Local Bobbies on bikes...

[Cyclopathic]

I have been pleased to see here in Leicester the local Fuzz going around on bikes. However I have to question the wisdom of the type of bikes they are on. The ones I have seen have been on mtn bikes with front suspension and off road tyres and obviously geared for off road.

I suspect that 99% of their use will be on tarmac and normal surface roads. Even rough city areas it is not really any benefit to have front suspension and the tyres really should be road tyres. A decent robust work a day bike is what they should have as it will far better suit their usage. Perhaps even a hub geared bike for ease of maintenance.

It seems like they have fallen for the idea that the more bells and whistles the better (bad metaphor. a bell and a whistle would actually have been useful to a copper once upon a time). I think they have just thought to themselves that they are going to need something sturdy that will stand up to a lot of use without considering the type of use.

Is it possible that they bought the bikes without any consultation of any experts in the matter? It's not a groun breakingly important point at all and I'm sure that the bikes they have bought will serve well enough it's just that there was a point where they had a choice and they went the wrong way. It would be a shame this lead to the bikes not working out as well as they could have done.

I saw a Wheeler Peeler the other day and was tempted to have a chat with him about bikes in general but he looked a bit grumpy so I didn't bother.

Like I say, not a massive point but it just bothers me is all.

 

[Hilldodger]

We told the Police not to buy them but they knew better

We had to build one bike up for them because the WPC was so small they couldn't find anything suitable. We had to get written permission to have some proper Police stickers made. Just after it was delivered she was moved elsewhere and it's never been ridden.

 

[Norm]

My understanding is that the bikes were selected not because of where they will spend their time, but because they may be a sudden need to go other places.

In other words, they will be on tarmac most of the time, but they may need them to go off-road to get somewhere in a bit of a hurry. A 7kg road bike might be faster on tarmac but will fold in half at the first jump onto/off a pavement. They also have cars if they want to chase people on tarmac.

The chosen bikes are also more suited to carry the sort of weight that a fully-equiped copper will need in a variety of situations. They may not be suitable all of the time but they should be capable.

 

[Chris S]

Like Norm said, MTBs are sturdy. They're also the most popular type of bike and so they're reatively cheap.

 

[Hilldodger]

No, believe me, they could have bought MUCH better bikes.

We know because we have to service the damn things.

 

[Night Train]

No, believe me, they could have bought MUCH better bikes.

We know because we have to service the damn things.

I'm sure there are better bikes but the tabloids and the average person would then complain about the Police riding on 'expensive' bikes when 'they could've got one from Asda for £99.'.

 

[TVC]

They don't like it if you draft them either.

 

[Wightdragon]

Never had the chance to Draft one. I have been tempted to ask one or two of our more rotund constables to chase me. Would be fun until they called a car in.

 

[Hilldodger]

'they could've got one from Asda for £99.'.

I think they did.............

 

[Alembicbassman]

The one I saw in Maltby Rotherham the other week had a back wheel so badly buckled I was surprised he was still able to ride it.

I used to be a policeman and the kit alone that you carry weighs 12 lbs ish, most of which is the stab proof vest. Then there's the paperwork folder too.

The Birmingham police station I was at bought 2 off road motorcycles, but instead of buying a nice pair of lightweight Fantics, they bought very heavy clunky bikes.

We also had Rover 200 patrol cars and LDV public order vans (both crap).

The Central Motorway Patrol Group on the other hand had Range Rovers and Mercs

I used to ride a bike to the station, but went out on foot and used the bus (for free).

 

[Paulus]

My son, who is in the Herts. Police, rides a Specialized Rockhopper. They have had them for 4 years now. They seem up to the job for the location he looks after.

 

[Piemaster]

Aren't the mtb chosen because it suits the use best, riding down stairs if necessary (sure I've seen a youtube clip of them being trained on this), across parkland, etc. Road bikes are quicker but perhaps not the best choice for them

BTW. Our very own forumite Vikeonabike is a cycling officer.

 

[Cubist]

My team were treated to a fleet of Cube Acids, which were/sturdy, lightish for an MTB. Dewsbury has hills, so a laden cop or PCO needs an MTB gear range, they have to be sturdy as they are crap at looking after them ( now that I'm no longer in charge of the team the LBS that services them has told me some absolute horror stories about what he's found when servicing them.)

They also need to be able to reach off road spots, so a road based sit up and beg won't cut the mustard.

What none of you have mentioned so far is Kudos..... these are community-based cops who spend a lot of their working lives in and around youngsters. The Cubes were a real ice-breaker (no police livery for us thanks, only turns them into trophies) with kids drooling over the bikes.

 

[Hacienda71]

Nothing wrong with these

 

[Paulus]

Ahh, the halcyon days af the Raliegh 3 speed.