IPMBA Product Reviews

Keep Your Cool: Temperature Tee

Keep Your Cool: Temperature Tee

by Sgt. Katie Fuchtman, PCI #1414 Arizona State University Police Department The summers in the Arizona desert can reach above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 Celsius), which make it difficult to stay cool while riding your bicycle on patrol.  When I became IPMBA...
Benelli E-Bike:  Best for the Job

Benelli E-Bike:  Best for the Job

by Felix Cauhape Allen (TX) Police Department In 2020, my department was looking to reorganize our bike unit.  This included replacing the old, worn-out bikes in our fleet.  Benelli provided us with a police e-Bike to test out. ...
CABDA WEST:   E-Bike Safety at the Forefront

CABDA WEST:  E-Bike Safety at the Forefront

by Clint Sandusky, former PCI #849/EMSCI #159 Riverside Community College District (CA) Police Department (ret.) At the 2023 CABDA West Expo, held in Ontario (CA) this past January, there were various important and informative sessions pertaining to safety of e-Bikes.  Topics...
CABDA MIDWEST:   A Sight to See!

CABDA MIDWEST:  A Sight to See!

by Paul DaiZovi Lake Forest (IL) Police Department The 2023 Midwest CABDA show in Schaumburg, Illinois, was a sight to see!  It was loaded with hundreds of vendors and attendees, all wanting to share their knowledge on everything bike, nutrition,...
CABDA EAST: A Bicycle Rider’s Heaven

CABDA EAST: A Bicycle Rider’s Heaven

by John Barbour, PCI #1206 Princeton University (NJ) Police Department (ret.) On March 8th and 9th, I attended the Chicagoland Area Bike Dealers Association (CABDA)’s East Coast Expo.  It is a bicycle rider’s heaven.  They...
Meet DuraBike

Meet DuraBike

by Greg Bowen, PCI #1227T Tarrant County College (TX) Police Department IPMBA Industry Liaison Welcome to IPMBA’s newest Corporate Member:  DuraBike.  Brenden Westin, the founder of DuraBike, was deployed to the Middle East and Africa. ...
CABDA Midwest 2021: Back in Gear!

CABDA Midwest 2021: Back in Gear!

by Craig Lepkowski, PCI #1180-B/ EMSCI #272-B Lake Forest (IL) Police Department (retired) IPMBA President In February 2020, I attended the CABDA Midwest Expo in Schaumburg, Illinois.  The Chicagoland Area Bicycle Dealers Association (CABDA) re-launched its trade shows in 2014, and...
Philips Tempus ALS:  Better for All!

Philips Tempus ALS:  Better for All!

by Kevin Uhl, EMSC Cincinnati (OH) Fire Department While reading pages and pages of IPMBA product reviews about items that are “better for us”, I didn’t see too many articles focused on items that are &ldquo...
Fat Tires in the Sand

Fat Tires in the Sand

by Robert Dunivin, EMSCI #205 Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department Here at the Los Angeles Fire Department Bicycle Unit, we are always seeking additional opportunities to deploy our bicycles in service to our citizens.  The advent of the fat tire...
E-Bikes Have Purpose and Benefits

E-Bikes Have Purpose and Benefits

by Greg Bowen, PCI# 1227T Tarrant County College Police Department IPMBA Industry Liaison Most people seem to have strong feelings about e-Bikes:  they either love them, accept them, or are against them.  When having their first e-Bike experience,...
Duty of the Helmet

Duty of the Helmet

by Mark Brownell, PCI #1938 Spokane (WA) Police Department The greatest liability to any bicycle rider – mountain, road, or hybrid – is to neglect the brain bucket.  As a bike officer, wearing a helmet is required; it’s...
CABDA 2021:  A Presenter’s Perspective

CABDA 2021:  A Presenter’s Perspective

by Clint Sandusky, PCI #849/EMSCI #159 (former) Riverside (CA) Community College District Police Dept. (ret.) As this devastating COVID-19 pandemic continued across our country and the world, yet another event decided to go virtual – the CABDA Expo – the bike...
CABDA 2021:  A Virtual Experience

CABDA 2021:  A Virtual Experience

by Greg Bowen, PCI #1227T Tarrant County College (TX) Police Department IPMBA Industry Liaison On February 9-10, 2021, I attended my first CABDA Expo as an IPMBA representative, in my role as Industry Liaison.  Not only was this my first...
Cannondale Moterra NEO 3:  Too Much Fun

Cannondale Moterra NEO 3:  Too Much Fun

by Kyle Fisher, PCI #1693 Lehigh University (PA) Police Department After years of languishing in the background, e-Bikes have soared into the realm of public safety cycling and are gaining in popularity.  Many officers have already witnessed the advantages first-hand,...
A Tale of Two Shoes

A Tale of Two Shoes

by Robert Hatcher, PCI #629-B/EMSCI #103-B Delaware (OH) Police Department IPMBA always strives to be at the forefront of equipment development and evaluation for public safety cyclists.  In 2016, the IPMBA board approved the use of flat pedals, in...
Pax Bicycle Bag L:  Functional and Visible

Pax Bicycle Bag L:  Functional and Visible

by Kyle Roodberg, EMSCI #196 Operations Chief, Denver (CO) Health Paramedic Division The Denver Health Paramedic Division’s All Terrain Medical Unit (ATMU) began in 1991 for the Denver Grand Prix.  The crowds and reconfiguration of the streets in downtown...
Gears & Gadgets:  Get Some Leverage!

Gears & Gadgets:  Get Some Leverage!

by David Cohen, Maryland National Capital Park Police Reserve Unit They say in this world only three things are certain:  death, taxes, and that all public safety cyclists will get flat tires.   Given the number of...
Experimenting with e-Bikes: QuietKat and BULLS

Experimenting with e-Bikes: QuietKat and BULLS

by Ashleigh Rose Colorado State University Police Department Photo:  D Allen with the BULLS Sentinel. Colorado State University (CSU), located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is home to 34,166 students as well as 8,000 faculty and staff members.  In 2017, the CSU...
Bontrager Ion / Flare 200 Daytime Running Lights

Bontrager Ion / Flare 200 Daytime Running Lights

by David Cohen Maryland National Capital Park Police Reserve Unit In the Gears & Gadgets column that appeared in IPMBA News, Volume 28, Number 3, the 2019 Board Issue, I discussed daytime running lights (DLRs) as both a tool for public safety cyclists...
Bontrager:  Headstrong and Sure-Footed

Bontrager:  Headstrong and Sure-Footed

by Austen Schlecht Castle Rock (CO) Police Department Police cyclists ride at all hours of the day or night and in any and all weather conditions.  It is important that we have strong head protection and are sure of...
CABDA West Expo:  Back for 2020

CABDA West Expo:  Back for 2020

by Clint Sandusky, former PCI #849/EMSCI #159 Riverside (CA) Community College District Police Dept. (ret.) For those of you that still don’t know what “CABDA” is, it is the Chicagoland Area Bike Dealers Association. So what are...
CABDA Midwest Expo:  At Home in Chicagoland

CABDA Midwest Expo:  At Home in Chicagoland

by Craig Lepkowski, PCI #1180-B/EMSCI #272-B Lake Forest (IL) Police Department IPMBA Secretary In February 12-13, 2020, I attended the CABDA Midwest Expo in Schaumburg, Illinois.  The Chicagoland Area Bicycle Dealers Association (CABDA) re-launched its trade shows in 2014, and...
COMBI HAWK Wireless PTT Bicycle System

COMBI HAWK Wireless PTT Bicycle System

by David Dager, #1170TB -3017TB University of Pennsylvania Police Department While staffing the IPMBA booth at the 2019 Police Security Expo in Atlantic City, New Jersey, I was approached by Julia Oien from the Ear Phone Connection.  Julia convinced...
RexONE Mobile Extraction Device

RexONE Mobile Extraction Device

by Robert Dunivin, EMSCI #205, Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department The concept of being able to use a bicycle to move a patient to either an awaiting ambulance or aid station has great merit.  Rather than navigating a gas-powered or...
Airo Bike Saddle: Wing-Spring

Airo Bike Saddle: Wing-Spring

by Tyler Hofacker, PCI #1700-B Dayton (OH) Police Department Immediately upon opening the package, I knew I would be very interested in testing out this saddle.  The design is nothing that I have seen before.  Although it resembles...
Shimano SH-GR7: More Comfort, Less Grip

Shimano SH-GR7: More Comfort, Less Grip

by Scott Bixby, PCI #1684 NY State University Police, University at Buffalo If you want to quickly start an argument among bicyclists, especially those of the “mountain” persuasion, mention pedals.  To speed things along, start with “(insert...
RZ Mask: Meeting or Creating a Need?

RZ Mask: Meeting or Creating a Need?

by David Miniscalco Lake Forest (IL) Police Department  After hearing about the reusable masks manufactured by IPMBA Corporate Member RZ Mask, and reading their claim of being effective for police work, I decided I would give them a trial...
RZ Mask: Portable and Functional

RZ Mask: Portable and Functional

by Andy Shiu Lake Forest (IL) Police Department  Police officers need tools that are both portable and functional.  There’s not much room left nowadays on duty belts, in cargo pockets or on exterior body armor carriers...
Evolution of a Cyclist: From Skeptic to Believer

Evolution of a Cyclist: From Skeptic to Believer

by Allan Howard, PCI #001 Dayton (OH) Police Department (ret.) Forty years ago on January 20, 1979, a documentary piece entitled “Mountain Biking” was filmed in Fairfax, California, for a local show called Evening Magazine.  Quite literally, this was the...
CABDA West Comes to SoCal

CABDA West Comes to SoCal

by Clint Sandusky, former PCI #849/EMSCI #159 Riverside (CA) Community College District Police Dept. (ret.) For those of you who do not know what “CABDA” stands for (as I did not, until recently), it is “Chicagoland Area Bike...
Interbike 2018: Well Worth the Experience

Interbike 2018: Well Worth the Experience

by Brian Gillman, EMSCI #189T-B Cypress Creek (TX) EMS IPMBA Conference Coordinator [Ed.’s Note:  This article was written prior to the announcement by Emerald Expositions that Interbike, in its current format, would be discontinued.] Interbike 2018 was held...
Interbike 2018:  My First and Last

Interbike 2018:  My First and Last

by Scott Bixby, PCI #1684 NY State University Police, University at Buffalo [Ed.’s Note:  This article was written prior to the announcement by Emerald Expositions that Interbike, in its current format, would be discontinued.] If you don&rsquo...
Interbike 2018:  Goodbye, Old Friend

Interbike 2018:  Goodbye, Old Friend

by Clint Sandusky, former PCI #849/EMSCI #159 Riverside (CA) Community College District Police Department (ret.) In its heyday, Interbike was “the” bicycle trade show and outdoor demo to go to in North America, attracting manufacturers, retailers, inventors, designers, and...
Haix Black Eagle Athletic 2.0 T Low

Haix Black Eagle Athletic 2.0 T Low

by Tyler Hofacker, PCI #1700-B Dayton (OH) Police Department When I pulled the shoes out of the box I could feel a weight difference compared to the shoe that I had been wearing for work.  This was not a...
GeoOrbital Electric Wheel

GeoOrbital Electric Wheel

by Lieutenant Robert Palermo Mashpee (MA) Police Department The Town of Mashpee, Massachusetts, located on Cape Cod, is a seacoast community heavily impacted by summer tourism. The Mashpee Police Department was one of the agencies selected by GeoOrbital to participate...
Pedaling Innovations Catalyst:  An Agent for Change

Pedaling Innovations Catalyst:  An Agent for Change

by Scott Bixby, PCI #1684 NY State University Police, University at Buffalo In May of 2016, IPMBA published a position paper entitled Use of Flat Pedals by Public Safety Cyclists (http://ipmba.org/blog/comments/use-of-flat-pedals-by-public-safety-cyclists-board-position-statement-2016).  Former IPMBA board member Mike...
Interbike 2017: A Dream Come True

Interbike 2017: A Dream Come True

by Jared Williams, PCI # 1214 Tacoma (WA) Police Department Interbike.  This event has conjured up dreams for me for well over a decade.  It is touted as the largest annual gathering of the Bicycle Industry in North America.  ...
Just Another Tool in the Toolbox

Just Another Tool in the Toolbox

By Maureen Becker, Executive Director Some may say it is a cliché, but all indications point to the e-Bike as exactly that.  It is not a substitute for a strictly pedal-powered bicycle any more than a bicycle is...
Tu-Be or No Tu-Be: Is That A Question?

Tu-Be or No Tu-Be: Is That A Question?

by Allen Daniels, SCI #032 Bowdoin College (ME) Department of Public Safety Have you heard of this new trend in tires called tubeless?  Are you wondering if they are for you or your department? We ride year round here at...
Freetown Revlr and Roughneck Helmets

Freetown Revlr and Roughneck Helmets

by Andy Shiu Lake Forest (IL) Police Department Bike helmets are designed for one primary purpose – to help protect the wearer’s head from injury.  However, the typical bike rider doesn’t wear their helmet for...
eMTBs:  To Use or Not to Use in Public Safety

eMTBs:  To Use or Not to Use in Public Safety

by Clint Sandusky, former PCI #849/EMSCI #159 Riverside (CA) Community College District Police Department (Ret.) Bikes (electric pedal-assisted bikes) are becoming more and more prevalent.  They’re being ridden by the recreational and transportation cyclists, at MTB races, and...
Legacy Safety & Security Armored Tee-Shirt

Legacy Safety & Security Armored Tee-Shirt

by Bruce Jackson, PCI #239T/EMSCI #325T Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy During the 2016 IPMBA Conference in Asheville, North Carolina, I was drooling my way through the vendor area and the Silent Auction when something I had to have...
Dual Eyewear:  OpTX for Bike Ops

Dual Eyewear:  OpTX for Bike Ops

by Mitch Trujillo, PCI #244T/EMSCI #248T Boulder (CO) Police Department Technology’s potential is dependent upon its exploitation.  It is well-proven that a pair of quality, UV-rated, tinted sunglasses protects against glare, harmful rays, and eye strain....
Blauer:  The Devil is in the Details

Blauer:  The Devil is in the Details

by Andy Shiu Lake Forest (IL) Police Department I have been a police officer for nearly 20 years now, and a bike officer for nearly 15 of them.  Comfort and managing body heat has always been a factor.  Wearing outer...
Five-Ten Impact Low Shoes: Flipping to Flats

Five-Ten Impact Low Shoes: Flipping to Flats

by Andrew Humes, PCI #1515 College Station (TX) Police Department Tourism and Entertainment Police Unit During the 2016 IPMBA Conference in Asheville, North Carolina, I attended an instructor workshop demonstrating flat pedals and appropriate shoes for duty wear.  I was intrigued...
Hot Pockets: MOCEAN Summit Pants

Hot Pockets: MOCEAN Summit Pants

by Mo Ibrahim, PCI #1326T-B/EMSCI #321T-B Metropolitan (DC) Police Department Saturday, November 19, 2016, started out with a beautiful 78 degrees.  It seemed too good to be true, so I looked at my weather app.  Sure enough, the temperature was...
EE 750:  Pedaling with Power

EE 750:  Pedaling with Power

by Oliver Cachola Deerfield (IL) Police Department Deerfield Police Department bike patrol officers Davie and Lorenz are charged with the responsibility of patrolling the parks within Deerfield.  Both officers have been instructed to interact with and be a visible...
Bicycle Gear

Bicycle Gear

This equipment will help you get the most out of your shifts on bike patrol. By Melanie Basich, Police Magazine, April 10, 2017
North Bonneville a surprising bike hotbed

North Bonneville a surprising bike hotbed

A six-person operation, Volcanic Bikes quietly succeeds as bike maker for police By Troy Brynelson, The Columbian, January 3, 2017 Photo:  TROY BRYNELSON/The Columbian NORTH BONNEVILLE — While the town of North Bonneville is still largely a bedroom community...

Bike Index: Bike Registration that Works

by Bernie Hogancamp, PCI #498 Homewood (IL) Police Department (retired) IPMBA President You’ve got a bike that you love, and the last thing you want to contemplate is how much someone might want to steal it from you. ...
Five Ten Impact Clipless VXI, Team Black

Five Ten Impact Clipless VXI, Team Black

by Gary Strang, PCI #1457 London (ON) Police Service IPMBA Membership Coordinator Several months ago, I was on the hunt for a new pair of department-compliant cycling shoes.  I had never owned a pair from the “Five Ten”...
Toronto International Bicycle Show 2016

Toronto International Bicycle Show 2016

by Gary Strang, PCI #1457 London (ON) Police Service IPMBA Membership Coordinator The Annual Toronto International Bicycle Show was held March 4-6, 2016, at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, in Toronto, Ontario.      I attended the show...
Two Thumbs Up for TOGS

Two Thumbs Up for TOGS

by Joe Ralston, PCI #1249 Topeka (KS) Police Department I have been a  full-time bike cop for seven years with the Topeka Police Department and a PCI since 2011.  I truly believe I have the greatest job in the world;...
Mobile Man USA Elecware

Mobile Man USA Elecware

by Jared Williams, PCI #1214 Tacoma (WA) Police Department IPMBA Industry Relations Committee This set of wearable speakers was given to me in January 2016 for test and evaluation.  The retail packaging contained the speaker vest, charging cable, and instructions. The...
Should You Be Riding Flat Pedals?

Should You Be Riding Flat Pedals?

By MTB Action.  This article appeared in the August 2016 issue of Mountain Bike Action.  SKILL VERSUS SPEED Chances are, if you're an avid mountain biker you have experi­mented with clipless pedals. Most riders do, and...
BioLogic Argus Safety Lights and WeatherCase

BioLogic Argus Safety Lights and WeatherCase

by Jared Williams, PCI #1214 Tacoma (WA) Police Department BioLogic is a company that offers numerous bike accessories.  This review will cover a set of lights and a weather-proof cell phone case.  Argus Safety Lights The Argus light system...
AHHHHH!!!!! No More Numbness!

AHHHHH!!!!! No More Numbness!

by Mo Ibrahim, PCI #1326-B/EMSCI #321-B Metropolitan (DC) Police Department How many times do you pedal your bike, then coast, and then get up off the saddle?  Those few seconds of relief are great, right?  What if...
ISM Continues to Innovate

ISM Continues to Innovate

by Craig Lepkowski, PCI #1180/EMSCI #272 Lake Forest (IL) Police Department IPMBA Secretary Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to stop by the Innovative Saddlemaker (ISM) booth at the IPMBA Conference and chat about seats with Laura Toll.  Laura...