CCW and Road Cycling

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Shytheed Dumas

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After losing about 30 lbs over the winter, I got into road cycling and have been trying to figure out the best way to carry while riding. In the beginning I was carrying my PM9 in an IWB holster, but got tired of it coming home all sweaty every day.

This morning I went out for my usual 21 mile ride and used a fanny pack for the first time. I'm normally not a fan of the fanny pack, but so far it seems like the best option.

So do any of you regular road cyclists carry, and if so what have you found to be the best option? Please be specific on your carry piece and type/brand of holster - I'm open to any ideas that work the best.
 
For running or cycling I have found the fanny pack to work well. I carry either a commander sized 1911, Keltec PF9 or Ruger SP101. It doesn't look out of place with running or biking shorts since they have no pockets.
 
When I am bicycling, I may carry my J frame .38. Rather than have it in a chaffing waist band or fanny pack, I have a small under the seat pack that it fits in nicely. There are also similar packs for handle bars that may be accessed while riding. Another possiblity I have thought of is a Camel back hydration pack with a small storage area on it.
 
First, congratulations on your weight loss. That is a significant accomplishment.

When I rode regularly, I was constantly threatened by dogs, and motorists who felt I had no business sharing the road with them. I wanted protection from both.

So I found a clever bag that Velcroed in place within the V created by the top tube and the seat tube. It put my Chief's Special right at my fingertips and held it securely. Danged if I can't remember the manufacturer, but it had something to do with kangaroos. I also kept a can of pepper spray in a convenient storage holster that was velcroed onto my top tube as well. Wind direction, however, is the name of the game when it comes to pepper spray, and it often is not in your favor. Keeping guns on my person never seemed to work for me. I even tried a neck knife, which I eventually found irritating.

Another option that I considered was strapping a holster into one of my two water bottle cages, concealed by a piece of Armaflex pipe insulation, but I abandoned this idea in favor of a common handlebar bag, which worked quite nicely. The advantage of the seat tube bag, however, was that it was dedicated only to holding my revolver.
 
I have thought of modifying a waterbottle cage to hold a holster.

You DONOT want to fall off the bike and land on the pistol.
 
I do some bicycling. Since I don't wear the very tight 'traditional' bikers shorts, I take either my J Frame 642 snubbie or my Bodyguard 380 and put it in the front pocket of the shorts I'm wearing.
 
My wife is a road biker and carries her model 60 in a Desantis fanny back worn in the front. Be sure to wear it in the front. You wouldn't want to crash and land on your back with the handgun there.
 
Just a few years ago I was a bike racer, and I still ride a good amount.

Wearing lycra, it makes it really hard to hide a gun. I tried my LCP in a jersey pocket, but the gun is so heavy compared to the material that it would drag the neck of the jersey back and choke me. No way was I sticking it in my lycra shorts because it would just get sweated up to high heaven. I also didn't want the gun oil running out of the gun onto my legs or into the lycra and staining it up.
Oh, and I hate bibs, but if you wore a riding bib it would be even tougher.

My solution was to stick it in a saddle bag. I just got a bigger bag so that i could have my patch kit, bike tool, chews, gun, etc... all in the same bag. It takes a while to get to the gun, but if I need it, at least I've got it.
(Editing to add that I keep the LCP in a Desantis Nemisis pocket holster while in the saddle bag, and wedge it so that it could not possibly fall out of the holster, nor would it allow any of the other stuff in there to get in or near the trigger guard.)


I did find that a small pepper spray (my personal choice is the Kimber Pepper Blaster) does fit in a jersy pocket, is light enough not to drag, and at least gives me SOMETHING that I could use to defend myself RFN if necessary.
 
Thanks for all the weight loss congrats. All I can say is that it is something I should've done a looonng time ago. I haven't had any back pain at all since December, I feel 10 or more years younger, look better than I had in long time, and feel better all around. 100% worth it.

I've considered bike mounted bags, but I really can't see it as the best option... From what I've heard, the most common method of attacking/robbing a cyclist is to jump/crash him, rob him while he's down if there's anything to take, and then run off with the bike (and in that case your gun too).

Then there's the bike hating crazies. I ran into my first earlier this week, but it wasn't a huge deal. He was coming the other way on a deserted road and laid on the horn to try and scare me. Just stupid. Worse things can and do happen, though - The founder/CEO of Papa John's and a friend were attacked at random some years ago in Louisville by some dork in a car and landed one of them in the hospital. I've been annoyed by inconsiderate bikers in the past a few times, but I just cannot understand people who have such a general hatred that they are willing to commit feloneous assault and risk seriously injuring or killing cyclists at random...

I just watched the video on the Safepacker, and it looks like it might be an option worth considering - the only thing it's missing is a good clip to use on drawstring shorts. I typically wear tight biker shorts under loose drawstring gym shorts with shallow to no pockets. If I could clip it securely to my waistline I think it would be a good all around answer. It looks like the same size would work for my PM9 or J frame, and it would also be a great way to carry essential ID and keys...
 
FWIW, it gets realllllllly humid down here in NC. Even moderate jogging or running makes a belly band into something really disgusting. I don't feel like washing it everyday, either.

Honestly, I gave up. I either don't carry or I wear an instructors belt (works with no belt loops!) and just carry owb.

Congrats on the weight loss! It really feels good when your old pants suddenly become your plus two pants for IWB carry, doesn't it. :)

I do quite a bit of strength training, so I'm at a point where my waistline shrinks but I weigh the same weight constantly. I haven't budged from 172 (I was 185 when I started my fitness kick) for several months, but I'm back to wearing 32's instead of 34's and fat mass has been replaced by more well defined muscle mass. :D
 
ForumSurfer, my answer to the heat is to get started 30 minutes before sunrise with front/rear blinkies and a bright shirt so I don't get hit by a sleepy driver.

20 degrees cooler than mid afternoon temps with no baking sun and an hour or more of time that is 100% mine without calls or emails is absolutely worth rolling out of bed for!
 
20 degrees cooler than mid afternoon temps with no baking sun and an hour or more of time that is 100% mine without calls or emails is absolutely worth rolling out of bed for!
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More power to you, brother. I don't have it in me to roll out of bed that early unless I'm getting paid for it. :)

I had to give up on long cross country runs. I motorcycle accident from many years ago gave me the gift of arthritis at an early age. The treadmill at the gym is much less painful plus I'm in there for the strength training, anyway.

BUT, if that was the only time I had available, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I feel better than I remember feeling 15 years ago. The difference in stamina, strength, self confidence and so many other areas has had a tremendously positive impact on my life. Once someone loses that kind of weight and continues to stay fit and active, the difference in the way you feel is really hard to put into words. Now my 8 year old and 13 year old boys have trouble keeping up with ME instead of the other way around. :)

To keep it firearm related, even range trips are more fun. The hot, humid days here no longer bother me in the summer. I shoot outside on my own land. As long as I stay hydrated, I can stay out there all day with the boys shooting. They will complain about the weather before I do.
 
I'm in the "better have it than not" camp. I also use a bike bag, on a rear carrier. The gun is in a fanny pack, under the top flap of the bike bag.

I find this has a narrower profile than panniers and makes the bike generally easier to park in a bike rack. And, when I lock the bike up to go into a store to buy water or a sandwich, the fanny pack goes with me.

The fanny packs usually have enough outside pockets to handle wallet and cell phone, too. (Yes, the complete lack of pockets on Lycra shorts is a problem...)

So far I've been able to ride generally on bike trails or on routes that have wide bike lanes. Automobiles and trucks seem to be less annoyed by the "share the road" concept if the street designers provide a mini-lane for bikes.

I have ridden in a few areas where drivers throw things at bike riders, blow air horns, etc. There doesn't seem to be any way to co-exist with these folks, so I just avoid those routes if possible.

I do carry pepper spray in my jersey pocket. Mostly for dogs...

And I watch my mirror. A couple of times I've gone into a ditch to avoid being run off the road.

From discussions with a few riders in our club with experience, getting hit by a car generally means you aren't working too well.

I guess what I'm trying to express is that, while I certainly believe CCW is a good idea 24/7, it may not provide a solution to some special hazards unique to bicycling.
 
I guess what I'm trying to express is that, while I certainly believe CCW is a good idea 24/7, it may not provide a solution to some special hazards unique to bicycling.
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Which brings up another point, make sure you aren't carrying ina position (such as SOB) that is going to cause severe damage to yourself if (read: when) you go down.
 
I'm on the bike every day year round up here. I ditched my car a few years ago and never looked back. For my purposes, the Maxpedition fatboy side back is the best way to carry. It allows very quick access to the firearm and after about a week or two of carrying you get used to the weight. I sewed down the padded strap to keep the bag from moving, and with a day pack over the top of it, the side bag stays put.

Of course this is utility cycling on a mighty Hoss, often with a trailer in tow. I ain't breaking land speed records and the furthest I go in a weekend day is 50 or 60 k. It's a low speed high drag configuration but it works.

If you're going faster, a shoulder holster has some merit but cover shirts can be annoying and tend to blow open while riding. On-the-frame is an option but if you leave your bike it's a problem.

Maxpedition makes a much lighter and leaner-profile bag now that holds only the firearm but looks like a document carrier. I can't find it now, but it's even leaner than the Remora.
 
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When I am downhill mountain biking (think 40 lb race bikes and 30mph through the woods over large jumps and other obstacles) I have a hydration pack that I keep my pistol in. Works pretty well and its padded enough that I dont ever worry about hurting the pistol.
 
I bike at night. My primary for that is a Glock 26 in an Uncle Mike's Kydex OWB at 4:00. The G26 is easy to control with one hand and I am quite accurate with it, so I can still control the bike. The Kydex rig also has good retention qualities, in case of falls. I cover it with a safety vest and my bike has lights, so I am quite visible. I've not wanted for more for many years.
 
I only use appendix carry when on 2 wheels. That is in front of the hip like the IPSC shooters use. There are two reasons for this. The main one is that your chances of getting into a gun fight are much less than your chances of going down on your bike. The last thing you want in a crash is a chunk of metal on your belt near your spine or sciatic nerve. A buddy fell off the back of a 4 wheeler and landed on his pistol and spent several months in a wheel chair. He is still not over it ten years later. The other problem is that if your shirt or jacket blows in the wind and exposes your holster some do gooder behind you in traffic might call the police. With the pistol in front of your hip it will not show.
 
A buddy fell off the back of a 4 wheeler and landed on his pistol and spent several months in a wheel chair.
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Spinal injuries are unpredictable. The same thing happened to a friend of mine. Not a scratch on either one of them and she ended up being flown to Duke. She stayed in a chair permanently. She's made the most of her life, more than I can say for most people I know...she even won Ms Wheelchair NC.

Cosmoline said:
For my purposes, the Maxpedition fatboy side back is the best way to carry.
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So you highly recommend that bag? I've been thinking about picking one up for the frequent day hiking trips my son likes me to take him on. I've been looking for a bag that can store my pistol (if I get tired of carry OWB), give ease of access to said pistol and carry a few more small essentials like a small 1st aid kit and spare inhaler. I have a separate pack for food and gear when needed, but I don't want to reach way back there for a side arm (isn't a side arm supposed to be by your side?)
 
So you highly recommend that bag? I've been thinking about picking one up for the frequent day hiking trips my son likes me to take him on
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For my own lifestyle it's irreplaceable. But it does take a bit to get used to it, and it won't replace a day pack. It has room for a number of small items. Wallet, tape, string, ammo, flashlight, cell phone, small pad of paper and pens, and a few small tools plus the handgun are about it. The standard one has no room for water, food or other things. There's a jumbo that has a pocket for a canteen but it's bulkier.

Unless you sew the pad in place it will slide around a lot. I really don't know why they don't do that already. A little bit of sinew thread did the trick for mine.

It really shines in the summer when I dislike having a wallet and keys in my pants while riding and in the winter when it keeps the CCW on TOP of the clothing not buried under layers. Access to the firearm is quick and requires only one unzipping. I don't use any special retaining system, since the pocket is small enough to hold a Speed Six in position.

It goes without saying that you have to remember to have it with you when you leave restaurants, etc.
 
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