Exercise R Us

Question:

hi > Does anyone know about instances of  quick release failure on bicycles > in

i know that the sach quick releases are pretty cheap..i have one on my fron wheel..and i don’t trust it a bit..it gets loos sometimes.. i’ts gonna go soon… georgio — Remove the *NOSPAM* part in my email if you reply..

Response:

> >Does anyone know about instances of  quick release failure on >bicycles in general and TREK made bicyles in particular. >Also, to test your knowledge—- Does anyone know >approximately what year the quick release safety >devices, A.K.A. "Lawyers lips" became widely used on >bicycles in general and on Trek bicycles in particular? > Dammit. This has been multiply posted to different > newsgroups on different days.

Yes, and it has been going on for a couple of weeks.  A few days ago, I replied to one of his spams and pointed out that the information he wants is easily found on DejaNews.  I even gave him the title and date of a thread about an accident involving the alleged failure of lawyers lips on a Trek bike.  The next day he was sending out the same old spam again. The guy is a jerk, in my opinion.  I doubt that he even reads the threads he starts.  Also, he is off-topic in this newsgroup because his post is not about mountain biking.  Reposting the same message again and again under different subject headings is also poor netiquette.  Maybe if we write a few notes to his ISP he’ll get a clue.  I am about ready. —   You can protect local wildlife from a common threat.   Please visit my homepage for details:   http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5937/

Response:

> The quick-release skewer is one of the most bombproof parts on a > bicycle.

Although I agree with this thread – it may perhaps be worth mentioning over-tightening of a quick release.  Note this is a ‘friend of mine’ type story so I did not personally see the evidence, but… A coupla years ago saving weight by replacing wheel skewers was all the rage (well it was where I lived anyway).  My mate phil couldn’t afford the more popular Ringle twistlock ones so he bought some (I think alloy) cheap ones (about 8ukp for the set of three).  Also being the first person with enough overdraft to afford some Rock Shox he got into the thing of tightening the front skewer to enable better tracking and reducing twisting of the forks or some such thing – the mags reckoned it was the thing to do…  Anyway, he went out one day with his also newly built front wheel and managed to hit a rock bigger than the forks could cope with.  The skewer ‘exploded’ – I assume because it was not strong enough to resist the force exerted by the fork legs (I’m no engineer – you tell me and the result was one incredibly bust front wheel, one snapped skewer and 3 mile walk home. I agree that QR’s don’t normally fail, but I thought it might be worth a mention. Richard ‘waiting for the skeptics to show up’ Hardy — Richard Hardy "Anything in this document that could be misconstrued as coherent is probably wrong.  That said, it is still my opinion – so there."

Response:

You’d be surprised. Even the really nice ti skewers fail after about 30,000 lawyers. I’m sure that modern engineering can eventually provide us with a device of that quality and durability, but for the moment it’s simply cheaper to buy as many of the cheap, 4-figure skewers as are needed to impale the required number of lawyers. Hey, I wonder if anyone’s studied this. I bet I could get a government grant! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I heard of a quick-release failing after it was used to impale 1435 > lawyers. Surely they can get that into 6 figures. This modern stuff is > just crap!

Response:

This is just a guess, but… If you forgot to check your quick releases before riding and were injured as a result of a lost wheel, I hope it was not serious? However, it is still your responsibility.  It is already tough to keep costs down for the consumer, please don’t push costs up if it was your own negligence. Sincerely, Scott – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Does anyone know about instances of  quick release failure on bicycles > in > general and TREK made bicyles in particular. > Also, to test your knowledge—- Does anyone know approximately what > year the > quick release safety devices, A.K.A. "Lawyers lips" became widely used > on > bicycles in general and on Trek bicycles in particular?

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I heard of a quick-release failing after it was used to impale 1435 lawyers. Surely they can get that into 6 figures. This modern stuff is just crap!

Response:

I agree completely. There is a reason why virtually every bicycle reaches the customer with a warning tag attatched to the quick release. It’s not there because the presence of a quick release is hazardous, it’s because too many bicycle companies have been sued because someone failed to properly secure their front wheel, was injured as a result, and decided to hold someone else responsible for their own actions. The quick-release skewer is one of the most bombproof parts on a bicycle. Even the cheapest simply do not fail if properly secured. It’s also one of the most idiot-proof. Anyone who has read the manual or otherwise informed themselves should be able to operate it properly, and anyone who has removed their wheel has seen the bright-red warning tag informing them to read the manual if they don’t understand the proper operation of the device. And yes, I’m also sick of seeing this here. Thank you for enduring my rant. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Dammit. This has been multiply posted to different > newsgroups on different days. > Usenet is not a place for civil suit lawyers to > do their homework. > Quick releases do not fail in proper use. > People should be responsible for their failure to > understand the safety implications of their actions.

Response:

>Does anyone know about instances of  quick release failure on >bicycles in general and TREK made bicyles in particular. >Also, to test your knowledge—- Does anyone know >approximately what year the quick release safety >devices, A.K.A. "Lawyers lips" became widely used on >bicycles in general and on Trek bicycles in particular?

Dammit. This has been multiply posted to different newsgroups on different days. Usenet is not a place for civil suit lawyers to do their homework. Quick releases do not fail in proper use. People should be responsible for their failure to understand the safety implications of their actions. — Dave Blake

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