looking for a knife to take Mt bike riding

I saw a show on discovery channel where a mountain biker killed a mt lion with a buck folding knife (I assume it was the 110)

pete
 
I carry a Leatherman Charge, I try to bike seven miles a day, and can just about everything on my bike. A knife for a mountain lion though? mountain lions tend to wait out of site, and pounce on unsuspecting prey, grabbing them by the throat and ripping it out as quickly as possable. And remember a conceled fixed blade in most places is a felony. If I was attacked ,I would want to have a blade large enough and sharp enough to do the most damage quickly. Ya ever tried to kill anything with a small blade? It aint fun.
 
Agreed with the above on the cat attacks. By the time you're actually aware of a cat around you, and if it wanted to attack, it would have already. But mostly, they run off.

If they were very hungry or near cubs, they'd go for you. But, if you sensed or suspected that one was around and you had a knife very ready, you'd have a better chance.
 
actually, studies shows the lions sunbath about 15-30ft from the trails here. The rangers knows about the lions, most are tagged w/ a tracking device to know it's movements over time. I'm sure the odds are very rare, I think there was 2 attacks in the last 3 yrs or something like that, both were fatal.

If riding w/ a knife it will not be conceled, it'd be strapped to the shoulder straps of the camelbak. My typical MTB rides are 15-25mile with some in the 40 range
 
I'd suggest taking bear mace with you if you're concerned about mountain lions.

Either way, if a sick/diseased animal does decide to go after you, the mace might not do all that much either.

But I would lean more toward the mace than a knife for the event of an attack.
 
enderwiggin said:
I'd suggest taking bear mace with you if you're concerned about mountain lions.

Either way, if a sick/diseased animal does decide to go after you, the mace might not do all that much either.

But I would lean more toward the mace than a knife for the event of an attack.
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there's no such thing as bear mace. its pepper spray mace has little effect on animals when they are enraged. animals are much more sensitive to pepper spray. the brand may say bear mace pepper spray but it contains no mace. just make certain you don't get just plain mace. i used it once while road biking on a very aggressive german shepherd and nearly was dog bit. he stood in the stream and took the entire can. pepper spray they can't take like that.
 
Just a note here. Take close attention to the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) that should be labelled on the cannister somewhere. If there is none , contact the company for verification. Point is the % of "pepper" that one brand contains is NOT nearly as important as its SHU rating!

N.
 
jsigone said:
I'm looking for something about 3-4" blade, light weight, fixed blade but incased is something that won't come out easy and is secure enough if I crash, I won't stab myself. It will probably hang on the shoulder straps too. Budget is $75 max
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You might want to consider a Swedish Mora knife:

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

The models 911 (carbon steel) and 946 (stainless) have about 4" blades, an excellent and grippy handle, and a great sheath. For $12/$14, they're an outstanding bargain and IMO meet all your criteria. The "clipper" models are very popular as well, also the 510.
 
Actually the knife is a good idea. It may not save you if a mountain lion attacks you from the rear, but you might be able to fight off a lion who attacks someone else as was the case in the Sierras a couple of years ago. Also the mountain lion that killed Mark Reynolds attacked another lady the same day and was fought off with rocks. IMO I'd rather have a decent knife then try and find a good rock for bludgeoning or throwing. I also do long solo rides in the same hills and carry a Native. I know the odds of being attacked are pretty low and don't much worry about it, but it's good piece of mind.
 
there's nothing wrong with having a knife or even a pistol on you at all times. i carry at least a knife all the time. i don't think it would save me from everything that could be a threat to me. but at the same time it sure doesn't make me more at risk. i was reading where an man in his 60's was attacked by a black bear and managed to kill it with a folding knife, so you just never know if a knife is enough until you need it.
 
this is a different story than the first one i was reading. - Canoeist stabs bear to death in Ontario
Last Updated: Saturday, July 22, 2006 | 8:34 PM ET
CBC News
A man stabbed a black bear to death with a 15-cm hunting knife, saying he knew he would otherwise become "lunch" after it attacked him and his dog on a canoeing portage in northern Ontario.

Tom Tilley, a 55-year-old from Waterloo, Ont., said his American Staffordshire dog Sam growled a warning, then rushed to his defence as the bear came at them on a trail north of Wawa on Friday.



Tom Tilley and his dog, shown in an undated photo, escaped an attack by a black bear while portaging near Wawa, Ont.
(Waterloo Region Record/Canadian Press)
As Sam battled with the nearly 90-kilogram bear, Tilley jumped on its back and stabbed it with his knife.

"Love is a very powerful emotion and my thought right away was: 'You're not going to kill my dog,'" Tilley told the Waterloo Region Record.

"I really consider my dog a hero. Without that first warning, I would have had the bear clamping down on my neck."
 
An avid outdoorsman, Tilley was four days into a 12-day canoe trip. He said he heard Sam growl and noticed the bear closing in on him. He waved his arms and slowly backed away. But the bear came closer, cutting off his escape route.

"That's when I knew I had a serious problem.… I was lunch," he said. "The bear took a few steps down the trail and clamped its mouth on the back of my dog. It gave me the quick opportunity I needed to run around to the back of the bear, get on its back and with my knife start stabbing it."

After making sure the animal was dead, Tilley realized that both he and dog had been bitten.


-Tom Tilley, a 55-year-old from Waterloo, Ont.He dragged his canoe across a short portage and paddled for about an hour before he came across a pair of Americans who had a satellite phone. They called for help and two hours later, a cargo plane arrived to take Tilley and Sam to Wawa for medical attention.
 
this is interesting--- 1924 (1 Report found including one death)

17 December. A 13-year-old boy, Jimmie Fehlhaber, was killed by a cougar near Olema, Washington. He had been sent to pick up a team of horses at a neighboring ranch. On snowshoes, he took a shortcut that followed a winding trail and dropped down into a coulee at one point. Tracks in the snow indicted the cat had followed the boy, staying out of sight in the brush to one side of the trail. When Jimmie finally spotted the cat, he ran to a small tree, probably with the hope of climbing it. He managed to cover 100 yards that separated him from the cougar before it leapt onto the boy and knocked him to the ground. Evidence showed that the boy fought back, stabbing and slashing the cougar with a small jack-knife. But the cougar prevailed. The boy's hands had been badly chewed up, and his thigh partially consumed. Then the cougar had partially covered his body and left. Recovered at the scene were the open jack knife, a good luck charm the boy carried, and the animal's left front dew-claw, which he had managed to cut off before he died. A bounty was offered and the cougar was shot and various accounts reported it in good health and a in state of starvation, 3-years-old and 13-years-old, male and female, one cougar and two cougars. Sources: (Cougar Attacks on Humans in the United States and Canada; Paul Beier; 1991) (Paul Beier's Table; 1991) (John Craig; The Spokesman-Review; 08/25/99) (Backpacker.com, Cougar Attacks Growing In Washington, 09/02/99) ("Cougar Attacks - Encounters of the Worst Kind" by Kathy Etling; 2001; pages 91-92 and 230)
 
If there are potential mountain lions... Well all I am going to say is you had better have something more than a Swiss Army Knife. ;)

But then again, If I remember correctly, there was a man who killed a bear with a knife. So if THAT can happen, hell, I guess you might be alright, with a little bit of luck and the perfect circumstances standing on your side... What those circumstances are, I have no forum to speak on... I guess anything is possible. :)
 
so i went look around at another Tuners here in SD, mahn they were cleaned out. Not much left to pick from. Did handle the Kabar Dozier, I perfered the BM pika over that. But they also had Kabar Precision Hunter fixie, that was OK, it was $25. Felt ok, but the degree would make it stick out if mounted to a shoulder strap. Mission was to get a Byrd Cara SS, oh well. Big 5 had a bunch of cheaper knives but not many felt good. Though I came home w/ a S&W folder 4.5" blade for $7, polymor handle w/ rubberized grip. I liked the feel of the Kershaw Storm but flipping the blade out wasn't as easy as the BM, or any w/ the thumb hole.

Still on a mission to find a fixie I like. Since I'm a newb, I'd rather go around and get a feel for what I like and see if I can find something simular to that online. Maybe after the holidays, there will be a bigger selection.

I take it some of you guys live around bears? None here in Socal that are close to our trails. I know there's some a bit farther north just past LA. We just have big cats, both mt and bobs, wild dogs and coyots. The last one has never been a threat to anyone though. But makes it very interesting during night rides knowing they are watch you.
 
Look for something that is comfortable while biking would be a requirement. Yes always carry a good knife. It is not only an added layer of protection, but a useful everyday tool. Carry one fixed blade, and a folder.
 
I take it some of you guys live around bears?
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Just Black Bears. Occationally they do injure someone, but in the history of New Mexico there's only been a single incident where a Black Bear killed someone. It was an elderly lady who had apparently been feeding the bear near her home.

According to this list, there has also only been a single fatal mountain lion attack in New Mexico, in 1974: http://users.frii.com/mytymyk/lions/attacks.htm

In the ten years that I worked and lived outdoors at Philmont Scount Ranch, there were no animal- or wildlife-related fatalities, even though mountain lions and bears are common. Several people were struck by lightning though, including two fatalities.

-Bob
 
this is from a site on mt. lion attacks- The current reported attack rate in the U.S. and Canada is ~6 attacks per year, with just under 1 death per year. This number has been constant since at least 1991, with no evidence at all that the rate has changed.
 
Verified Mountain Lion Attacks on Humans in California
(1890 through 2006)

DATE
TYPE
ATTACK LOCATION
COUNTY
VICTIM SEX
AGE

June 1890
Fatal
Quartz Valley
Siskiyou
Male
7yrs.

July 1909
Fatal*
Morgan Hill
Santa Clara
Male
10 yrs.

Fatal*
Female
22 yrs.

March 1986
Nonfatal
Caspers Wilderness Park
Orange
Female
5 yrs.

Oct. 1986
Nonfatal
Caspers Wilderness Park
Orange
Male
6 yrs.

March 1992
Nonfatal
Gaviota State Park
Santa Barbara
Male
9 yrs.

Sept. 1993
Nonfatal
Cuyamaca State Park
San Diego
Female
10 yrs.

Apr. 1994
Fatal
Auburn State Recreation Area
El Dorado
Female
40 yrs.

Aug. 1994
Nonfatal
Mendocino County (remote)
Mendocino
Male
50s

Nonfatal
Female
50s

Dec. 1994
Fatal
Cuyamaca State Park
San Diego
Female
56 yrs.

Mar. 1995
Nonfatal
Mt. Lowe (San Gabriel Mtns.)
Los Angeles
Male
27 yrs.

Jan. 2004
Fatal
Whiting Ranch Regional Park
Orange
Male
35 yrs.

Jan. 2004
Nonfatal
Whiting Ranch Regional Park
Orange
Female
30 yrs.

June 2004
Nonfatal
Sequoia National Forest
Tulare
Female
28 yrs
 
Gosh, one fatal attack every ten years in California. With a population of 35 million people, it's a catastophy waiting to happen.

-Bob
 
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