IPMBA Product Review

Dream Bike 2011:  Your Product Purchase Program at Work

by Brad Miller, PCI #928/EMSCI #247
Lewisburg (PA) Police Department
IPMBA Membership Coordinator

Are you making the most of your IPMBA membership?  How much money have you saved yourself and/or your department this year?  Every administrator utters the words, “how much!?” whenever you ask for new equipment.  Why not show them how much IPMBA is saving you and your department?  Or maybe you don’t know how much you could save.  If you are one of the many who has never checked out the Product Purchase Program section on the website, you need to...now!!

To illustrate just how much money you can save, I have assembled for you a virtual “Dream Bike”.  That’s right, you don’t have to look any further than right here to get a fully-loaded bike, uniforms and a few add-ons, at a savings of more than $600!  Instead of saying, “It will cost us...”, wouldn’t you rather say, “I can save us…through IPMBA’s Product Purchase Program!”?

To get started, you will most definitely need to buy a patrol bike.  Several bicycle manufacturers offer a variety of discounts to IPMBA members.  A very popular choice amongst public safety cyclists is Volcanic Bikes, which offers several levels of custom-built bikes.  I chose the Volcanic APB, which retails for $1499 with a lot of great components included.  Although a value at that price, Volcanic is offering it to you for $1350!

Now that we have a bike, we need a bunch of accessories to build it into a true “dream bike”.  While Volcanic does offer most accessories at the same great discount, I wanted to make you aware of some of the other companies that support IPMBA members and offer discounts exclusively for you.  All of these companies are listed in the Product Purchase Program.

I chose Cycle Siren’s light package for the front of the bike. This light retails for $385 but you pay only $346.50.  For the rear light, I went to Police Bike Store and found a $15 light for only $12.  While checking out the Police Bike Store, make sure you grab a bag for the rear of the bike.  For IPMBA members, they are marked down from $60 to $48.  Of course, you will need a rack to hold that bag in place.  I checked with our friends at 4Bike-Police.com and found a $42 rack for only $37.80.

Most administrators want to know how much their bike patrol is being utilized.  Why not grab an on-bike computer from Madison Bicycle Shop? Walk-ins pay $75, but IPMBA members can have one for only $63.75.

Do you happen to have a tender caboose and want to upgrade your seat?  Check out Bycycle, where you can get a $225 seat for the IPMBA rate of $180.  You may also want to keep a spare set of tires around, just in case.  If so, you will definitely want to visit our long-time supporters at Kenda. Two tires that normally run $60 would cost you only $24 with your IPMBA membership.

No patrol bike would be complete without a properly attired rider.  So we’ll start at the top with a helmet and glasses from Rudy Project.  Retail price of this helmet is $150 and the glasses are $175, but they can be obtained by IPMBA members for only $90 for the helmet and $105 for the glasses!

We have many friends who offer wonderful deals on clothing. I turned to MOCEAN and assembled two shirts, a pair of pants and a jacket that typically run $554 for the set for just $421.50.  To keep you comfortable under your vest, make sure to talk to Don Erb from Tactical Wear Online, where you can find a $25 shirt for only $20. Cover those mitts with some Spenco gloves for $22.80.  That’s a savings of 40% over the retail price of $38.00. 

Please don’t forget what I consider to be one of the most important pieces of personal clothing – padded shorts.  I have personally tested Giordana padded shorts from Gita Bike and found them to fit perfectly into the “dream bike” theme.  These shorts are marked down from $80 to only $72 for members.  Sock Guy will hook you up with a pair of socks that would normally cost $12 for only $8.40. Top that off with a pair of shoes from Patrol Cycle for $80, a savings of $10 from the retail price of $90.

We’re almost ready to ride!  But what time is it anyways?  Grab a Timex watch that would normally cost $70 for $49.  Last but not least, fuel up.  Why not add a case of energy bars from Nugo Nutrition for $15.25 instead of the normal cost of $23.85?

Wow, that’s a lot of equipment!  So how much did your IPMBA membership save your agency?  If you were to purchase all of these items at retail price, it would cost you $3,579.85.  By utilizing IPMBA’s Product Purchase Program, the total cost of this “Dream Bike” package would be $2,946.  So, are you utilizing your IPMBA membership to build your dream bike?

All of the above listed products, along with many, many more, can be found on IPMBA’s Product Purchase Program.  Check it out…NOW!

Brad is an IPMBA Police and EMS Cyclist Instructor who has been a police cyclist since 2002.  He is currently serving as the Membership Coordinator on the IPMBA Board. Brad is a life-long cyclist and can often be found riding trails in the Appalachian Mountains in central Pennsylvania.  He can be reached at ofcbrad@hotmail.com.

© 2011 IPMBA.  This article appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of IPMBA News.

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