Here in Toronto, we btdt years ago. This is nothing original, really. The only "original" thing here is a video was captured, rather than a sequence of shots in quick succession.

And our women bike messengers also don't take crap from large, thuggy men, either. We like to keep our city streets clean, even during a garbage strike.

All these comments that say stuff like, "yet another example of why all bikers are assholes" makes me want to start whaling on someone's grandpa with my lock.

After reading my post and watching the video again, I disagree with my comment. Bike Bitch should have just ridden away. What a pussy.

That old dude followed the biker and pushed him - I would have hit back, too. Probably not with a fucking u-lock, but the old guy did have it coming.

I don't know a single messenger in NYC that would dare use a u-lock to protect their bicycle (that's what's up with the chains around eveyone's waist). Yet everyone sees a bag and a bike and assumes "bike messenger".

I wonder if the genius filming even bothered to call 911 from the pay phone he was standing next to the whole time.

It's a shame that this happenned. Cyclist are already frowned upon and this makes things worse for cyclists. The next pedestrian or motorist will take it out on the next cyclist.

I consider myself one for the cyclists in nearly all situations, but...

Anyone who says that the Fixie Boy was ok to do what he did needs to get a u lock smack down themselves.

Sorry but people defending the cyclist are straight up out of their minds...bashing an unarmed guy with a ULock...? Justified? F*cking insane....this is what is wrong with a large proportion of society in general...violence to solve everything. The punk had a chance to ride away and be a real man...he took the sissy way out and bashed the guy and THEN rode away...punk. You can maim someone with 2-3 hits ...for crissake. "Yeah it's OK ...he tried (unarmed) to touch me"...gimmie a break. Fantasyland nonsense that he was defending himself... I am a cyclist do ALOT of city riding but am not stupid enough to think this was warranted and WON'T jump on the cyclists side as a knee jerk reaction....I could get into how freaking stupid it is to ride sans helmet in the city...on single speed in the city and without brakes...in the city. Kid is an all around moron ....don't be surprised if this older guy finds out about the clip and turns him in.

Really can't believe anyone needs to explain how stupid this action really was. Get a clue people; we live in a world of laws...not random violence...like some video game.

Exactly. If he continued beating the guy until he was knocked unconscious, then continued beating him till his brains fell out of his head, then I think it might be called an overreaction. But a few well placed hits until the guy decides to walk away, not so much.

why is it apparently shocking to so many people on this board that someone would defend themselves on the streets of New York City? is this complicated?

the pedestrian kept after the biker -- three times -- invading his personal space and generally being threatening -- so the biker defended himself. who wouldn't?

the biker was a model of civility -- i would have been so amped up that someone was attacking me i wouldn't have stopped until my attacker was on the ground and no longer a threat to me. bike dude deserves an award for exhibiting some serious restraint.

also, the attacker was a few inches taller and fifty pounds heavier than the kid with the bike. and the biker had his hands full, so was unable to defend himself with anything other than what was in his hands. seeing as how a bike is rather tough to swing, he was left with only his U-lock to defend himself.

George Foreman won the heavyweight title when he was 45. by some folks definition here, Foreman was an 'old man', and if he was to be walking on the streets of New York City, he should be granted all sorts of liberties to harass, attack, and threaten people. makes sense.

liberals.

My read: both wrong. While the phone obscures the initial contact, the ped violated a basic rule: If you're in a conflict, watch the "space". Follow if you want, but stay a leg-length away. If you follow, expect response. If you follow too close, expect it to get physical. Looks like the biker tried, initially, to keep the distance. Behind the phone, somebody made first contact. Have no problem with the first lock whack or two, but the re-approach for a few more is wrong. Duty to retreat and all. Lucky they weren't in Texas. Now carry it a step further. The ped has a blade and reapproaches & shivs the biker. Biker then caps the ped. Discuss...

if someone grabs on to you, you can smack them til they let go. that looks like what this guy did. that one smack with the lock wasn't enough to shake him is evidence that he needed more smacking.

We want more! More blood! More bread and circuses!

gothamist please find out if there are charges pending against this biker prick

also regardless of whose fault it was, I cannot believe the chinaman got (c)locked in the face and didn't walk away! watching the video, it's kinda as if he ENJOYED IT

yeah I thought that was bizzare too! Maybe he was all wired up, Rodney King-style? Didn't feel the pain?

yeah I wonder how this sounds before the judge

So you beat him with your Ulock?

What weapon did he have?

Nothing he was getting in my face

So you hit an unarmed man on the head in broad daylight in front of witnesses because he got in your face?

Yes

I like how the cyclist asks, "Are you crazy bro?" while he's pummeling the dude with a U-lock. Yes, bro, he's the crazy one, not you?

I just watched it like 4 times... gotta say, I think the ped got was he was lookin' for. Looks to me like he probably made the first quick aggessive move (the one you can't really see). Mid-ruckus, he took a sorta fight stance. Then WHAM! Fuck him.

If you look really closely (at .23) you can see the asian guy pull out a butterfly knife and (listen close) he whispers "lung tickle"

so yeah then at (.26) the biker is all "this is gonna hurt me worse than it hurts you" and if then you pause at the exact right moment and zoom into the fixster's face (and initiate the computer enhancement toggle) you'll notice a small emo tear running down his face. So sad yet so poignant.

snort!