CRASH on my new V20c

[CoolBreeze]

So sorry to read of your crash! Hoping for your quick recovery and healing.
I think that city/suburban dogs simply don’t recognize us as humans riding a bicycle. They see a fast moving form they don’t understand and it triggers a fear/attack response.
I was riding down a long gradual slope on a busy road frequented by cyclists, enjoying the inertia from the hill behind me, and I saw up ahead two people standing on the sidewalk chatting, one holding the leash of German shepherd-like dog. Calm and well behaved from a distance, as I was about to pass the group on my S30, the dog lunged at me, stretching his leash to its limit, teeth bared and jaw snapping inches from me as I sped by. This happened in a place where you couldn’t stand for 10 minutes and not see a cyclist go by in good weather, so this dog must have seen people riding bikes frequently, but probably had never seen a recumbent.
Another time I was working my way uphill slowly through a residential neighborhood.
It was a beautiful day, and near the top of the hill there was a woman with her toddler enjoying the fine weather on a blanket in their front yard. I realized they became aware of me and as I passed them, I heard a tiny voice ask, “Mommy, what’s that?”
Without looking back, I called out “it’s a bicycle!” and heard the woman laugh approvingly. I believe that young child, like the dog, didn’t recognize what they were seeing because it didn’t match any previously existing mental image. In the dog, that created fear; for the toddler, it was curiosity, asking “what’s that?” not “who’s that?”
One alternative to pepper spray that might be effective at scaring off dogs that I haven’t tried would be a very loud horn, the type used for marine rescue. Small canister with a horn on top, press the button and it makes an obnoxious blast. Of course if you’re attacked without warning no device is of any help. Hope you get well and are able to hold that irresponsible dog owner accountable for her neglect.

 

[colin.mccomish]

They’re around, but this is farm and cattle country. Comes with the territory. I’d take a cow dog or a heifer any day over a teenager with a cell phone driving a car.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I did a tour around the US perimeter and encountered an endless number of dog attacks, especially in the south (multiple times a day). Yelling to go home while aggressively pointing at them worked most of the time. I used an air horn that also worked well with some dogs, but not always. I tried dog spray, but I could never hit them in the head with the spray stream, making it ineffective. One time, in New Mexico, I had over 20 dogs in a pack chase me as I was going 23 mph down a slight incline. Only one dog caught me and bit my heal, then dropped off. The next time I went that path, I used the air horn and all the dogs stopped in their tracks.

I crashed my V20 about a year after purchase. I was going about 30 mph down a hill and did a sharp right turn. The road was chewed up with some gravel and I went straight down. I slid quite a distance on my side, but I held myself away from the ground during the slide. I found the V20 to be very protective as I only got a bruise on my hip where it initially hit the ground and my bike shorts were shredded at that spot. The bike slid on the front QR clamp, the edge of the handle bar and the edge of the seat, all of which shows scraping damage, but the bike was fine and I was fine. I thought I was done for. Any other bike would have left me with massive road rash. The only problem was, I couldn't get out from the bike while it was on the ground and a car came up from behind. Luckily he saw me and stopped as I couldn't get out from the bike for 30 seconds or so. I have had other spills where I couldn't get out of the bike right away, making me vulnerable to being squished by a car.

@Robert Holler I don't know about the "Zap Cain. Looks heavy, bulky and would be hard to deploy instantly when needed. Where would you mount it? Would love to safely zap some very aggressive dogs as it would teach them not to chase bikes, or at least not get too close. Might be good against aggressive humans also, though, I've never run into one on my bike.

 

[DavidCH]

Very sorry to read that. I hope you are on the mend. I remember a few months back I had a snarling medium to large dog after me but I had a start on him and he gave up luckily

 

[DavidCH]

What's more effective , Bear spray or pepper spray?

 

[Black Hawk Down]

What's more effective , Bear spray or pepper spray?

Bear spray will kill the dog. Human pepper spray can injure the dog. You should only use dog spray on dogs.

 

[Always-Learnin]

My beautiful, female, yellow lab accidentally got out of the house without our knowing it one evening (ultimately our responsibilty of course). I went looking for her and found her behind the bars of a neighbor's driveway playing with some children.

When I got her home she was acting strange and I noticed some kind of red spray in her eyes, ears, and nose. Apparently, someone had sprayed her with pepper spray. She began to manifest neurological problems shortly thereafter. They increased to the point that after a short time I had to have her put down. It broke my heart.

Daisy was the sweetest dog I ever had. She was a puppy at the same time my oldest grand daughter was born and they grew up together. She wouldn't have hurt a fly. I only mention this to support Black Hawk Down's comments above..."Bear spray will kill the dog. Human pepper spray can injure the dog. You should only use dog spray on dogs."

 

[DavidCH]

My beautiful, female, yellow lab accidentally got out of the house without our knowing it one evening (ultimately our responsibilty of course). I went looking for her and found her behind the bars of a neighbor's driveway playing with some children.

When I got her home she was acting strange and I noticed some kind of red spray in her eyes, ears, and nose. Apparently, someone had sprayed her with pepper spray. She began to manifest neurological problems shortly thereafter. They increased to the point that after a short time I had to have her put down. It broke my heart.

Daisy was the sweetest dog I ever had. She was a puppy at the same time my oldest grand daughter was born and they grew up together. She wouldn't have hurt a fly. I only mention this to support Black Hawk Down's comments above..."Bear spray will kill the dog. Human pepper spray can injure the dog. You should only use dog spray on dogs."

Very sorry for your loss. Labridors' are some of the most friendliest dogs. I wonder if there is some ultrasonic dog repeller one could use?

 

[Karl42]

I did a tour around the US perimeter and encountered an endless number of dog attacks, especially in the south (multiple times a day). ... One time, in New Mexico, I had over 20 dogs in a pack chase me as I was going 23 mph down a slight incline. Only one dog caught me and bit my heal, then dropped off.

That sounds terrible and terrifying. I guess I'm quite lucky that I've never had any real problems with dogs while riding.

In my area, dogs are only a concern for me while running. My normal practice trail leads through a forest area that is a hot spot for dog lovers. As a runner, I did get chased by a dog there once or twice. One time, while I was slowly walking, a huge dog (probably a Great Dane) came out of the bushes, ran towards me, and gently bit me in the arm. Not strong enough to leave any damage, but noticeable, and my jacket was covered in saliva after that. The female owner came towards me and apologized. She said: "I'm so sorry, but my dog tends to do that to strangers who walk here without a dog."
I was so perplexed that I didn't know what to say to that.

Later, on reflection, I was quite upset that she has a huge dog that she can barely control and lets it run around freely while knowing that it tends to attack people.

 

[castlerobber]

I wonder if there is some ultrasonic dog repeller one could use?

I tried one of those 3 or 4 years ago. Wasn't thrilled with it. Seemed to puzzle/confuse the dog, which made her stop briefly. The repeller had to be pointed directly at the dog, which is hard to do while you're trying to ride away. Might be OK if you're walking. And as soon as I let off the button, the dog started chasing again. Went back to Halt! dog spray.

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Where I ride I quite frequently come across horse riders and here in the UK it is a habit to slow down to a crawl whenever there's a horse in sight (wish car drivers reacted in the same way to cyclists ...) anyway, whenever I catch up on a horse rider, I slow down and make sure that the rider becomes aware of me - with a loud 'Good Morning' or something like that and they get their horse in check and I pass slowly with a wide berth. With dog owners I tend to do the same - slow down, make the dog owner aware of your presence and they tend to get their dog under control - on the leash or sit down being held by its collar. OK it ruins my PB's but I prefer that to unexpected running across the path and crashing.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

That sounds terrible and terrifying.

It sends my adrenaline to max and I yell NO and GO HOME a lot at the dog while pointing aggressively at him. I also peddle faster.

 

[YOGA_O]

I'm so very sorry you were attacked and crashed. I hope you recover and your bike can be properly fixed.

I haven't yet figured it out for my S40, but I strongly recommend getting an AirZound horn as the #1 defense against dog attacks (if you see the dog coming). I've always had the AirZound on my recumbent trikes and have had near 100% success with it (anecdotal experience, FTW!). Air Zound doesn't require any batteries, or any social juice to make them work, just a bike pump to charge it.

Pepper spray, zappers, water streams, rocks, sticks, etc all require you to be able to aim and hit a fast-moving attacking animal that has a few centuries of attacking instinct on its side. IOW, the odds are decidedly against you.

Sound however, doesn't really require aim. Dogs will stop when a high decibel sound uncomfortably strikes their ears. In general, dogs are attacking you because of prey instinct, or protecting their owner/territory. If you give them a one second blast as they are closing in on you, they will stop and if you're able to pedal at relatively decent speed you'll be out of their territory, and/or no longer a threat by the time they recover enough to resume the attack.

FWIW, recumbent trikes are easily mistaken for prey. I had an extremely ferocious, but incredibly tiny dog chasing me because it knew it could take me down. I almost crashed from laughing so hard.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

...I strongly recommend getting an AirZound horn as the #1 defense against dog attacks...

I have had similar success with a miniature boat horn, until a large dog on my current daily ride ignored the horn and continued to harass me about 3 months ago. He may have been deaf.

 

[YOGA_O]

I have had similar success with a miniature boat horn, until a large dog on my current daily ride ignored the horn and continued to harass me about 3 months ago. He may have been deaf.

View attachment 17356

Yeah, surprisingly SOUND is not going to be effective against a deaf dog ...

Those mini boat horns can be effective, but how do you Mount it and what happens when you run out of the compressed air?

 

[JerseyJim]

When in doubt of airborne sprays blowing back in your eyes - ZAP CANE!!!!!!!!

This is hilarious, but if anyone is seriously considering any type of stun device, check your state laws first. I can tell you it's a no-go in New Jersey.

 

[YOGA_O]

I caution against pepper sprays. Air currents can and will contaminate your body/face when you spray. This can disable you while in the presence of an aggressive animal or on a busy road. I have found three things effective. 1) When the animal is near I yell HEY! as deep and loud as possible and this sometimes startles them long enough to open a gap. 2) Always have a bottle ready and when the animal gets close give a blast to the face. I prefer my Gatorade or something sticky to make a point to the owner as well. 3) If dog is coming at me head on I will snap steer directly at them and give a bluff charge which will cause them to attempt to stop and change direction giving you a chance to escape. I have one dog on my loop that as soon as I reach for a bottle he peels off. Another dog will pace me just out of bottle blast range, but no longer tries to head me off. I live in farm/cattle country and find the dogs that are most concerning are cow dogs. They are fast, nimble, and will go for the front wheel as they are bred for either heading or heeling a cow. These are best left to stop and put the bike between you and them. Most I’ve come across are well border trained and once I get beyond their property they disengage.

Did the TransAmerica W-E in 2016, plus added a few more miles by making a right hand turn in Virginia, ending in Florida. We encountered numerous dogs. I forgot to mention that @colin.mccomish makes a great point about using your voice with, "NO!" - "STOP!" - "GO HOME!" as commands that can be effective.

 

[HeyHealy]

This is just awful. I am so sorry. I will tell you that we have learned that Tegaderm bandages is incredibly helpful for road rash. Expensive, but worth it. Keep us posted and let us know how we can help.

Btw, the Tegaderm tape has been a life saver. That was a great suggestion!

 

[HeyHealy]

I'm so very sorry you were attacked and crashed. I hope you recover and your bike can be properly fixed.

I haven't yet figured it out for my S40, but I strongly recommend getting an AirZound horn as the #1 defense against dog attacks (if you see the dog coming). I've always had the AirZound on my recumbent trikes and have had near 100% success with it (anecdotal experience, FTW!). Air Zound doesn't require any batteries, or any social juice to make them work, just a bike pump to charge it.

Pepper spray, zappers, water streams, rocks, sticks, etc all require you to be able to aim and hit a fast-moving attacking animal that has a few centuries of attacking instinct on its side. IOW, the odds are decidedly against you.

Sound however, doesn't really require aim. Dogs will stop when a high decibel sound uncomfortably strikes their ears. In general, dogs are attacking you because of prey instinct, or protecting their owner/territory. If you give them a one second blast as they are closing in on you, they will stop and if you're able to pedal at relatively decent speed you'll be out of their territory, and/or no longer a threat by the time they recover enough to resume the attack.

FWIW, recumbent trikes are easily mistaken for prey. I had an extremely ferocious, but incredibly tiny dog chasing me because it knew it could take me down. I almost crashed from laughing so hard.

Thank you for the suggestion of the AirZound. I've taken my bike to two shops and one of them is preparing a quote. Won't be able to ride it for at least a few weeks, is my guess.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Yeah, surprisingly SOUND is not going to be effective against a deaf dog ...

Those mini boat horns can be effective, but how do you Mount it and what happens when you run out of the compressed air?

I mount it on my handlebars with Velcro. Since both the canister and handlebars are round, there's not a lot of contact area. With good Velcro, it still can work. One trick is the cut a Popsicle stick to the width of the Velcro and put it between the handlebars and the Velcro. Do the same on the canister. Then you have two flat surfaces to stick to. The mini air horn lasts a surprisingly long time. You don't need to use it very often and for only short bursts. I'm still using my original purchase. They're also small and super light weight.