Police learn lessons...

[\ Dave]

"Chris Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "\(t'other\) Dave" <[email protected]> writes:

> Where did this fashion for the makers of SUVs to produce
> expensive accessory bikes come from?

IIRC it's claimed that it was developed for the US military
for rapid transit across dodgy terrain behind enemy lines.
Parachute in with pop-up transport in tow. It's now
available to General Public...and at only 600 quid, I'm
putting me name on the list once I've got 600 quid to spare
;-) (then I'm going to find some enemy lines to get behind)

Dave.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Michael
MacClancy ('[email protected]') wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:29:47 +0000 (UTC), Chris
> Malcolm wrote:
>
>> Where did this fashion for the makers of SUVs to produce
>> expensive accessory bikes come from?
>
> It came from The Marketing Department, the same people who
> extended the 'Fairy' brand from washing up liquid to
> washing powder and stretched the 'Yamaha' brand from
> motorbikes into hifi, pianos and sports gear.

Point of information: the Yamaha company started off as
musical instrument makers. That's why their trade mark
is three interlinked tuning forks. Motorbikes came
*much* later.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

[ This .sig subject to change without notice
]

 

[James Hodson]

On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 15:45:02 +0000, Keith Willoughby
<[email protected]> wrote:

>The article in the Daily Mail [1] had quotes criticising it
>on grounds of cost.
>
>[1] I buy it for the mindless right-wing demagoguery.

Do you read it though, Keith?

"Mindless right-wing demagoguery" is a better excuse than
I've been able to come up with. (Should that be "with which
I've been able to come up"?)

James

 

[Mark]

"(t'other) Dave" wrote
> IIRC it's claimed that it was developed for the US
> military for rapid transit across dodgy terrain behind
> enemy lines. Parachute in with pop-up transport in tow.
> It's now available to General Public...and at only 600
> quid, I'm putting
me
> name on the list once I've got 600 quid to spare ;-) (then
> I'm going to find some enemy lines to get behind)
>
> Dave.
>
The US Marines did develop a folding mountain bike for use
by paratroopers, as described in Buycycling magazine a while
back. Apparently the original design was full rigid but the
Marines were destroying too many front wheels with a fairly
aggressive riding style, so a front suspension was added to
protect the bicycle from the rider.
--
mark

 

[James Hodson]

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 18:18:51 +1300, Whingin' Pom
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Approach at high speed, whip out the baton (oo-errr!) and
>batter the suspect into unconsciousness whilst speeding
>past them. Pepper spray usage whilst cycling is contra-
>indicated due to the possible risk of spray-back.

Well that isn't going to work is it? Adding a quick "You're
nicked, sunshine" might help though.

James

 

[Peter Clinch]

mark wrote:

> The US Marines did develop a folding mountain bike for use
> by paratroopers,

In WW2 the Allied airborne forces were supplied with a
compact moped called the Welbike. There was no evidence of
it ever being the slightest use to the paratroopers, but
quite a few of the bikes found welcome homes in France and
the Low Countries after the war as practical personal
transport...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Sky Fly]

"David Hansen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 19:07:19 -0000 someone who may be "Sky
> Fly" <[email protected]> wrote this:-
>
> >Well I don't know... is it really as effective as it is
> >claimed - will it help the police do a better job? I
> >guess it's true that it will make them more approachable
> >than if they were riding in a car, but I'm still somewhat
> >doubtful.
>
> I saw one in York a while ago. He was getting to wherever
> he was going far faster then he would have done in a car.
> That is also the case in many built up areas.

I guess that would hold where there were traffic jams, but
don't the police have sirens for just a situation?

 

[Sky Fly]

"John Hearns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 19:07:19 +0000, Sky Fly wrote:
>
> > Well I don't know... is it really as effective as it is
> > claimed - will it help the police do a better job? I
> > guess it's true that it will make them more approachable
> > than if they were riding in a car, but I'm still
> > somewhat doubtful. It would be interesting to have a
> > policeman's perspective on this.
>
> The bike police regularly turn up at Critical Mass - I
> haven't counted, but seems like a couple of dozen to me. I
> had a chat with one bobby, and as I remember he backed up
> what the article says - easier to get to places, easier to
> get down alleyways etc.

I guess this is what is still puzzling me - won't they have
to ride on pavements in order to reach the places that their
cars can't go? And won't that be breaking the law itself?

 

[Anonymous]

"Sky Fly" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> > The bike police regularly turn up at Critical Mass - I
> > haven't counted, but seems like a couple of dozen to me.
> > I had a chat with one bobby, and as I remember he backed
> > up what the article says - easier to get to places,
> > easier to get down alleyways
etc.
>
> I guess this is what is still puzzling me - won't they
> have to ride on pavements in order to reach the places
> that their cars can't go? And won't that be breaking the
> law itself?

Presumably while on suitable police business the laws no
longer apply - cf speed limits, red lights etc for their
motorised brethren.

cheers, clive

 

[Anonymous]

"Sky Fly" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> > I saw one in York a while ago. He was getting to
> > wherever he was going far faster then he would have done
> > in a car. That is also the case in many built up areas.
>
> I guess that would hold where there were traffic jams, but
> don't the police have sirens for just a situation?

Have you ever seen how **** the general public are at
getting out of the way of a vehicle with sirens?

cheers, clive

 

[Sky Fly]

news:[email protected]...
> "Sky Fly" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]
> berlin.de...
>
> > > The bike police regularly turn up at Critical Mass - I
> > > haven't counted, but seems like a couple of dozen to
> > > me. I had a chat with one bobby, and as I remember he
> > > backed up what the article says - easier to get to
> > > places, easier to get down alleyways
> etc.
> >
> > I guess this is what is still puzzling me - won't they
> > have to ride on pavements in order to reach the places
> > that their cars can't go? And won't that be breaking the
> > law itself?
>
> Presumably while on suitable police business the laws no
> longer apply - cf speed limits, red lights etc for their
> motorised brethren.
>
> cheers, clive

Yes, but their motorised brethren have sirens so that the
public know to get out of the way (**** though they may be
at it. By the way, I don't think you are being entirely fair
on the public - when I hear sirens, sometimes it's not
entirely clear where they are coming from or what to do if
you're at a crazy junction.)

So what will happen with police bikes? AirZounds? If you
think motorists are **** at getting out of the way, just
wait and see what happens with peds.

--
Akin

aknak at aksoto dot idps dot co dot uk

 

[Congokid]

In message <[email protected]>, Ian G Batten
<[email protected]> writes
>In article <[email protected]>,
>Michael MacClancy <[email protected]> wrote:
>> It came from The Marketing Department, the same people
>> who extended the
>
>The phrase you're looking for is ``brandwidth''.

There's a marketing company called Brandwidth. Based
in Slough.

--
congokid Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

 

[Congokid]

In message <[email protected]>,
Michael MacClancy <[email protected]> writes

>I saw some officers riding Smith & Wesson Tactical mountain
>bikes the other week. They probably throw them at the
>criminals instead of shooting them. ;-)

I'm sure I saw what was a gang of about 20 bike mounted
officers progressing in an orderly manner up Shaftesbury
Avenue in London one late afternoon last week.

Well, not so orderly - they seemed to be shouting in unison,
but I thought they were police because they were all wearing
identical yellow and black jackets, helmets and looked like
they were on very similar bikes.

Anyone else seen them, and are they biking police?

--
congokid Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

 

[Danny Colyer]

Chris Malcolm mentioned:
> > Military Intelligence

and Guy warned us all:
> Ahooga! Ahooga! Oxymoron alert!

Indeed, one of my favourites. My real favourite oxymoron,
though, is "gospel truth".


--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
Why I like OE6 - http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/misc/oe6.html
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 16:21:19 -0000 someone who may be "Sky Fly"
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>> I saw one in York a while ago. He was getting to wherever
>> he was going far faster then he would have done in a car.
>> That is also the case in many built up areas.
>
>I guess that would hold where there were traffic jams,

Or places where cars are not allowed, or crowds which a
cyclist can thread through far more easily.

>but don't the police have sirens for just a situation?

The bike had one of those, as well as flashing blue lights.
That is how I knew he was on the way to something useful,
though perhaps the chip shop was closing I had observed
him earlier, when he was just patrolling.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number
F566DA0E I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK
government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 16:58:47 -0000 someone who may be "Sky Fly"
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>So what will happen with police bikes? AirZounds? If you
>think motorists are **** at getting out of the way, just
>wait and see what happens with peds.

The officer I saw in York was getting through the
pedestrians far more quickly than he would have done in a
car, which would not have fitted down some of the places he
was cycling and would not have been able to pass the
bollards in places.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number
F566DA0E I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK
government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 20:56:28 -0000, "Danny Colyer"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>My real favourite oxymoron, though, is "gospel truth".

Take care: there is more evidence to support the Gospels
than the deeds of Julius Caesar, according to some (non Bible-
bashing) sources.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

 

[Patrick Herring]

"Danny Colyer" <[email protected]> wrote:

| Chris Malcolm mentioned:
| > > Military Intelligence
|
| and Guy warned us all:
| > Ahooga! Ahooga! Oxymoron alert!
|
| Indeed, one of my favourites. My real favourite oxymoron,
| though, is "gospel truth".
|

When I was doing a philosophy degree one of the lecturers,
who was basically a logician, got argued with by one of my
contempories, who was basically a b-basher, and came out
with the wonderful line: "Ah, but you can't treat the Bible
as, er, gospel".

--
Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK http://www.anweald.co.uk

 

[Colin McKenzie]

Dave Kahn wrote:
> .... Of course the police need to be trained if they are
> to use MTBs effectively. Buying a lot of equipment,
> assigning untrained personnel to use it, and having only a
> vague notion of what to do with it really is throwing
> money at a problem.

Like the Post Office, you mean?

Colin McKenzie

 

[Andymorris]

Ben wrote:
>
> That said, if I win the lottery tomorrow, I'll be straight
> out to buy a Mitsubishi L200 Animal pickup

I'd flog the car I use for my daughters social life and get
an account at Colins Cabs.

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
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