2 E-Bikes Donated To Norwalk Police Department By Local Bike Shop

Norwalk-based Smart Cycles donated the Giant Explore-E bikes.
By Alfred Branch, Patch Staff, Jul 26, 2019 7:51 pm ET

Photo: From left, Norwalk Police Officer Jeremey Salley, Lt. Terrence Blake and Sgt. Sofia Gulino. (Courtesy of Smart Cycles)

NORWALK, CT — To help make their job a little easier, a pair of electric bikes have been donated to the Norwalk Police Department by local bike shop Smart Cycles, the department and Strawberry Hill Avenue store announced this week.

The two bikes retail for about $3,000 each and will go into use a few weeks after they are customized with emergency lights, Norwalk police decals and paint, racks and pannier bags, Alex Stanek, owner of Smart Cycles told Patch.

Powered by a small electric motor that runs on a rechargeable battery, e-bikes have grown in popularity in recent years because they allow riders to travel farther and faster using less human energy. The bikes Smart Cycles is donating are rugged mountain bikes by Giant Bicycles under the manufacturers Explore-E line.

Using bicycles for patrolling and crowd control at large events is nothing new to the Norwalk Police Department, which established a team of riding police officers as part of its Community Policing initiative more than 20 years ago. 

Smart Cycles is working with Giant and bike-share company P3GM, which operates the Bike New Haven program and will operate Norwalk's effort when it launches this year, on providing the bikes to the police, Stanek said.

"The department knows how positive these kind of bikes can be in their line of work," Stanek said, adding that the store will also maintain the e-bikes for the department. "We're happy to be able to help."

---