J
James Annan
Guest
I finally got the CPSC's official letter, which I had been promised for some time. The letter is
almost the same as the draft I had been sent by email, but with some crucial differences. The letter
itself was dated 2 Sept, which is the last day I got email from Mr DeMarco of CPSC (in which he did
not mention the changes to the letter). In this email he mentions the letter being "signed off" by
"supervisory staff" on 27 August so he certainly knew of the altered text and chose not to inform
me. The letter was not posted until the 15th October - this date is important, it is just a couple
of days after the ASTM meeting referred to.
The letter was also CCed to Mark Laplant and David Campbell of Cannondale, presumably the "major
manufacturer" who had been working with the CPSC on this issue.
I replied to Mr DeMarco last week with the following letter. No response yet. Carlton Reid of
Bikebiz has also asked for the Cannondale report and been rebuffed.
James
----------------
Dear Mr DeMarco,
Thank you for your letter detailing your response to the disk brake/quick release problem. The
official copy finally arrived last week, some two months after you told me it was written and
waiting to be mailed.
There are some curious discrepancies between the text of the electronic draft you emailed on the
24th August, and the final version that has just arrived.
On the 24th August, you wrote via email:
"However, the Commission has recommended that the ASTM Bicycle Committee, which meets in October
2003, take this matter under advisement for further discussion, additional testing and problem
examination."
The official letter is dated September 2 and marked "Overnight Mail". However it was not posted
until the 15th October. It contains the somewhat more informative text:
"However, the Commission has recommended that the ASTM Bicycle Committee, which next meets in
October 2003 in Las Vegas, take this matter under advisement for further discussion, additional
testing and problem examination. ASTM Committee meetings are open to the public and persons may
contact the committee chair to be included on the agenda."
This ASTM meeting was during Interbike, and took place just a couple of days before the letter was
finally mailed.
I find the discrepancy in content, and the lengthy delay between printing the letter, and posting
it, most odd. I'd always prefer to assume a ****-up rather than a conspiracy but it seems difficult
to avoid the conclusion that someone was keen to ensure that I did not find out about the ASTM
meeting until it was too late for this information to be of any value. Of course I was hardly likely
to travel to Las Vegas myself, but some other people who I know attended the Interbike show might
have also been interested in the ASTM meeting.
In any case, I would be most interested in seeing a copy of the report that Mark LaPlant of
Cannondale apparently produced for you, demonstrating that a properly fastened QR cannot loosen off.
As you must be well aware, this runs contrary to much experimental, theoretical and anecdotal
evidence, so it must be a very interesting piece of research. Since his report was presented at the
ASTM meeting, open to the public in theory if not in practice, I do not anticipate that he can have
any objection to it being placed in the public domain, and look forward to your earliest response.
Regards,
James Annan
-----------
almost the same as the draft I had been sent by email, but with some crucial differences. The letter
itself was dated 2 Sept, which is the last day I got email from Mr DeMarco of CPSC (in which he did
not mention the changes to the letter). In this email he mentions the letter being "signed off" by
"supervisory staff" on 27 August so he certainly knew of the altered text and chose not to inform
me. The letter was not posted until the 15th October - this date is important, it is just a couple
of days after the ASTM meeting referred to.
The letter was also CCed to Mark Laplant and David Campbell of Cannondale, presumably the "major
manufacturer" who had been working with the CPSC on this issue.
I replied to Mr DeMarco last week with the following letter. No response yet. Carlton Reid of
Bikebiz has also asked for the Cannondale report and been rebuffed.
James
----------------
Dear Mr DeMarco,
Thank you for your letter detailing your response to the disk brake/quick release problem. The
official copy finally arrived last week, some two months after you told me it was written and
waiting to be mailed.
There are some curious discrepancies between the text of the electronic draft you emailed on the
24th August, and the final version that has just arrived.
On the 24th August, you wrote via email:
"However, the Commission has recommended that the ASTM Bicycle Committee, which meets in October
2003, take this matter under advisement for further discussion, additional testing and problem
examination."
The official letter is dated September 2 and marked "Overnight Mail". However it was not posted
until the 15th October. It contains the somewhat more informative text:
"However, the Commission has recommended that the ASTM Bicycle Committee, which next meets in
October 2003 in Las Vegas, take this matter under advisement for further discussion, additional
testing and problem examination. ASTM Committee meetings are open to the public and persons may
contact the committee chair to be included on the agenda."
This ASTM meeting was during Interbike, and took place just a couple of days before the letter was
finally mailed.
I find the discrepancy in content, and the lengthy delay between printing the letter, and posting
it, most odd. I'd always prefer to assume a ****-up rather than a conspiracy but it seems difficult
to avoid the conclusion that someone was keen to ensure that I did not find out about the ASTM
meeting until it was too late for this information to be of any value. Of course I was hardly likely
to travel to Las Vegas myself, but some other people who I know attended the Interbike show might
have also been interested in the ASTM meeting.
In any case, I would be most interested in seeing a copy of the report that Mark LaPlant of
Cannondale apparently produced for you, demonstrating that a properly fastened QR cannot loosen off.
As you must be well aware, this runs contrary to much experimental, theoretical and anecdotal
evidence, so it must be a very interesting piece of research. Since his report was presented at the
ASTM meeting, open to the public in theory if not in practice, I do not anticipate that he can have
any objection to it being placed in the public domain, and look forward to your earliest response.
Regards,
James Annan
-----------
