Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Bulletproof armor plating for a bicycle

Patent 5619007 describes a "bicycle mounted bulletproof armor shield system."

Bicycle mounted bulletproof armor shield system


Armor plating is installed inside the main triangle and rear triangle. According to the patent:
Peace officers are using a new form of transportation, the bicycle, which has greatly enhanced their ability to perform their duties.

Unfortunately, peace officers on bicycles are extremely vulnerable to gunfire. There is simply no room on the bicycle for an enveloping armor protection system; a est of the "flak jacket" type is out of the question, and a clipboard or portable shield is too bulky and cumbersome.

Accordingly, one object and advantage of this invention is to provide a bulletproof armor shield system which is incorporated within the framework of the bicycle itself.
The idea is that the bike patrol officer who comes under fire crouches behind the protection of his armored bicycle. There's no discussion on how this bike might handle in a crosswind or even when passed by large trucks in traffic.

I think somebody has been watching too many action films.

5 comments:

331 Miles said...

I think bulletproof disc wheels would make it even better!

Cafn8 said...

I was thinking about disc wheels too. You might also say that bulletproof disc wheels would make it worse.

I'm just wondering how heavy a set of armor panels would have to be in order to offer any real protection against gunfire, and how useful a bike fitted with armor plating would be. The remark about too many action films sounds pretty accurate.

Yokota Fritz said...

And it's not as if even police cars are bullet proof either.

GhostRider said...

"And it's not as if even police cars are bullet proof either."

That's why in TV shows, the cop hides behind the door of the car, but in real life they're better off behind the engine block.

Bullet-resistant (because few things are truly "bulletproof") materials can be incredibly lightweight (like Dyneema, in particular), but a bike fitted with bullet-resistant armor would be highly susceptible to crosswinds. I think the best thing a cop could do would be ditch the bike and get behind some real cover in case of gunfire.

Matthew said...

I think you meant to say, someone was watching too many action movies in the early 90s. That disclosure is over 10 years old.