It took all my effort and motor speed to outpace a particularly nasty pooch this morning. I tell you, that little sheet was determined to have a bite at my ankle.

Hah, 26mph fair knackered him, though.

Nice idea Dave, but escape velocity is more a rocket science matter than an e-bike issue!

 

Actually, stopping usually makes dogs of this type stop too, generally then showing fear rather than aggression. Whacking them hard with your extended pump while still riding works well too, as I know from experience.

Most of the dogs around here on the country lanes definitely don't like bicycles, as I've seen when riding unpowered, but the whine of the motor sends some of them into a paroxysm of rage.

I think the sight of a human on a bicycle is just un-natural to them, but if the noise is added to that, well...

Many years ago as a learner motorcyclist (1946 BSA Bantam, which was the same age as me) we had a dog in our village that chased everything, cars, bikes, motorbikes, mums with prams. One day one of the other village lads took offence with the dog becuase it nearly caused him to crash in avoiding the animal. So he chased it down the road at the dog's full speed (in a low gear so his two-stroke motor was in max noise.

 

the dog never chased anything again

 

Vic

but the whine of the motor sends some of them into a paroxysm of rage.

I think the sight of a human on a bicycle is just un-natural to them, but if the noise is added to that, well...

 

I've found this too, the whining noise driving them nuts. With their more sensitive hearing it may even be that it hurts them, in the way that some sounds can "put our teeth on edge" as we say.

 

As for the dislike of cyclists in general, I think the pedalling action is very much like running, and dogs are "programmed" to chase anything that runs away as Benton so clearly showed at Richmond Park recently.

I regard my water bottle fully loaded as a good deterrent against persistent dogs, a good soaking dampens their ardour to persist the chase

 

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Something that really annoys me when on the cycleways, are the dog walkers that have their dogs on a 12ft lead, them on one side and the dog on the other side.

Never been chased by a dog so far, but once had one running alongside me at a safe distance, and then he suddenly decided to run infront of my bike! Very nearly a nasty doggy accident, but my brakes saved the day, I had to rear end up to stop though. He got a good telling off him his owners.

I've been chased by a dog once snapping at my ankles, I wasn't over worried as trying to take a bit out of the pedals would hurt it more than me. The worse problem is dogs running round and round in circles oblivious to riders, I've been put on the ground by one of them before and they are much more common than chasers.

When I was racing, myself and my mate Graham used to make sure our route went past a farm near Jodrell Bank, where two large dogs used to run out and chase cyclists. We were never caught but our fast twitch muscles certainly got a good workout.

My mate used to be a milkman and he said the whine of the milk float motor would drive dogs crazy, because they can apparently hear frequencies we can't. I went on the round a few times and some of the dogs we passed squealed and barked like mad.

 

I've never had a problem with dogs chasing after my bike, but I had one try to jump on for a ride!

I think you are right about dogs' hearing.

On my way home in the evening I travel A38 Gloucester Tewkebury road. At the busy junction with the Cheltenham road there lives a large dog. It stands silent whilst all other vehicles pass, but as soon as my (embarrasingly noisy) ebike comes along it jumps up barking and leaping at the gates until I have passed. This is on a major junction with heavy vehicles, buses, motor bikes, and traffic lights to slow things down. I can hardly hear my bike's motor, but the dog certainly can.