fastburn430

I was at a local bike store today and I saw a left over 03 Trek Police bike still on the racks. I spoke with a sales guy and he said it was a extra bike that the police didn't need, so they are selling it. I rode it and it rides nice. It has a Jett Rock Shox, XT rear derailer, avid brakes to name a few. List was $899 with sale price of $675, but I can get another $50 off for a total of $625 plus tax. Still has a lifetime frame warranty and 1 year on parts. My question is, should I buy a police bike? I need you opinions pro and con. Thanks.

jdtschida

Does it have police decals and stuff on it? Might be a good target for punks looking for something to break...

lilHinault

Yeah just take the decals off.

Hickabod

Keep the decals, find a Police jersey. Have some fun.

badcompany9

If I was a thief, I'd do the opposite, and steer clear of any bike that has "police" written on it. The police around here don't seem to take any care in securing their bikes. I've frequently just seen their bikes propped up against a wall while they are inside somewhere.

jbonus

You could have fun staring down SUV drivers from behind your mirrored aviators.

FarHorizon

Sounds like a bargain! Go for it and POST PICTURES!

phidauex

They are often equipped with odd freehubs that use a silent clutch instead of a ratcheting mechanism so they don't 'click click click' as you coast. They are neat, but aren't as common for replacement parts. However, you probably won't need to be replacing the freehub, so it doesn't matter. Plus, the silent feature could be fun, you'll be almost as quiet as my fixie.

Usually police bikes are just basic mountain bikes, adjusted a bit for road riding (semi-slick tires maybe, firmer suspension, riser bars, etc.). If its a good deal, buy it, but don't pay extra expecting a police bike to be anything but a regular bike with black paint and decals.

peace,
sam

nolageek

RESPECT MAH ATHORATAH!

lilHinault

You can silence any hub if you pack enough grease in there.... :-)

fastburn430

It dosen't have Police stickers on it but it does have the silent hub. My main concern is whether to put the $625 on this 2 year old bike or get a new bike like, trek 6700 or stumpjumper, with newer components.

Retro Grouch 

So what do you plan to do with it? If you're looking for a real mountain bike I'd say no but if you're looking for a beater to use for local errands, I think that that police bike would be neat.

ChroMo2

A police bike would be quite the conversation piece. But the Stumpjumper you mentioned surely has a better frame geometry, especially if you can choose a proper size frame.

midgie

They can't sell it with Police stickers to someone who isn't police.
That would be impersonating an officer and thats illegal.

Bikewer

We have a number of these at the department, and they are solid, dependable bikes. If you just want to run around on the street, it should provide excellent service. The frames are (as I recall) essentially the same as the 8000 series; perhaps a little overbuilt. (We coppers tend to be on the hefty side, and we carry a lot of heavy equipment to boot.)

For off-road use, you'll at least have to spring for tires.

jhota

i would buy it for a town bike + the conversation value.

would love telling everyone i had a police bike - because they'd all assume it was a Harley, BMW or Gold Wing...

operator

Why don't all bikes have silent clutch

Urban Shooter

Because.

FrankieFrank

Because they can ripe off the taxpayers --- You and Me.

CB HI

That is not exactly true.

There have been a couple of legal cases in the last few years that I have read short articles about. In one case a man was arrested and convicted for wearing a t-shirt that said POLICE on it. The case was appealed and overturned by a federal court on free speech basis. The second case (I think it occurred in Georgia or other southern state) was a guy that had an auto breakdown, pulled off the road. He had a magnet attached, blue flashing light that he took out and put on the top of the car and turned on as an extra safety light. Again, the case was appealed and overturned by a federal court, based on the man had a right to safety and the light was only used for safety/not to impersonate the police. Both articles said that as long as a person did not vocally claim to be the police or use flashing lights to pull people over or in the same manner as emergency vehicle use to get through traffic, then such use was not illegal.

Granted that many cities and states probably have laws on the books contrary to these court findings. I also doubt that more than a hand full of cops have even heard about the cases, so use your own judgement as to what you use.

Honolulu City actually sells shirts that have Honolulu Police, SWAT, or Honolulu Fire Dept. printed on the shirts. The shirts are available to anyone willing to fork over the money to the city. One cyclist here wears a vest with large FBI letters and in very small print in each letter, it says something like “For Bicycle Initiatives”.

On the other hand the State of Hawaii still has a law that does not permit any type of blue light on any vehicle other than a police car. The State Sheriffs cars have red and blue lights and Honolulu Police have just blue lights (go figure why it is a state law then). Honolulu Police have ticketed kids with the steady blue glow lights that a few kids have put on the underside of their cars; yet the police ignore me on my bicycle with a blue flashing vista light.

If anyone out their does know the case name or other detail with the blue light case, please post it. It might save me a lot of time if I ever do get ticketed and have to fight it.

Raiyn

The Rock Shox Jett sucks. It's an elastomer in a tube. It's just not worth it.

randya

Blue lights are for bikes...

You can buy blue reflectors in the local hardware store and blue reflective tape as well. I've never been hassled for using it on my bike, and it looks way cool.

midgie

That really suprises me. Especially with the pervs that have been posing as police and pulling women over.
Did you know(so I've been told) if your in a desolate or unlit area, dial *677 on your cell and you can find out if there is an actual squad car in your area or let them know your not pulling over til you get to a more populated or well lit area.


When the police bikes first came out, we had to have a letter head from the police station just to order it.
Ordering got a little easier after awhile, but we were not allowed to sell the bikes with the decals on it to anyone other than the police or medics. The Raliegh fleet series came with 3 different decals- sherriff, medic and police.
Red or Blue rotating lights are not allowed on any vehicle other than an emergency vehicle.

Of course I'm speaking of Illinois, I can't say for the rest of the states.

atbman

This police vest, officer? I got it a rock concert by my favourite group. Proceeds in aid of the rainforest.

Metieval

Springfield OH ??? bicycle stop ????

Last time I was in there I saw a police bike, didn't look very close at it though.