Channel 9 news - bike recall

[DaveB]

Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on brakes.
I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any new bike in
the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential fault with the
brakes. They also said the fault could only be recognised by your LBS
(obviously some black art associated with this knowledge and probably a
secret handshake in there too).
Dave B.

 

[John Tserkezis]

DaveB wrote:

> Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on brakes.
> I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any new bike in
> the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential fault with the
> brakes. They also said the fault could only be recognised by your LBS
> (obviously some black art associated with this knowledge and probably a
> secret handshake in there too).

"any new bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000" is a VERY broad
statement, are you sure they said exactly that?

I just did a search on ninemsn, and couldn't find anything under their news
or ACA entries.

--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <http://counter.li.org>

 

[DRS]

John Tserkezis <[email protected]> wrote in message
[email protected]
> DaveB wrote:
>
>> Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on
>> brakes. I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any
>> new bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential
>> fault with the brakes. They also said the fault could only be
>> recognised by your LBS (obviously some black art associated with
>> this knowledge and probably a secret handshake in there too).
>
> "any new bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000" is a VERY
> broad statement, are you sure they said exactly that?
>
> I just did a search on ninemsn, and couldn't find anything under
> their news or ACA entries.

Nothing at http://www.recalls.gov.au/recalls_last30days.cfm either.

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two hours of bloody,
barbarous torture in gloating detail is considered indicia of religious
piety, whereas a mere second gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for
outraged apoplexy."
Betty Bowers, http://www.bettybowers.com/melgibsonpassion.html

 

[Andrew Morris]

Any mention of a manufacturer??


"DaveB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on brakes.
> I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any new bike in
> the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential fault with the
> brakes. They also said the fault could only be recognised by your LBS
> (obviously some black art associated with this knowledge and probably a
> secret handshake in there too).
> Dave B.
>

 

[DaveB]

John Tserkezis wrote:
> DaveB wrote:
>
>> Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on
>> brakes. I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any new
>> bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential fault
>> with the brakes. They also said the fault could only be recognised by
>> your LBS (obviously some black art associated with this knowledge and
>> probably a secret handshake in there too).
>
>
> "any new bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000" is a VERY broad
> statement, are you sure they said exactly that?
>
> I just did a search on ninemsn, and couldn't find anything under their
> news or ACA entries.
>

Yeah they defintiely said that. It was a bit strange for a news article,
seemed more like a ACA or Today Tonight beatup. It was saying one of the
bolts holding the brakes on was susceptible to coming loose and hence a
brake failure. They had a couple of interviews with LBS owners. I
assumed that rather than a brand of bike the problem is with a brand of
brake. But like I said they were really thin on specifics, just saying
you should go to the LBS.
Dave B.

 

[Parbs]

"DaveB" wrote in message
>
>
> John Tserkezis wrote:
> > DaveB wrote:
> >
> >> Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on
> >> brakes. I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any new
> >> bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential fault
> >> with the brakes. They also said the fault could only be recognised by
> >> your LBS (obviously some black art associated with this knowledge and
> >> probably a secret handshake in there too).
> >
> >
> > "any new bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000" is a VERY broad
> > statement, are you sure they said exactly that?
> >
> > I just did a search on ninemsn, and couldn't find anything under their
> > news or ACA entries.
> >
>
> Yeah they defintiely said that. It was a bit strange for a news article,
> seemed more like a ACA or Today Tonight beatup. It was saying one of the
> bolts holding the brakes on was susceptible to coming loose and hence a
> brake failure. They had a couple of interviews with LBS owners. I
> assumed that rather than a brand of bike the problem is with a brand of
> brake. But like I said they were really thin on specifics, just saying
> you should go to the LBS.
> Dave B.
>

Sounds like they've picked up on the quick release loosening under heavy braking loads when using disk brakes. Which is either a
beat-up or a serious issue being ignored by the manufacturers depending on who you talk to.

Rob

 

[Chucknitro]

"Parbs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "DaveB" wrote in message
> >
> >
> > John Tserkezis wrote:
> > > DaveB wrote:
> > >
> > >> Did anyone else see the Channel 9 news about the bike recall on
> > >> brakes. I only caught part of the story. Basically they said any new
> > >> bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000 has a potential fault
> > >> with the brakes. They also said the fault could only be recognised by
> > >> your LBS (obviously some black art associated with this knowledge and
> > >> probably a secret handshake in there too).
> > >
> > >
> > > "any new bike in the past 4 years worth more than $2000" is a VERY
broad
> > > statement, are you sure they said exactly that?
> > >
> > > I just did a search on ninemsn, and couldn't find anything under
their
> > > news or ACA entries.
> > >
> >
> > Yeah they defintiely said that. It was a bit strange for a news article,
> > seemed more like a ACA or Today Tonight beatup. It was saying one of the
> > bolts holding the brakes on was susceptible to coming loose and hence a
> > brake failure. They had a couple of interviews with LBS owners. I
> > assumed that rather than a brand of bike the problem is with a brand of
> > brake. But like I said they were really thin on specifics, just saying
> > you should go to the LBS.
> > Dave B.
> >
>
> Sounds like they've picked up on the quick release loosening under heavy
braking loads when using disk brakes. Which is either a
> beat-up or a serious issue being ignored by the manufacturers depending on
who you talk to.
>
> Rob
>
>
Was not related to disc brakes. They said it was "the pivot nut" that holds
the brakes to the fork. They also seemed to imply it was related to carbon
forks (and hence the "over $2000" reference??). They showed the Shimano
Integra front brake. Not sure whether this was just an example....or it's
the groupset involved.

Typical Channel 9.....all it was missing was "if you've lost your front
brake and mangled yourself email us at ......".

David

 

[gravelmuncher]

I,ve been told that a girl had an accident racing in Melbourne a fe
months back, and the cause had supposedly been tracked down to the bol
marrying the brakes to the fork being too small. According to my LBS
the bolt supplied by some bikes coming out of Taiwan is only long enoug
for the nut to pick up about 3 threads, and as any apprentice rocke
scientist should know, not good. But as my LBS explained, the proble
then falls into the hands of the mechanic putting the bike together. If
when installing the brake, he/she comes across the bolt in question...i
is their responsibility to reject the supplied bolt and re-supply on
that's a bit longer and adequelty accommodates the nut. I was told t
check mine, although I know that my mech's wouldn't have passed it on i
it wasn't right. I was told that they have replaced a few now

I didn't see the thing on the tele. The '..all bikes under $2000' sound
like the kind of ****-up that channel nine is famous for

~j


-

 

[gravelmuncher]

Sorry..'..over $2000' - (lactic acid on brain perhaps)

~j~



--

 

[cfsmtb]

Can't find any product recall anywhere, a small story in Saturdays Ag
was generally...vague. No mention of groupsets etc

Keep a eye on these sites; http://www.bikeoz.com/news.ph
http://www.recalls.gov.au


-

 

[wassupdawg]

wrote:
> Tis price bracket would tend to suggest something like perhaps Shimano
> 105, Ultegra or one of the third party replacements some maufacturers
> use to keep costs down (Tektro etc).


apparently NOT brand specifi
( abit hard to believe...

going to the shed now to strip down my brakes..

More details on Retailer assoc site

"CyberBikeSpot #88, 25th March 2004 by Graham Bradshaw Executiv
Officer, RCT

Front Brake Warnin

Recently a female cyclist was injured in a road accident. The fron
brake calliper pulled away from the front fork resulting in the ride
falling off at 25kph. Inspection of the bike revealed that the fron
brake pivot nut was too short. It was attached to the pivot bolt by on
or two threads. The issue relates to high quality road bikes only
mountain bikes, children's bikes and general purpose bikes are no
affected. It is important that bikes are inspected and repaired wher
necessary, as there is potential for a serious crash, and we recommen
that you go either to the place of purchase, or to a good quality bik
shop. This is not a brand issue, as multiple brands appear to have thi
problem affecting models in their 2002, 2003 and 2004 ranges. Riders wh
have bought a good quality road racing or triathlon bike in the past 2-
years should take care and ensure that their brakes are correctl
installed.


-

 

[wassupdawg]

wassupdawg wrote:
> Article in Saturda Age
> "Cyclists warned on brake fault"
> Victorian racing cyclists have been urged to have their bikes
> checked for safety after a serious brake fault was detected in
> Melbourne this month.
> Retail Cycle Traders Australia has issued a warning about a faulty pivot
> bolt in the front caliper brakes of "high end" road bikes, valued at
> more than $2000, made in the past three years. The warning has been sent
> to more than 200 bicycle stores, manufacturers and riders' associations
> in Victoria. RCTA executive officer Graham Bradshaw said the defective
> bolt appeared in about 1 per cent of all makes of high-end road bikes,
> usually used by triathletes and racing cyclists. He said there were
> 10,000 high-end road bikes in Australia and the defect was likely to
> affect only a small number of people in Victoria. RCTA was alerted to
> the fault after a cyclist had a heavy fall when her brakes failed in
> Mebourne this month"
> (apologies if any typing errors)


Sadly very vague

10,000 high end road bikes in Australia. I would a thawt closer t
100,000. especially if 'only' over $2,000

Tis price bracket would tend to suggest something like perhaps Shiman
105, Ultegra or one of the third party replacements some maufacturer
use to keep costs down (Tektro etc)


-

 

[wassupdawg]

Article in Saturda Ag

"Cyclists warned on brake fault

Victorian racing cyclists have been urged to have their bike
checked for safety after a serious brake fault was detected i
Melbourne this month

Retail Cycle Traders Australia has issued a warning about a faulty pivo
bolt in the front caliper brakes of "high end" road bikes, valued a
more than $2000, made in the past three years. The warning has been sen
to more than 200 bicycle stores, manufacturers and riders' association
in Victoria. RCTA executive officer Graham Bradshaw said the defectiv
bolt appeared in about 1 per cent of all makes of high-end road bikes
usually used by triathletes and racing cyclists. He said there wer
10,000 high-end road bikes in Australia and the defect was likely t
affect only a small number of people in Victoria. RCTA was alerted t
the fault after a cyclist had a heavy fall when her brakes failed i
Mebourne this month

(apologies if any typing errors


-

 

[John Stevenson]

I was going to do something about this in cyclingnews' next tech bulletin,
but in the interest of getting the word out quickly, here are the facts as
I currently understand them.

Just about all current road bike brakes use cylindrical hex-key nuts to
mount the calipers to the frame and fork. These nuts are available in
different lengths so that the right one can be fitted to reach the threaded
centre bolt of the brake, because, of course, the thickness of the fork
crown and brake bridge varies. If a nut is used that's too short, then it
can engage the centre bolt with just one or two threads. I might seem
secure, but that's not enough thread contact for it to be safe.

It's therefore worth examining your brakes to make sure the nut is
contacting plenty of thread on the centre bolt. A bit of messing about with
a measuring calliper that has a depth gauge might be required.

 

[bag_head]

I spoke to my LBS yesterday after seeing the story on TV (as I bought a
new GIANT TCR Composite 0 in Jan.) and they told me that he was aware of
the incident but could not say anymore as there was a legal case
currently going through the court system.

I asked him what type of bike was involved, but they would not comment.
I asked them if it was GIANT and he said NO.

It sounded to me as it was a specfic bike/brand issue rather than a
generic problem.



--

 

[blah]

> It sounded to me as it was a specfic bike/brand issue rather than a
> generic problem.
>

I asked my LBS to check it wasn't my bike they were talking about and
he said it was a one-off mistake by a less than skilled "mechanic" at
a large chain "bike store". You know, McDonalds for bikes. When
building the bike, he didn't fit the correct size bolt to mount the
caliper to the fork, which meant there wasn't enough thread to even
pass through the nut completely... or something.

Essentially, one guy (probably a young, inexperienced
retail/"mechanic") screwed up one bike, and as a pro-active PR thing
they're trying to make it sound like a manufacturer problem and are
doing a "safety" campaign to prepare for the court case.

This is what I heard, anyway. The moral is: Support your Local Bike
Shop. They generally know what they're doing and generally employ a
mechanic who is worthy of the term.

PS. Anyone ride an Alchemy? Check your brakes are correctly attached.

 

[wassupdawg]

Cant help thinking were getting into urban-myth territory here!

sounds like the industry closingranks to make sure they dont have a bad
PR situation on their hands. You could very well be right re the
inexperienced mech, but the implication was the bolt was too short, not
the bolt was incorrectly fitted

Anyone know who's involved in the legal case?



--

 

[Steve M]

On 27 Mar 2004 01:20:56 GMT, John Stevenson <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I was going to do something about this in cyclingnews' next tech bulletin,
>but in the interest of getting the word out quickly, here are the facts as
>I currently understand them.
>
>Just about all current road bike brakes use cylindrical hex-key nuts to
>mount the calipers to the frame and fork. These nuts are available in
>different lengths so that the right one can be fitted to reach the threaded
>centre bolt of the brake, because, of course, the thickness of the fork
>crown and brake bridge varies. If a nut is used that's too short, then it
>can engage the centre bolt with just one or two threads. I might seem
>secure, but that's not enough thread contact for it to be safe.
>
>It's therefore worth examining your brakes to make sure the nut is
>contacting plenty of thread on the centre bolt. A bit of messing about with
>a measuring calliper that has a depth gauge might be required.
>


I would have thought if if it still on after six turns to undo it,
then there is enough thread. You could play with expensive tools, but
why?

Steve

 

[blah]

You could very well be right re the
> inexperienced mech, but the implication was the bolt was too short, not
> the bolt was incorrectly fitted
>

Yeah, guy said there are some spacers that can come out if that's the
case. I guess they weren't. Or I'm wrong completely. Anyway, this has
got to be third hand info by the time I'm typing it, so we'll have to
watch dodgy current affairs TV to find out the truth...

 

[John Stevenson]

Steve M <menheere@swiftdsldotcomdotau> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> On 27 Mar 2004 01:20:56 GMT, John Stevenson <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>It's therefore worth examining your brakes to make sure the nut is
>>contacting plenty of thread on the centre bolt. A bit of messing about
>>with a measuring calliper that has a depth gauge might be required.
>>
>
>
> I would have thought if if it still on after six turns to undo it,
> then there is enough thread. You could play with expensive tools, but
> why?

That's far too simple!