What would YOU buy?

[TrailPatrol]

I will be getting a new bike this summer. I have a few hoops to go through first, but I intend to augment my trusty, experienced Trek 930SHX ChroMoly framed bike with a newer, aluminum framed bike that will extend my riding season into wet, and possibly even snowy weather.

Some givens: It will be a hardtail. I think I have made my case for that previously. I do two things with my bike, patrol and tour. Even with the BoB trailer, I need the solid back end for my rack pack and such, and when I do have to use panniers, I can.

It will be under $1000.00. My marriage is more important than a new bike. I can dream about ti, but I can't touch!

It will, more than likely, be a cop bike. I am used to riding bikes with the geometry, set-up and handling of a police bike. The type of riding I do is best suited to a bike with a more "upright" riding position. There are five companies making police bikes right now, and one that has a bike that can be adapted easily. They are listed on the poll. (Yes, Smith And Wesson, the gun company, does make police bikes.)

Based on your experiences with other hardtails from these manufacturers, what would you suggest I get?

And let's not get hostile about this. Everyone is allowed their own preference, and that's fine. You don't need to bash them because of it. I have been riding Trek since 1995, and am leaning that way, but I want to hear what other riders think.

Thanks in advance.

Ride safe,
Ranger Hans

[funky-funky-chicken]

While to me the thought of buying a new "Police" bike does not exactly get my heart racing... I have in the past been a Trek guy. I say this primarily from the experience of having owned several Treks and their unquestionably excellent customer service, warranty, and dealer support. I would recommend trying to ride as many different bikes if you can. Don't base your decision simply on the "spec sheets." It's no good if it doesn't "feel" right.

I did vote for Smith and Wesson because it just sounds so... well, serious!

[Brick]

Originally posted by TrailPatrol

It will, more than likely, be a cop bike. I am used to riding bikes with the geometry, set-up and handling of a police bike. The type of riding I do is best suited to a bike with a more "upright" riding position.

Ok, I'm curious--so other than a more "upright" riding position, what are the differences in geometry, set-up, and handling on a police bike? :confused:

[martini]

I'd go 'other'. while there's nothing in particular wrong with any of your choices, I think you may be better served with another option. I suspect that the 'police geometry' that you speak of is simply a shorter, higher stem, and mebbee riser bars(save for the smith & wesson model, that may be different). You can make ANY bike a 'police bike' if this is the case. And the dealership that you bought it through would be more than willing to swap out the parts you need to make the bike fit you.

That being said, I think you should look into Gary Fishers 29"er's. They'd be the perfect match for your riding style, including the touring bit, as you automatically have 700c wheels that you can throw some slicks on and tour with on the road. Leave on the knobbies and you're set for off roadish touring. The big wheels definitely lend a smoothness to the ride that is hard to come by with 26" wheels. The larger wheels are also exceedingly stable and roll amazingly well over smooth and rough terrain. It's got the aluminum frame that you're looking for, and there are four hard tail to choose from. Two are out of your price range, leaving two to pick from. Both come with a Marzocchi coil fork and a decent parts selection. I wouldn't worry about wheel strength all that much either. I've been beating mine up for two years with out a hitch, and I'm not a small rider either.

That's my little opinion, I think you owe it to yourself to check one of these out and take it for a true ride, not just a parking lot roll around:)

[manual63]

If I was to get a cross country ride, I would go with a Gary Fisher. The main reason would be because of their genesis geometry. I like the idea of having a longer frame with a shorter stem. The sizing is the same, but the handling is much better. You are not weighted over the front wheel so much, especially while standing, and you have quicker steering for the singletrack.

I just got a Specialized P2, but mostly becuase of the money. If I really had my choice, I would have gotten a NORCO at a much higher cost. I like the NORCO brand for the extreme (I just can't avoid that word) rider.

Keep in mind, even though a company has a good name, you still have to watch what you buy. Some people hear Trek makes a good bike, but if you are going to be serious about riding, you need to get an $800.00 or more bike. Most companies make lower end (entry level) bikes and they will not handle places like Lebanon for very long.

[EmL34]

Sorry to hear that you have to choose a bike OR a wife. Mine just shakes her head and laughs at the $$ I spend.

If you've been riding a TREK for a while, my guess is that anyhing other than Trek or Fisher will feel wierd to you. I've been riding Specialized for a long time and when I ride Trek and Fisher they feel weird to me. The cockpit feels long.

However, I think you should keep your current ride for what you mentioned and buy a full suspension ride for what you really want to do.

I've been reading the posts on the different topics and think this is a pretty hilarious question to pose here. This is really quite a collection of opinionated bike snobs, myself included. The guy who has the signature "Life is too short to ride junk bikes" couldn't have said it better.

On that topic, there used to be a bike shop in the Alexandria area that sold T-Shirts that said "Friends don't let friends ride junk." I saw a guy in Minneapolis with one, he told me where it was, but then the bike shop burned down. Anyone know anything about it?

[TrailPatrol]

Are people voting for Smith & Wesson because it sounds "cool" or are there actually a couple of bike cops in the crowd who have ridden them?

A police bike has a higher stem, and/or riser bars, usually Deore drivetrain with a Shimano silent hub (no clicking while coasting) and a seatpost closer to vertical than a lot of "competitive" frames.

Raleigh should have been included in the list, since they started the whole "police bike" niche, and still make a good one. But the forum wouldn't let me edit my own poll, and John must be out of town or something.

Ride safe,
Ranger Hans

[Crash]

Originally posted by TrailPatrol
Are people voting for Smith & Wesson because it sounds "cool"

I confess - I voted for Smith & Wesson because it has a certain image! :crazy:

[Tetreves]

I voted for specialized. I ride a stumpjumper M4 hardtail and LOVE it, even though it's over 4 years old. It cost me just under $1000 at the time, but I will admit that I've made so many changes to the "original" bike that it's not even the same bike anymore...

So if I had to buy a new hardtail, it would be the one I own...

But I will also say that most, if not all, of the bicycle police in Uptown ride Smith & Wesson bikes. Granted that they're not going off road much...

-ed

[TrailPatrol]

It is very cool. It is also a soft tail, and I am not sure how that would work with a hard-mount rear rack. It's chromoly, which is wonderful, but I already have one of those (my Trek) and I need an aluminum framed bike, and it is about twice what I have budgeted to spend.

Very cool bike though. I like it!

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

PS Anybody who wants to see what I mean by "upright position" geometry, click to the KHS page http://www.khsbicycles.com/page115.html , and you will see a great illustration of what I mean.

[grizzly adam]

I voted and then read what the vote was about. :eyeroll:
silly me -
I would go with Trek or Cannondale. I've seen some of the earlier Trek Police bikes and helped set up some local cops with Treks years ago in Duluth. They loved 'em! (in one - unknowing to the cops, we set it up with those large rack mounted bags and then built a couple of rods sticking up inside and stacked some doughnuts on the rods!!!)
I don't really know how they compare to back then, but I would imagine that they've continued to please the local 5-O. I know that Trek is/was pretty active at getting police forces set up with bikes. I *think* that they were pretty influencial at getting lots of cops on bikes in Seattle and other cities.

[jaybird]

I've been a Trek fan for years and have two Trek hardtails in my stable. The other reason I picked tricked - okay it's more of a coincidence - is when I lived in Iowa, both the Marion and Cedar Rapids Police Dept's used Trek bikes. I was on a ride and happened to bump into a Marion officer and chit-chatted with him on the bike and how he got picked for bike duty. He said he was an avid cyclist and basically jumped at the chance to be on a bike all day long and get paid for it. I got a close look at the geometry of their bikes and saw how it was a blend of the mountain bike hardtails Trek sold and the more upright city bikes. A very nice blend when you have to be in the saddle for 8+ hrs a day.

[Maverick]

I put in my vote for Trek. I have not rode any other brand of police bike besides the Trek but I like it. Of course I am one of those crazy Trek fans too. The only downfall to Trek in my opinion is using cheaper components unless you spend tons of money.

I was thinking Smith and Wesson (I've researched this myself) but started to think about where you could buy one of those locally. Do you have to go to a gun dealer to get it? Knowing the gun dealers around here they'd probably make you do some sort of waiting period :eyeroll: Sure you could order it from Galls but theres no test ride to that and you couldn't go to them for service (UPS prices would kill you). Uniforms Unlimited would probably try telling you they could get it but do their usual business stratagies. It would take 13 1/2 months to get it in and then another 6 months on top of that before they realize they got it in and then yet another 2 months before they call you. Maybe Streichers would have a Smithy in the store/showroom that you could test ride, hmmmmm, thought for myself even...

We need a decent police supply store in the East Metro now that Cy's was sold, if you know what I mean...

[TrailPatrol]

Originally posted by Maverick
I was thinking Smith and Wesson (I've researched this myself) but started to think about where you could buy one of those locally. Do you have to go to a gun dealer to get it?

Actually, Patrol Bike Systems (http://www.patrolbike.com) in Oakdale sells and services S&W and Fuji police bikes exclusively. Also Sibley Bike Depot (http://www.twowheelview.org/Sibley%20Bike%20Depot.htm) (a non-profit bike co-op in St. Paul) will accept bikes shipped from Smith & Wesson on-line order, assemble them and then provide service, for a reasonable fee. You need to talk to Rick, the manager first, though.

As far as I know, they do not ship the bikes through gun or uniform shops. If your agency has an IPMBA or LEBA certified bike mechanic on staff, they will ship direct to your agency. Otherwise they want to send it to a bike shop to be assembled. Also, S&W (like everyone else except Trek and Cannondale) outsources the bikes, so they are not real easy to find on-line. the URL is: http://www.jeepbikes.com/smithandwesson.html

A friend of mine supervises the bike team with Boston (MA) EMS. They have a fleet of 18 S&W bikes and have been very pleased with them. BEMS phased them in about three or four years ago replacing Treks (if I remember right) not because anything was wrong with the Treks other than age, wear and tear. Their agency has a "buy Massachusetts first" policy, and S&W is based in Springfield, MA.

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[TrailPatrol]

Originally posted by grizzly adam
I know that Trek is/was pretty active at getting police forces set up with bikes. I *think* that they were pretty influencial at getting lots of cops on bikes in Seattle and other cities.

Back in 1987, it was Raleigh, which is based in Kent, WA, a suburb of Seattle, that supplied the first set of bikes for Seattle P.D. and gave them a lot of support, help and guidance. It paid off, in that for a number of years, until Trek and Schwinn started building cop bikes, many units across the US had Raleighs.

Trek still is heavy into police programs, and Raleigh is in there, too. A few years ago Schwinn's advertising agency ran a national ad that many cops felt was insulting to the profession, and Schwinn (which had far bigger problems at the time) refused to retract it. They sold next to no cop bikes that year, and dropped the model. It's kind of a shame, 'cause it was a good, solid bike. That said, I still won't even consider any Schwinn.

GT used to make a police model Karakoram, (Chromoly frame) but now they don't even make a retail version.

As much as I like Trek and Smith, I think the best built, most "elegant" :eyeroll: police bike is the Cannondale. Three Rivers Park Police have several of them, and they are flawless! Unfortunately, I am not as comfortable as I am on the Trek, and SRAM GS 9.0 is not an option with C-dale or Trek, so I am leaning toward the Smith.

Suppose Glock made a bike? It would have to be carbon-fiber, I suppose. :D

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[Maverick]

Suppose Glock made a bike?

It would probably be jet black (standard carbon undecaled), squard off everything (nothing rounded), ability to hold 3 more bottles, either awesome brakes or no brakes (depends on how you like the safety's on their guns), lightweight, reliable, etc...

The only problem I see is that they would put extremely big grips on so your hand could barely fit around it...

I just hope Smith & Wesson makes better bikes then their semi-autos. I love their revolvers but can't stand the semis...

[SilverAthlon]

No Giant/Marin in that list? that's rediculous! Do we have any Giant/Marin riders here??

[nigel]

I love my Giant road bike!!! Never had one of their mtn bikes yet.

[SilverAthlon]

What are you riding? I have a 2003 TCR 2...

[Maverick]

I JUST bought a Marin Rocky Ridge. I love that thing. Beats my Trek any day of the week. I don't know how it would do as a patrol bike though :geek:

[SilverAthlon]

Awesome mike, you ride at leb or anywhere around here?

[nigel]

My Giant would be a 2002 TCR Zero......I was gonna get me a carbon this year but bought a new Mtn group instead and love it!!!