When Waxhaw police officer Vic Montalvo attended bike training, he encountered a surprise. The exercises were rigorous, which was to be expected. But the difficulty level was significantly increased by the fact that everything was designed around the assumption the officers were using trail or mountain bikes. He had to work harder than any of the other younger men present just to complete the course.

That’s when Montalvo realized the only way Waxhaw would be able to have a competitive bike program would be for the department to purchase specialized bikes. But those bikes cost thousands of dollars, and the Waxhaw Police Department didn’t have it in the budget.

After hearing about Officer Montalvo’s experience at bike training, the staff at Carolina Chiropractic and Spinal rehab approached the police station about donating $2,000 toward the bike program. Carolina Chiropractic is located in Waxhaw Professional Park Drive and is very involved in the community. This generous donation made the dream of purchasing a bike look like it might become a reality sooner than later.

The next step was for the department to do their research to find out what bike would give them the best value for their money. Officer Montalvo consulted with a sergeant of the Charlotte Police Department, who was able to point him to what type of bike they would need.

Not long after, Officer Montalvo was at the Cystic Fibrosis Bike Ride. N.C. Velo Bicycles, a store that sells and services specialized mountain bikes, had one of their representatives at the ride displaying and answering questions about specialized bikes. Officer Montalvo approached the display with questions about the different models. Through their interaction, N.C. Velo found out about the donation from Carolina Chiropractic. The store already had a policy in place of offering a police discount and were interested in helping out with the project. Officer Montalvo was then referred to Kyle Wyatt, co-owner/operator of the shop.

After some discussion, Kyle was able to determine the best model for them would be the Specialized Epic Hard Tail. The Specialized Epic Hard Tail is good for carrying packs and supplies.

“These are high-quality bikes that can go anywhere. Ideal for the terrain specific to Waxhaw where the officers will be riding and utilizing the bikes,” Kyle said.

N.C. Velo wanted to maximize the impact of the donation from Carolina Chiropractic, so they approached Specialized bikes and were able to get the Waxhaw Police Department a significant discount on the price. Then they offered to match the donation. One Specialized Epic bike normally costs $2,000 without any additions. The discount and donation-matching allowed the Police Department to buy three bikes with additions such as bags, lighting systems, hydration systems, and flat trail pedals.

Officer Montalvo received the first bike in July. The other two bikes had to be ordered and built. They were presented to the Police Department on September 18 in a donation ceremony. Officer Montalvo and other members of the police force took pictures with the donors and gave them a tour of the Police Department, which included an overview of their state-of-the-art training facilities and simulator.
Carolina Chiropractic and N.C. Velo were both very pleased to have been able to assist the Waxhaw Police Department in the development of their new program. Kyle said, “I think it turned out better than anyone could have hoped for. With the community impact the N.C. Velo Foundation has made already, we are excited about future opportunities.”