road. He chose the latter and I squarely ran him over at the front shoulders with both wheels. Tough little guy, no sooner than my back wheel was off him, he was scurrying back into the woods.

I'd recommend Trek bikes and have had two mtn. bikes by Jamis. Made in NJ, I believe. Solid frames.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

Don't worry Drew, you got him....he didn't go far. Next time try the bunny hop.

 

[Arlo]

As a former bike shops manager for 4 years and a experienced rider I would recomend (for your intended use) nothing else other than a 29" MT bike. 29" is not the frame size, it is the wheel diameter. A normal MT bike has a 26" wheel diameter. This 29" wheel size will allow you to have a more user friendly and comfortable frame geometry. It will also handle your weight substantially better than a traditional 26" MTB frame. The link I am posting is for the frame only but I could help you with the specs on building it up. Web cyclery also offers this bike as a compelte build but you have to call for a price. PS, this is a great price for this frame. Surly is a top notch manufacturer! MADE IN THE USA.

http://www.webcyclery.com/product.php?productid=16596&cat=454&page=1

 

[Wolves-Lower]

I won't comment on the bike selection because there has been some great suggestions already.
I got a kick out of the dog comments though!
I used to race bikes. This meant often I would train between 250-500 miles per week on County Roads here in Iowa.
Dogs can be dangerous for many reasons. The main one being they can chase you with intent to bite but then make you swerve into traffic and get hit.
If I had a dog that was a chaser-bitter on one of my routes I would pack a conventional squirt gun with some Ammonia in it. I would let the dog get close to me then give it a shot towards the snout.
Man they would yelp!
It always worked. A dog learns a lesson fast. They would see me comming and start to come to the road and I would show them the squirt gun and they would promptly turn around and run to the barn.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Wolves, maybe I'll give that a try this summer. Maybe this could be some good entertainment with some nasty critters.

 

[10moreyears]

[quote author="Gooserider" date="1206050602]
Actually my experience was the opposite - when I was doing delivery stuff, I always found the dogs to be scared about were the little "drop-kickable" psycho-mutts - toy poodles, chihuahas, etc... People with big dogs mostly realize that their dogs are potentially dangerous and control them, plus big dogs "advertise" when they have hostile intent... (Biggest problem with big dogs is when they are FRIENDLY - they are likely to knock you over, especially something like a Bernie tries to put his paws on your shoulders and give you a welcoming "doggie kiss" it's a bit of a load... ) The (mostly ladies) with psycho-mutts think of them as "cute" and don't try as hard to control them, and it is hard to tell the hostile behaviour pattern from the general yap-o-matic bouncing around until they come up and try to take a chunk out of your ankle. Most delivery guys I've mentioned this to say the same thing, little dogs are NUTS and thus unpredictable. I figure it's just an inferiority complex, they figure they have to do somethng just to make sure you notice them....
[/quote]

I agree that you are more likely to have trouble with small dogs, but large dogs may be more likely to hurt you if they actually bite you. I haven't ridden for a number of years, but back when I was in training for a couple thousand mile ride, I carried a BB pistol that looked (from a distance) like a real gun. It didn't really work very well on the dogs, but it scared the owners badly (pointed at the dogs, not the owners). Might not be able to get away with that today.

For walks with my dog, I now carry a Dazer (emits a high-pitched noise that dogs can hear, but not people). So far, it has stopped all dogs (eventually), but is clearly more effective on some dogs than others. It seems to be less effective on small dogs with high-pitched barks (my personal observation only). My dog is mostly deaf, so it doesn't bother her at all.

 

[JustWood]

You know how a submarine has "counter measures" to deploy when being tracked by a torpedo??? That's how our recumbent guy functions in our bike club when the german shepherd comes out right before the big hill LOL He's a big fan of GRIZZLY STOPPER PEPPER SPRAY......... Sounds kinda goofy but at least around here we do have a lot of dogs that really love to play with bikes. It's something to consider if it could be a problem where you want to ride. It shouldn't have to be but that doesn't help when the dogs chewing on your shoe....

When I was a kid the neighbors had 4 heathen mutts that would chase us every day on the way to school. When one of them got ahold of me and tore open some new jeans mom had just bought she had ,had enough. The next day me and my buds had brand new squirt guns loaded with 100% undiluted LEMON JUICE . It took a few times but they finally figured out that chasing bikes meant temporary blindness.

 

[velvetfoot]

I bought and sold a recumbent bike a couple of years ago.
It was too unstable and hard to get up hills.

 

[Redox]

I've heard the recumbent bikes are hard on the back, but this was just a physical therapist telling me this. I have no experience in the matter.

I ran over our neighbor's Shih-tzu with my Schwinn when I was a teenager. Right across the middle of the back! Damn dog turned around and started to bark at me. Hated that little thing... (It really was an accident, honest!)

I'd be hesitant to use pepper spray as it is liable to blow back into your face at speed.

Goose: our MSF instructor told us that during the filming of the training segment for that trick, the dog got so pissed at missing the bike that he bit the photographer! Still makes me smile under the helmet; used it lots of times and works like a charm.

My father used to use the car door as a training aid for dogs that used to chase the cars. They learned to avoid his car...

Chris

 

[Gooserider]

I've heard the recumbent bikes are hard on the back, but this was just a physical therapist telling me this. I have no experience in the matter.

I'd suspect they are no worse overall than any other bike - what does a normal 10-speed do to you when having to lean so far forward and then look up... Recumbents just make you bend in the opposite direction OTOH I've heard that recumbents are less likely to cause prostate and other anatomical damage, and would expect that the back issue would be a function of the specific bike's design and setup.

I ran over our neighbor's Shih-tzu with my Schwinn when I was a teenager. Right across the middle of the back! Damn dog turned around and started to bark at me. Hated that little thing... (It really was an accident, honest!)

I'd be hesitant to use pepper spray as it is liable to blow back into your face at speed.

I agree if aiming forward - presumably less of a problem if aiming to the rear. What would seem more of a possible problem is the distraction of manipulating the sprayer, aiming, etc. Given that "where you look is where you go" I'd wonder about the possible loss of control risks...

Goose: our MSF instructor told us that during the filming of the training segment for that trick, the dog got so pissed at missing the bike that he bit the photographer! Still makes me smile under the helmet; used it lots of times and works like a charm.

Actually the MSF has at least a couple of different "dog scenes" in the videos they've made over the years. The one I saw when I took my first MSF course back ~1980 starred a doberman. I've seen another more recent one with a collie. According to my instructor back in 1980, the MSF had more trouble with that scene than any other part of the movie - the local mutts had learned it wasn't worth trying to chase a bike, and when they went further afield the problem was getting the timing right so as to get the whole process in one camera take. Finally they ended up getting a guard dog service (hence the doberman star) - they told the guard service what they wanted, and were told no problem, but make sure the guy had a fast bike because if the dog caught him he was in trouble... Dog couldn't catch the bike, took it out on the cameraman, put him in the hospital for a while, and did major damage to the camera...

My father used to use the car door as a training aid for dogs that used to chase the cars. They learned to avoid his car...

Chris

That one works, I've also heard of towing a towel behind the car - and going slow enough the dog can catch it - when he does his teeth tend to get caught in the fabric and Rover goes for a bit of a drag... (How far depends on how much of a dislike you have for the dog...)

Gooserider

 

[hilly]

Reminds me of National Lampoon's Vacation, where Chevy ties the dogs leash to the bumper while loading up and then forgets about the dog. "Hey, what's that rattling sound I hear?"

 

[jebatty]

I carried peper spray, but just pointing it the chasing dog made the dog back off. I think most chasing dogs have gotten a spray or two. Never had to use the pepper spray.