Do you pack?

[AKPogue]

No, not fudge but this! Was getting to take a ride at this trailhead and noticed this guy and asked to take his pic Gotta be prepared for those bears!

[schindlerpiste]

You need to be ready for those wild squirrels!

[P_McPoser]

I've done it before, but I don't anymore, because it's not really that comfortable while riding a bike lol, and I don't really see the point in riding in a place where I think I might want to have it.

[Plakespear]

This is why I don't carry a gun, although mildbill is making me reconsider

[AKPogue]

I've done it before, but I don't anymore, because it's not really that comfortable while riding a bike lol, and I don't really see the point in riding in a place where I think I might want to have it.

And miss riding in places like this! I personally don't carry one and don't see the need. I do own a pistol but don't think I need it. In AK, maybe once every other year does someone get killed by a bear. Considering the number of people in the backcountry that really isn't a lot.

[Arty50]

That better be a .50 Action Express, or he's just gonna piss the bear off.

[ANON-505]

I never even thought about carrying a gun while riding, especially as down here in the SW the only bears we have our black.

Until, on my birthday (4/20) I was on a ride in the bottom of deep canyon, I came up a little rise, a couple of minutes ahead of my friends, and I was suddenly 15' away from a huge mountain lion with a freshly killed deer, it's throat ripped out. It was in the bottom, next to the creek, and I was just a little above.

She skulked down a little bit, scoped me out and took off the other direction. I jumped backwards off my bike and held it up, but by the time I was even on the ground, he was on his way up the other side of the canyon. Like a ghost, or the wind. Not a sound. Took the big hill behind him in what seemed like three steps.

It was truly wild.

Anyway, ever since then, the idea of carrying a handgun sounds a whole lot better, but I've never been a gun-packing kinda guy. But it could've been wayyy worse.

[shmoesmith]

The ONLY time I've had a run in with a bear was while mountain biking with my brother. We road up on a mother bear with two cubs....she instantly came right at us. She gave chase for about 100yrds, before she stopped. I thought I was dead. Last year while backpacking in an area that you can also mountainbike, we had a huge mountain lion come into our camp....after the bear incident, I was packing, and was ready for the mt. lion. Fortunatly, my sister was screaming and when I jumped out with a gun (it was circling her tent) I guess it was a bit suprised and took off.

A .454 casull is the gun we use for bear defense (wont use spray because when backpacking, most maulings occur through your tent and spray is worthless if you cant actually spray the bear)
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProd...=5505&return=Y

Its good solid protection and has been proven time and time again against even grizzly bears. That said, we dont pack it unless we are actually in bear country because it is bulky, heavy, and a PITA in general. Also we only take it when backpacking. We never take it mountainbiking because most of the trails around here see far too much traffic, and bears dont like that.

[Pedro]

This is why I don't carry a gun, although mildbill is making me reconsider

And to think we almost T-boned a black bear in Jim Thorpe, not that they are dangerous.....but I wonder what he would of done if had slammed into him.

[freaks~in~creeks]

ran into a big blacky about two weeks ago... he was runnin up trail straight for me n the meathound as we rounde a blind corner.... i had the bike out in front of me in case he charged but it took pff into the woods about 50 feet from me......that was just goin to the post office....fish are in
fish=bears
trails by river=be careful
no one has ever been killed when using pepper spray to stop a bear

[Tuckerman]

we had a huge mountain line

I heart huge mountain lines.

[shmoesmith]

I heart huge mountain lines.

ME TOO! Suppose I should go back and correct that

[kona12]

My first time riding in AK, I saw a bear and fell off my bike and the bush started shaking about 10 feet in front of me and the bear walked out....and I almost shit my pants...and the bear was a PORKY PINE! Fukin Alaskan porky pines are HUGE! Anyway, at the time I wished I had a side arm but I have never owned one large enough to stop a bear.

As for mountain lions, I ride a lot in lion country but from what I have read, most lions go for the neck from behind thus making a gun a limited opition. With that said I have ridden and fished with my pistol because of them.

[upallnight]

A .454 casull is the gun we use for bear defense (wont use spray because when backpacking, most maulings occur through your tent and spray is worthless if you cant actually spray the bear)
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProd...=5505&return=Y

how much does one of those go for?

[P_McPoser]

how much does one of those go for?

~900+ bucks.

[Cornholio]

A .454 casull is the gun we use for bear defense.

I dont' think there's anything at all casual about a .454!

[slippy]

I think the highest concentration of grizzlies (in the lower 48) is south of Big Sky. I've heard there are some great trails there and a bunch of Big Sky locals ride there with bear mace. It would be a good story for Bike mag, I've heard a ton of griz stories from that area, mainly from campers though. I'm sure the bikers have a few of their own too.

I've run into 4 bears biking, only one being a griz. All of them were between Bozeman and Big Sky. The griz are spreading (somewhat) quick from jellystone.

[shmoesmith]

how much does one of those go for?

MSRP is around $850. We bought ours new for $475. Most places quoted me right around $500 when I called around.