CABDA West Comes to SoCal

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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 Dealers Association”, though as they expand beyond the Chicago area, they are branding themselves as just CABDA.

Having attended Interbike on a number of occasions, I was intrigued by the idea of a smaller, regional bicycle retailer trade show. I knew I had to go, and I thank Aaron Roesler of American Bike Patrol Services (an IPMBA Corporate Member) for getting me a ticket. I do occasionally help him teach security bike patrol classes.

The show was held January 16-17, 2019, in Del Mar, California, not far from San Diego. It only took me a little more than two hours, even in the heavy rain, to get there. Yes, SoCal gets rain.

I was pleasantly surprised there was NO fee to park at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Racetrack. That was the first plus. The second plus was the intimate and relaxed setting of the show, which was contained within a single exhibit hall. However, I heard they hope to expand the show next year, when it returns to the San Diego area.

This smaller format allowed me to spend more time one-on-one and in informative conversations with the exhibitors I selected, such as:

Bosch eBike Systems
Bulls Bikes
CABDA
Chamois Butt’r
KHS Bicycles
NiteRider
PeopleForBikes
Serfas

Overall, I preferred the smaller show to the expanse, expense and time commitment of Interbike. I do believe these smaller, regional shows are the future for the bicycle industry trade show. As with anything in today’s society, adapting to changing trends and needs, social media and financial demands is crucial. I would recommend this show to anyone with an interest in tracking the cycling industry. CABDA also features a Midwest show in the Chicago area, and has since its relaunch in 2015. Visit http://www.cabda.com for details.

From the standpoint of public safety cycling, both NiteRider and Serfas have made updates to their public safety bicycle lighting systems. And interestingly to me, it did not seem like e-Bikes dominated the show as they have in recent years at Interbike. I took the opportunity to discuss the role of e-Bikes in public safety with representatives of both CABDA and PeopleForBikes. I provided CABDA Director Jim Kersten with a proposal to present a workshop for retailers next year on “Selling e-Bikes to Law Enforcement: Understanding their Unique Needs.” He was very interested in it for next year.

For a glimpse of the CABDA West experience (with an e-Bike slant), check out this video from Electric Bike Review: https://youtu.be/dSJJsQ2CddQ.

Clint retired in 2016 after a 24-year law enforcement career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and the Riverside Community College District Police Departments. He helped form RCCD PD’s Bike Team in 1993 and has been an active California POST Bike Patrol Instructor since 1994. Clint has attended numerous bicycle patrol and bicycle safety courses, seminars, and conferences, and continues to do so. He joined IPMBA in 1994, completed the Advanced Police Cyclist Course in 2000, and the IPMBA Instructor Course in 2005. He taught at the 2006, 2007 and 2018 IPMBA Conferences. He is currently a member of IPMBA’s e-Bike Task Force. He can be reached at clint.sandusky@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy Clint Sandusky.

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