Fuji Bikes suspend sale of American police bikes used in 'violent tactics' during protests as Trek faces criticism

Fuji Bikes has suspended its sales of bicycles to North American police forces following the George Floyd protests.

The company says its bikes have been used in "violent tactics" by police forces during the unrest across the United States, which went against the intended use of the product.

In a statement, Fuji Bikes said: "In the last week, we have seen our bicycles used in violent tactics that we did not intend or design them to be used for.

"In an effort to work towards real change, Bike Co. the North American distributor of Fuji Bikes, is suspending the sale of police bikes."

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Footage emerged of a police officer in New York using his bike to push back protestors, with further reports coming in of bicycles being used by police as a mix between a riot shield and a baton.

Meanwhile, a video showing Miami Police Department's "elite" Bike Response Team using Trek bicycles has gone viral with people highlighting one officer's exuberant and less than graceful dismount during a demonstration of how they are apparently being deployed to handle large crowds and protests.

Trek released a lengthy statement concerning the protests, titled "When justice is not enough", saying: "George Floyd's murder should be a wakeup call to actually do something that will provide real hope and real change for millions of Americans...now is the time to ask the hard questions, have the difficult conversations, and create the big ideas. If we do that, then we might find real justice."

However, the statement has come under criticism for not addressing the company's sale of bikes to police forces, with one person calling it "corporate lip service".

Specialized was another bike brand to release a statement, saying it had been part of cycling's "problem with race" over the past decades, describing cycling as a "walled garden of exclusion".

"We aren’t looking for plaudits, and we’re not here to signal our outrage," the statement read, as the company asked their customers to tell them how they can do better in the future.