cbr2702

Why do city bike police ride mountain bikes? I would think that bike cops would have approximately the same priorities as commuters, most of which ride some variety of road or hybrid bike.

BarracksSi

Jumping curbs and riding through grassy parks and lawns are easier with mountain bikes. No need for tall road bike gearing, either.

Sprocket Man

Police have to be able to traverse a variety of terrain including surfaces that may be difficult to travel over with a road or hybrid bike. They also need to have the ability to go up and down curbs easily. Fatter tires and shocks help in that regard, therefore mountainbikes seem to be a good choice.

Shimagnolo

If the perp just broke away from the peloton, and the cops were trying to reel him in, then I'm sure a road bike would be an excellent choice.

Big M

Ever seen a hot pursuit bike chase? Roadies are way too delicate...unless it's a long empty stretch of unbroken pavement, they're too wimpy to get away.

But seriously, I think a cyclocross or even most hybrids would offer most of the all terrain capability without sacrificing as much speed. However, fitment would be a concern, too. I'm comfortable on a mountain bike as long as its within range of my size/fit. But any road, touring, hybrid or cyclocross bike needs to fit just right.

And I'm just guessing, but they probably buy those police-package Treks in bulk. Personalized fitments would be a nightmare.

tsl

Stairs.

z415

I would love to see bike police riding down stairs. There are plenty here as the only bike police are here at the university.

stapfam

Mountain bikes are rugged- dependable and easy to control. We not only have Police over here on bikes- we have Paramedics aswell. The Medics are based in towns, have around 60lbs of gear in the panniers but they can cycle round shopping malls and back streets quicker than calling an ambulance from an out of town depot. Same with the Police. They often get to local incidents faster than cars.

And I am of an age when I can remember the local "Bobbie" only had a Push bike to cover 6 villages that were just a bit out of the way. And the term push bike really applied to him as he was 5'9" tall and weighed 250 lbs and most of the villages were on top of the hills.

StephenH

Mainly, they just don't need to be fast, so there's no reason to use a bike optimized for speed.

You might ask why road bikes aren't used as industrial bikes, too. Similar reasons.

When you get away from the "roadie areas" here in the Dallas area, the majority of cyclists you see are on mountain bikes, for that matter.

ghettocruiser

And this is different from commuting... how?

atbman

www.ipmba.org - log on to conference sections for a variety of videos. Cross bikes would not stand up to the demands of general riding, let alone pursuits thro' city environments. Not to mention the kit that some forces carry. The bikes need to be rugged and have front suspension to deal with the terrain at speed

BarracksSi

Did some looking -- found this Dutch (I think) vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UAgc...eature=related

Swift, silent (at least up until he skidded and dropped the bike ), and tossing the bike to the pavement isn't going to break it.

A short series of clips starts with this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6b4A...eature=related

PunkMartyr

Because your full carbon can't outrun his police radio

Panthers007

I believe the video's are from Denmark.

No Chain

I agree with most posters about the ability to ride off curbs, cut through parks, ride down stairs, etc. Police are usually just patrolling at slow speed anyway--no need for real speed. They just sneak up silently on people and bust them (at least in theory).

However, I think the real reason is that they look "badass".

z415

Those vids of bike cops make my university's bike cops look kind of tame.

Wordbiker

It's more humiliating when they pull over roadies on a MTB.

stapfam

Couple of months ago and there was a programme on TV about Cyclists in London disobeying Traffic regs. One section was of a Traffic light and Cyclists ignoring the red light. 20 yards after the light was a Bike cop on an MTB and nothing got past him. Most of the roadies were shocked to see a Police bike- complete with Flashing Blue light along side and stopping them.

Mind you- If you saw the legs on the policeman- You would have had trouble distancing him.

Booger1

Because you can carry more donuts on a mountain bike?

Dheorl

Those vids are awsome.

geo8rge

I would describe the bikes NYPD rides as hybrid or comfort bikes. They do not have shocks, the rider is upright.

Robert Foster

Bicycle patrol isn’t to run a person down it is to ride by areas quietly. They aren’t trying to catch other cyclists they are patrolling a neighborhood much like they used to do as foot patrols. And like people have stated earlier, curbs, grass parks and small stairs in front of public buildings. Road bikes don’t like any of those.

HandsomeRyan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs5-DRhsCRQ

University of Tennessee Knoxville Police officer failing on his bike. There was a big scandal when this was posted to youtube.

Metzinger

nope

harpdog

AT least he gave it a go - and did you notice there were no crimes in the area !