Dheorl

Lol, forget about falling at the drop, he couldn't even get on the bike without help.

crackerdog

What was the big scandal? The bike cop didn't know how to ride? He obviously doesn't do much trail riding. He was wearing a helmet.

HandsomeRyan

I think the problem was that he got caught goofing off on company time with company equipment. I underline "got caught" because I know all of us have goofed off at work at one point or another. This dude's goofing off got posted to the interwebs and a bunch of uppity folks were like, "What if another Virginia Tech type shooting was going on somewhere else on campus and this guy was playing on his bike?". This is dumb and I think he humiliation of this video was punishment enough but I'm not the one who gets to make decisions on these types of things.

Panthers007

I caught a new bike-cop (they called themselves 'Bikeway-Bobbies.') on a Cannondale in a vacant parking-lot one day. He didn't see me. He was riding around in circles exclaiming "Weeeeeeeee!" as he went. Once I'd had my fill, I stepped out into plain sight. He turned beet-red in embarrassment. I engaged him in conversation about the bike he was on and about forward-motion and dead-spots in the pedal-stroke. I explained what the then new Biopace II chainrings were all about.

The next time I saw these characters, they were all sporting new Biopace II chainrings on their Cannondale bikes. I should have told him the wonders of the 'Death-Forks' instead...

Keith99

My only issue with what he did is that he did it badly. Honestly it was the kind of thing he should be able to do. I'd much rather have him learn his limits practicing in hte park than in the middle of a pursuit.

Cyclaholic

An overweight, unfit cop on a heavy mountain bike with knobby, underinflated tires can travel at 300,000km per second without even pedaling, and cut you off.

MichaelW

Our local cops and paramedics use a lot of bikes, the "police" bikes from Trek or wherever.
Im really surprised that the luggage options are so poor compared to the typical kit a tourer would use. They often use seatpost clamp racks for heavy loads and attach all they bits to the bike using clamps rather than integrated mounts or eyelets.
I know of some Police departments using Rohloff hubs. This is a good idea for cops, not only because they ride well and are hard to break but the maintenance is much easier for a large bike fleet. In flatter areas, Alfine could probably almost as well.

stapfam

Staying on Bikes and Police--A Few years ago the Chief Constable of Sussex had a cycle ride to visit all the Police stations in Sussex. Mainly Policemen on the ride but a few interested riders doing it aswell. As we went from Station to Station- new riders would join us and some were on Police bikes. Some of these were just provided with bikes to cover a large patch that they had to cover- and others were Proper Police on Bikes. Now those Town Coppers on MTB's were fit- and they knew how to ride a bike.

Apparantly on one day they had a problem with an "Errant" motorist that did not like Cycles. After causing a few problems it was decided to stop him and warn him. How the h*ll he hadn't spotted around 20 Bike cops in uniform in the pelaton- It is not known- But he soon found out that Bike Police when they get off their silly little bikes- are Big and know how to stop a car.

robvas

If cops needed to be fast, they wouldn't eat so many donuts

bikegeekmn

they only have to be faster than someone on foot .if they're in a car they're gone anyway .

New Yorker

Not only are mountain bikes more suitable for curb hopping and massive pot holes, they're also better suited for frequent stopping and starting—having to do that on a road bike gets to be annoying.

Also, it's easier for anyone—even someone who isn't in shape—to hop onto a mountain bike and be comfortable; the upright seating position feels more natural, and affords an easier, better view of traffic and what's happening around you. (True, on a longer ride—over an hour—the road bike is more comfortable, but that's not a factor for police bikes.)

Road bikes are like thoroughbreds; they're happiest going fast for long distances at a time—stopping and starting every 35 seconds is a bit of a chore.

no1mad 

Though it's been at least 20 years since I've been on a road bike w/drops, it seems to me that the mtb would be more stable at the slower speeds required when interacting with massive amounts of pedestrian traffic at outdoor concerts or other public events.

And that the mtb shifters are cheaper than road brifters could have something to do with it as well.

Luddite

burn!

nahh

haha... I was thinking the same thing.

and when i'm on my rigid mtb, i'm not even kidding.

cooker

I agree - he wasn't goofing off, he was practising bike handling skills he might need.

Shavit

"Also, it's easier for anyone—even someone who isn't in shape—to hop onto a mountain bike and be comfortable; the upright seating position feels more natural, and affords an easier, better view of traffic and what's happening around you. (True, on a longer ride—over an hour—the road bike is more comfortable, but that's not a factor for police bikes.)" - New Yorker.

I used to chat with a few bike cops in nashville on my way home late at night. They were on 12 hour shifts with an hour break. Even if you take out the time stopping to talk to people, make an arrest, etc. that's still an awful lot of time on a bike. I'll take a stab in the dark that those guys (maybe not all bike cops) were in far better shape than 99% of the people that ride a bike. Then again, that's all they do.

wunderkind

Maneuverability. MTBs are generally more nimble than roadbikes. This on top of the versatility to go over many types of terrain makes it a better choice over roaddies. Besides, MTB frames allow the cops to carry all kinds of gear. Stop and go with 26" wheels/tires is easier and prolly faster than larger 700c. And if the pursuit becomes too fast, the cop cars will be involved. But really the primary function for cop on bicycles is to patrol a defined area that is too large for walking but too small to drive around in a cruiser.

LVRider

I just bought a used Cannondale police frame on Ebay, and I picked it up locally. The cop I bought it from told me that they carry 25+ pounds of gear with them, so even a 175 pound guy becomes a clydesdale. He also said that they rarely ever go around steps, just up or down, and that the frames they still have left are replacements or have stood the test of the clydes.