The 300 police bicycles ordered for The Republican National Convention in Cleveland have arrived and are being assembled.
The nearly $400,000 worth of bikes and helmets were paid for with part of the $50 million federal grant given to Cleveland for security during the summer event. About 45 bike technicians recruited from Northeast Ohio shops are getting most of the bikes ready at the Ohio City Bike Coop in Cleveland.
Dean Ayers of Kent Cycle is one the dozen technicians on the first three-hour shift assembling the nearly $1,400 a piece Safariland/Kona bikes.
“They’re un-packaging the bikes in the next room over and they’re sending them to us where we just make sure everything is tightened up and tuned up. We’ll make sure the gears are clicking through properly and the breaks are functioning, air up the tire and make sure all the bolts are tight. Then we’ll pass it along to the next room where they’ll put on all the accessories. So they’ll get bags, fenders, lights, stuff like that.”
Ayers is making $50 an hour for his work. Two-hundred of the bikes are being assembled at the Bike Coop. A crew at Eddy’s Bike Shop in North Olmsted is putting together the other .100 All the bikes are expected to be ready for the Cleveland police in a couple of days.
